TMS Movie Review: My Penguin Friend
(Roadside Attractions)
In a surprising turn of events, August gains the movie theater audiences that May failed to attract. If you aren’t interested in Fede Álvarez’s much anticipated Alien: Romulus this month, there are still plenty of other decent options out there too. Only a week following Sean Wang’s Dìdi, another family friendly character piece is released with David Schurmann’s My Penguin Friend. Though nothing groundbreaking or subversive, the title alone should let viewers know that they’re going into a traditional wholesome and heartwarming tale. Using the guise of James B. Clark’s Flipper (1963) or Simon Wincer’s Free Willy (1993), but with an old man instead of a young boy. My Penguin Friend’s appeal is pretty specific, but effective if you are part of the target crowd.
Set in a contemporary small Brazilian village, João (Jean Reno) hasn’t completely recovered from the tragic death of his small son 35 years ago and spends most of his time to himself and with his wife, Maria (Adriana Barraza). While most of the locals are sympathetic to João and Maria, the couple’s lives are turned sideways when an ordinary penguin washes up to their beachfront home covered in oil. After feeding and washing the creature, an unlikely friendship is formed between João and ‘Din-Dim,’ who becomes attached to the older spouses rather than completely return to the wild.
(Roadside Attractions)
Alexia Moyano, Nicolás Francella and Rochi Hernandez co-star as a trio of researchers who are simultaneously studying the behavior of penguins on the coast of Argentina, where Din-Dim swims back to whenever he’s not with his new family. My Penguin Friend is loosely based on a real story with a script penned by Kristen Lazarian and Paulina Lagudi Ulrich. Like I mentioned earlier, this is a modest, small budgeted, PG rated flick for all ages and especially enjoyable for those who like this brand of feel-good storytelling. A lot of the time the quality of these films can vary wildly and lean too heavily on saccharine sentimentalities. We even get the token little kid to bring an extra layer of adorableness, here in Lucia (played by newcomer Duda Galvão), who encourages João to continue taking care of the stray penguin. But, even with all this, I couldn’t help but be won over by the tale of two lost individuals who find each other to heal physically [Din-Dim] and emotionally [João] together. Reno has an effective, soft delivery to his performance that shows his range, and Barraza has a nice, gentle quality as the typical supportive wife. I also found it cute how all nine penguins who played Din-Dim are credited with the rest of the cast.
Save for some amateur looking editing near the beginning and some blunt acting from who I assume are locals cast in minor roles, My Penguin Friend is a solid choice for movie fans looking for something to see with their kids at the theater.