Posts Tagged ‘David Schurmann’

MY PENGUIN FRIEND: 2 STARS. “a story of finding comfort in strange places.”

SYNOPSIS: In “My Penguin Friend,” a new family film starring Jean Reno and a penguin, and now playing in theatres, a Brazilian fisherman discovers DimDin, an injured penguin drifting alone in the ocean, near death and covered in oil from a spill. He rescues the animal and rehabilitates it, forging an unconventional friendship. “He’s not my pet,” says Joao (Reno) of the tenacious penguin. “He’s my friend.”

CAST: My Penguin Friend, Jean Reno, Adriana Barraza, Rochi Hernández. Directed by David Schurmann.

REVIEW: Set against the backdrop of unimaginable personal loss and guilt, “My Penguin Friend” develops into a story of finding comfort in strange places, including small, penguin shaped packages. It’s about connections, community and compassion, wrapped up in an indie kids’ movie.

French actor Reno hands in an understated performance and plays well off of Mexican star Adriana Barraza. They share many scenes, but this is the penguin’s movie.

Kids will likely enjoy DimDin. He is a bit of a troublemaker and a thief—“stealing” shoelaces and other small items to feather his nest—with a swaggalicious waddle and a tenacious spirit. Thankfully, the filmmakers don’t anthropomorphize him. He is just a plain penguin, who behaves more like a friendly puppy than a flightless bird, and that brings the film a great deal of charm.

Gently paced—read: S-L-O-O-O-O-O-O-W—“My Penguin Friend” sometimes feels like an episode of “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom” with a heartwarming “inspired by true events” story attached to the nature photography. It’s an old-fashioned family movie, low on stakes, that serves up compassion rather than high action but may entertain any young, aspiring Marine Biologists in the house.

RICHARD NEW MOVIE REVIEWS COMING THIS WEEK – AUGUST 16, 2024!

I’ll be reviewing four movies this week, everything from aliens and penguins to a coming-of-age story and a family drama. All reviews posted on Thursday, August 15!

Set between the events of “Alien” and “Aliens,” “Alien: Romulus,” a new sci fi flick now playing in theatres, sees a group of young space colonizers scavenging a derelict space station, only to discover the most terrifying life form in the universe.

In “My Penguin Friend,” a new family film starring Jean Reno and a penguin, and now playing in theatres, a Brazilian fisherman discovers an injured penguin drifting alone in the ocean, near death and covered in oil from a spill. He rescues the animal and rehabilitates it, forging an unconventional lifelong friendship.

In “Good One,” a new drama now playing in theatres, a father, his daughter and his best friend take a weekend backpacking trip in the Catskills. When tensions arise between the old friends, the daughter is caught in the middle, wedged between the clash of egos between her father and his oldest friend.

In “Close to You,” a new family drama now playing in theatres, Academy Award Nominee Elliot Page stars as a trans man who returns to his hometown for the first time in years.