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.
