Transparency for reviewing My Penguin Friend: A total bias in favor of the birds means their presence alone influences me. I love them so much that under threat of getting left behind, I once sneaked away from a tour group in Patagonia to take a side trip to an island where I wandered amidst a few hundred penguins. They patted right by my feet but did not want to make friends with me even while I swooned over each aspect that contributes to their cuteness—their black-and-white feathered outfit that makes them seem ready for a formal affair, a foot maneuvering worthy of Monty Python’s Ministry of Funny Walks, and a call whose bray gives them the nickname of jackass penguins. Director David Schurmann highlights this cuteness factor for My Penguin Friend, showcasing the title bird rambling through the kid-friendly shenanigans of a Babe the Pig or Shaun the Sheep. Schurmann works with a script by Kristen Lazarian and Paulina Lagudi Ulrich bearing a “inspired by true events” claim—meaning something like this once happened somewhere. The “something” for My Penguin Friend comes from a real-life viral phenomenon showing a penguin who returned once a year to the man who rescued him after an oil spill. This in turn brought on a documentary, perfect fodder for a feature film when padded with invented but plausible conflicts like family drama and interference from scientists. Playing the humans, Jean Reno and Adriana Barraza display loneliness and warmth that makes them open for a relationship to the movie’s main attraction, Dindim, portrayed by several different trained birds. The interactions change a few facts, but the core remains true: a human and bird bond as buddies, each benefitting from the other, ideal for a warm, sentimental, family film.
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