The Penguin Lessons

The Film

The Penguin Lessons is a 2025 comedy-drama film directed by Peter Cattaneo and starring Steve Coogan and Jonathan Pryce.

The script was adapted by Jeff Pope from Tom Michell's memoir of the same name, published in 2015. His memoir chronicles his experience as a British teacher who travelled to South America to teach at a boys' boarding school in Argentina in the 1970s. Expecting an easy ride, Tom discovers a divided nation and a class of unteachable students.

On a trip to Uruguay, he visited a beach in the Uruguayan resort of Punta del Este, where he rescued a penguin from an oil slick. He brought it to his hotel to clean and feed it. After that, the penguin would not leave him, and kept following him. Eventually he took it back to the school, only to find his life turned upside down.

The Penguin Lessons was released in the UK on 18 April 2025.

Development

The film was shot in Spain in 2023 and in Argentina and Uruguay in 2024.

Reception

The film has been exceptionally well received by critics and audiences alike. Rotten Tomatoes states: "The Penguin Lessons is appealing ..... and is elevated by a winning performance from Steve Coogan with a little help from a lovable pint-sized companion."

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