Joao is a humble old fisherman eking out a living with his wife on the rural coast of Brazil, both shadows of their former selves in the wake of the loss of their only child decades earlier. When Joao spots a distressed penguin covered in oil, he devotes himself to rescue and rehabilitate the bird in order to return it to the wild. Unexpectedly, the penguin has a different idea, staying with Joao longer than needed, and then continuing to visit him for months every year, migrating thousands of miles from Patagonia.
Buy Mr. Popper’s Penguins bookBased on a true story, director David Schurmann’s film utilizes real penguins and beautiful location photography to capture the essence of this remarkable relationship. Ten different trained aquarium penguins contribute to portray the exceptional life story of the penguin, affectionately named DinDim, as he forges relationships with humans in two countries. When DinDim isn’t with Joao, he returns to ancestral breeding grounds in Southern Argentina, where he comes to the attention of a team of researchers who attach a tracking device to monitor his movements. Eventually, the humans on both ends of DinDim’s path figure out the truth: that he is making a perilous round trip of thousands of miles every year just to return to his friend, Joao.
Jean Reno brings surprising emotion to his miscast role as the broken old fisherman, expertly telegraphing the depths of his character’s lingering sorrow over his deceased son, as well as his joy of discovering new hope with his penguin. I’m so used to seeing him as a dead-eyed cipher in his most well-known roles that he is a revelation here, even if his unmistakable French accent has no hope of passing as Brazilian-accented English. Accents are definitely a factor here, with an entirely non-English cast speaking entirely in English throughout the film for no discernible reason other than ease of selling foreign territory rights. Oscar-nominated Mexican actress Adriana Barraza plays Reno’s bemused and long-suffering wife with just the right measures of tired acceptance and joy at her husband’s reawakening. The research staff members are all Argentinian actors, while Reno’s neighbors are Brazilian, with special attention paid to the charming little girl whose character names DinDim and becomes his first friend outside of the family.
There’s much to like here, with a warm-hearted central story stacked with the wonder of its real-life basis, brilliant photography of the amusing penguins and picturesque scenery, and no villains. Really, that’s all we need for this all-ages charmer, but in an attempt to inject some unnecessary drama into the film, the script detours into the trauma of Joao’s family loss, as well as a maddening and ham-handed subplot that finds the previously hands-off researchers forced to capture and transport DinDim to a distant research center, directly interfering with his migratory timeline. The low point of this narrative blunder is when the researchers allow the caged DinDim to escape from their truck while distracted at a border checkpoint, forcing the little penguin to traverse untold miles over rocky, arid land to try to return to the ocean. The head researcher’s blithe dismissal of this total dereliction of her duties: “he’ll find his way”. This plot misfire nearly derails the entire film, venturing far astray of the original true story for a meaningless slice of contrived fiction.
My Penguin Friend arrives exclusively in theaters on Friday, August 16th, hoping to turn the waning dog days of summer into the penguin days. It’s pleasant enough fare to help escape the heat, even if its forced dramatic choices detract from its heartwarming origin story. The real penguins and gorgeous location scenery combine to make the film a treat for audiences of all ages. Even better, the film closes with archival footage of the real Joao and DinDim, bringing the film full circle back to its amazing origin.
