In her The Friend review and The Penguins Lessons reviews, Lisa Johnson Mandell claims these two charming, animal focused films provide the warmth and comfort that you don’t often find in theaters these days.

The Friend Review

It isn’t often you see the top billed star die in the first 10 minutes of a film. But you know what? We don’t even miss Bill Murray’s urbane, loquacious, flirtatious English professor named Walter, because he is rapidly replaced by a giant, sad-eyed, Harlequin Great Dane named Apollo.

Walter bequeaths Apollo to his best friend and former student/lover Iris (Naomi Watts), a single teacher and author who lives in the small, one-bedroom New York City rent-controlled apartment that her father left to her when he died. As she grieves Walter’s death, she sees no room in her small, lonely life for the giant canine, but of course we all know Apollo is exactly what she needs.

And she is exactly what Apollo needs, because he is in mourning for his beloved best friend as well. Iris is his only understanding connection. Walter seemed to know they would help each other, even though Apollo predictably rips the place to shreds when she’d gone.

So Apollo is not exactly what the building needs, according to the superintendent, and Iris will be evicted if she doesn’t get rid of her canine companion pronto.

Therein lies the drama and emotion. This film is based on the novel by Sigrid Nunez, reflecting on grief and loss. As in the novel, Iris processes her emotions and fights off  lingering writer’s block by authoring a new novel about a lonely teacher processing her grief by inheriting and dealing with a giant dog. That’s a meta layer of contrivance I easily could have done without.

But the film can be forgiven for that, and for some dog handling errors that those of us in the know cringe over. The movie’s heart is in the right place, and the story is a poignant one—so much more fulfilling than those about violence, degradation, and emptiness of soul. The depths of Apollo’s eyes makes up for everything. Forget the mascara when you set out to see it.

Rated R

2 Hours 3 Minutes

The Penguin Lessons review

You’d be hard pressed to find a better actor to play a world-weary British misanthrope than Steve Coogan. He redefines the words ‘cranky loaner,’ whose heart can only be saved by an unsuspecting penguin caught in an oil slick.

Like The Friend, The Penguins Lessons is also based on book, but this one is a true-life memoir of the same name by author Tom Michell. The film is “inspired by real events” surrounding Michell’s 1975 arrival at an elite boys academy in Buenos Aires to half-heartedly teach them English, while outside the school’s walls political upheaval rages, thanks to the cruel military dictatorship that prevailed during that time period.

Through amusing circumstances, Michell reluctantly accepts guardianship of an adorable penguin he finds covered in oil on the beach. He stealthily takes the poor little guy home to his apartment at the academy where no pets are allowed, and attempts to hide him, but you can imagine how that goes.

Without words, the penguin manages to melt the hearts of everyone he meets, from the rowdy students, to the tightly wound headmaster (Jonathyn Price), and the housekeepers that attempt to keep his secrets. When the ugliness of the political milieu reaches into the school, the penguin inadvertently intercedes.

Director Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty, Military Wives) and screenwriter Jeff Pope (Philomena, which also starred Coogan) manage to keep the story emotional, engaging and arresting, without being too maudlin. It’s an amusing history, sociology, zoology and psychology lesson all wrapped up in one bitter sweet package.

Rated PG-13

1 Hour 50 Minutes

If Lisa’s The Friend review and The Penguin Lessons review encourage you to trot on over to the local cineplex to take a look, find times and tickets at Fandango.com.

In her The Friend review and The Penguins Lessons reviews, Lisa Johnson Mandell claims these two charming, animal focused films provide the warmth and comfort that you don’t often find in theaters these days.