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‘The Penguin Lessons’ Review: Steve Coogan Finds His Happy Feet in a Gentle True-Life Tale
Steve Coogan brings his signature dry irony to proceedings, but the penguin is the star in Peter Cattaneo's gentle 'The Penguin Lessons.'
His 2016 memoir of that period, “ The Penguin Lessons,” was the kind of breezy read that bridges adult and juvenile tastes for animal stories; Peter Cattaneo ‘s amiable film adaptation matches the book’s feathery whimsy while reaching for a little more political import. Coogan spikes proceedings with his familiar air of deadpan irony, while Cattaneo (in one of his better outings since landing an Oscar nomination for “The Full Monty” nearly 27 years ago) mixes broad comic beats with a mollifying dose of yellow-filtered pathos. Still, you can sense the curious tonal split from the jump, as Coogan’s Michell — clad in the mandatory Seventies teacher uniform of corduroy blazer, slacks and suede desert boots, all in varying shades of gravy — arrives with a bemused frown at the forbiddingly exclusive gates of his new place of employment, to find workmen painting over “fascistas bastardos” graffiti on the high outside wall.
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