The Penguin Lessons is a period dramedy that sings a familiar song but director Peter Cattaneo knows how to play this music really well. With The Full Monty and Military Wives under his belt, it only makes sense for Cattaneo to keep churning out audience-friendly biopics that are inspired by, or based on, true stories.

Steve Coogan (of Greed and Alan Partridge fame) portrays Tom Michell, an educator who travels to Argentina to teach English to teenage boys and coach their rugby team as well (the latter being a strange surprise for Michell). The class doesn’t respect Tom, and the teacher has a hard time maintaining interest towards his new job. In a surprising turn of events, an excursion to Uruguay between school sessions pairs Tom with a stray penguin that was previously stuck in an oil slick. Though the heroic act of saving the penguin didn’t help Tom out with picking up a woman, the penguin follows him home where the animal becomes an aide for teacher and, soon, the rest of the school.

Though based on Michell’s memoir of the same name, The Penguin Lessons has the appeal of saccharine softball that knows how to tug at your heartstrings. A film that works in the moment but, otherwise, fails to be memorable. The Penguin Lessons, however, defies those odds. Coogan is endearing as Michell, starting with his usual brand of wry humour and then gradually letting his guard down to be warmer and less cantankerous. This measured charcterization is dealt competently by Cattaneo and written just as well by screenwriter Jeff Pope (who co-wrote Philomena’s Oscar nominated screenplay with Coogan). Side stories about internalizaing trauma are handled at a comfortable degree that serves the drama while maintaining the film’s light and inspiring tone.

Which leaves us with the penguin. Yes, the penguin is very adorable. But, The Penguin Lessons (or rather the animal trainers off-screen and editors Robin Peters and Tariq Anwar) creates an amiable personality for Tom’s waddling pal that doesn’t only fish for cutesy reactions. When characters start confiding in the penguin, as if the animal is their personal therapist, the audience is convinced. The impressive efforts seen in The Penguins Lessons make last year’s My Penguin Friend look like krill.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie