My Penguin Friend
| My Penguin Friend | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | David Schurmann |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Anthony Dod Mantle |
| Edited by | Teresa Font |
| Music by | Fernando Velázquez |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Roadside Attractions |
Release dates |
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Running time | 97 minutes |
| Countries | Brazil United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $5 million[1] |
My Penguin Friend is a 2024 Brazilian-American family adventure film directed by David Schurmann, written by Paulina Lagudi Ulrich and Kristen Lazarian, and starring Jean Reno and Adriana Barraza. It is based on the true story of fisherman João Pereira de Souza and Dindim the penguin, which went viral in 2016.[2] It was first released in France on August 7, 2024, and was released in the United States on August 16, 2024. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics.
Plot
[edit]Brazilian Fisherman João Pereira de Souza discovers an injured penguin drifting alone in the ocean, near death and covered in oil from a spill. João rescues the animal and rehabilitates it, forging an unconventional lifelong friendship.[3]
Cast
[edit]- Jean Reno as João Pereira de Souza
- Adriana Barraza as Maria
- Rocío Hernández as Stephanie
- Nicolás Francella as Carlos
- Alexia Moyano as Adriana
- Thalma de Freitas as Calista
- Pedro Urizzi as young João
Production
[edit]On April 19, 2022, it was reported that Jonathan Lim had launched the American production company City Hill Arts,[4] and that their first film would be The Penguin & the Fisherman, to be directed by David Schurmann and starring Jean Reno.[2] The film was later retitled My Penguin Friend.[3] On October 14, 2022, it was reported that Adriana Barraza had joined the cast, as João's wife Maria.[5]
My Penguin Friend was filmed primarily on the tropical beaches of Brazil and amongst a colony of nearly a million penguins in Patagonia.[3] Production wrapped in February 2023, and post production took place in Madrid, Spain.[6]
The film was produced by Jonathan Lim, Robin Jonas, Steven P. Wegner, Andreas Wentz, Nicolas Veinberg, Shaked Berenson, and Patrick Ewald.[3] On February 15, 2024, it was announced that US distribution rights had been acquired by Roadside Attractions.[3]
Release
[edit]The trailer was released on May 17, 2024. The film was first released in France on August 7, 2024, and was released in the United States on August 16, 2024.[7]
Popularity on TikTok
[edit]On August 11, 2024, TikTok user KindPenguins (@pudgykindness) posted a video in which he randomly joined the livestream of Twitch streamers with no live viewers. During this, he came across the livestream of producer Jonathan Lim. Lim went on to discuss his professional background and what led to him producing the film.[8] The video went viral, garnering thousands of comments and shares, 11.2 million likes and 58.2 million views, as of August 16, 2024.[9] It also brought Lim's personal TikTok account from less than 100,000 followers to over 1.3 million.[10]
Reception
[edit]Box office
[edit]In the United States and Canada, the film made $1 million from 1,083 theaters in its opening weekend.[11]
Critical response
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 85% of 55 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Pairing the ever-reliable Jean Reno with a scene-stealing feathered co-star to winning effect, My Penguin Friend mostly coasts by on charm -- which is not in short supply."[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 70 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[13]
Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com gave the film three out of four stars and wrote, "There's something radical about the old-fashioned approach of My Penguin Friend. It's an earnest, crowd-pleasing family film – nothing snarky or self-referential, no on-the-nose needle drops - just a sweet, beautifully made movie that earns the emotion it'll surely draw from its viewers."[14]
References
[edit]- ^ "My Penguin Friend". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
- ^ a b Grobar, Matt (19 April 2022). "Biotech Entrepreneur Jonathan Lim Launches City Hill Arts; Unveils Slate Of Projects With Stampede Ventures & More". Deadline. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Grobar, Matt (15 February 2024). "Roadside Attractions Takes U.S. Rights To Family Adventure 'The Penguin & The Fisherman' Starring Jean Reno". Deadline. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ https://cityhillarts.com/
- ^ Gonzalez, Umberto (14 October 2022). "'Blue Beetle' Star Adriana Barraza Joins Jean Reno in 'The Penguin and the Fisherman'". The Wrap. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (22 February 2023). "'The Penguin & The Fisherman' First Look: Jean Reno Leads City Hill Arts Drama Based On True Story". Deadline. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ Dela Paz, Maggie (17 May 2024). "My Penguin Friend Trailer Previews True Story Based on DinDim". Coming Soon. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ KindPenguins [@pudgykindness] (August 11, 2024). "out_on_a_lim ❤️". via TikTok. Retrieved on August 16, 2024.
- ^ The Collision (August 14, 2016). "'My Penguin Friend': A Conversation with Jonathan Lim (Producer & Founder of City Hill Arts)". via YouTube. Retrieved on August 16, 2024.
- ^ out_on_a_lim TikTok Stats Summary Profile. Social Blade. Retrieved on August 16, 2024.
- ^ "Domestic 2024 Weekend 33". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "My Penguin Friend". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
- ^ "My Penguin Friend". Metacritic. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
- ^ Lemire, Christy (16 August 2024). "My Penguin Friend". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 16 August 2024.