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My Penguin Friend | 2024 | PG | – 1.3.1
Why is “My Penguin Friend” rated PG? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “thematic content.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a young boy drowning in a boating accident during a large storm, a penguin found covered with oil, a penguin found injured after a fall, a penguin nearly being taken away to a research facility, discussions of research funding, and some name-calling. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.
Inspired by a true story: After a man (Jean Reno) suffers a traumatic loss, he rescues a penguin and they develop an uncanny friendship. Also with Adriana Barraza, Rochi Hernández, Nicolás Francella and Alexia Moyano. Directed by David Schurmann. [Running Time: 1:37]
My Penguin Friend SEX/NUDITY 1
– A husband and his wife kiss and hug. A man kisses a woman on the cheeks in greeting. A young boy and a young girl flirt and the girl gives the boy a birthday gift.
► Men are shown with their shirts open in a few scenes revealing their bare chests and abdomens.
My Penguin Friend VIOLENCE/GORE 3
– A man reluctantly takes his son out on a boat as a storm approaches, clouds rumble overhead and waves barrel down on them, the boat is capsized and the anchor falls overboard pulling the boy underwater, where we understand he drowns (we see the boy sinking underwater).
► People gather waiting for a penguin to return and when it doesn’t, several men search for it in boats until they find it floating motionless in the water; they take it on a boat and a man cries over the penguin fearing that it is dead (it revives). A penguin is put in a crate to take it to a research facility; the crate opens and the penguin jumps out of the parked vehicle and walks away; when it tries to climb down a steep ridge to get to the ocean, it falls and hits the ground hard, lying motionless (it revives and we see blood on its head and chest).
► Several scenes show aspects of penguin migration with penguins mating and swimming fast and vast distances in groups; one scene shows a penguin veering out of the group to catch a fish and it is separated; we later see it floating motionless in the water and a man picks it up and cleans a lot of oil soaked into its feathers. A penguin is led into a crate and taken to a research hut where it is weighed and tagged. A penguin investigates a bike’s tire and pops it, it runs away when the bike topples over and scares several chickens, and a dog nearby growls and barks at it as it passes. A penguin walks toward the shoreline and swims away as a man watches and seems very sad.
► A man follows a penguin’s tracks to the shoreline and we understand that it has left. A man takes a penguin to an island cave and leaves it there; the penguin makes its way back to the man’s home. A man hammers a nail and a penguin mimics the sound using its beak. A man builds a shelter for a penguin and the penguin decorates it with scavenged items. A penguin sleeps on a man’s lap.
► Researchers joke about penguins having GPS and superpowers. We read that a penguin traveled 5,000 miles each year during migration and that it followed the same path for 8 years to go back to the man that helped it. Men talk about seeing a shark when they were younger and being afraid. A man says of another man, “That old man is broken.” A husband playfully grabs his wife and his son and says he is going to make them stinky too after he comes home from fishing and his son tells him that he smells like “stinky fish.”
► A penguin defecates on a floor (we see goo) and a woman washes up the mess. Men gut and clean fish (we see the intestines through the opening). A penguin covers a bathroom and itself with toilet paper. Penguin eggs hatch and we see the hatchlings growing up and swimming with the rest of the group later.
My Penguin Friend LANGUAGE 1
– Name-calling (abnormal, persistent, escape artist, pessimist), exclamations (my goodness), religious exclamations (people pray in church in a couple of scenes). | profanity glossary |
My Penguin Friend SUBSTANCE USE
– People drink various beverages at a celebration; it is not clear whether they are alcoholic.
My Penguin Friend DISCUSSION TOPICS
– Penguins, migration of penguins, wildlife research, human/animal relationships, guilt, forgiveness, parenting, death of a child, grief, adaptation, marine biologists, hope.
My Penguin Friend MESSAGE
– Helping animals can bring renewed hope to one’s life.
CAVEATS
Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.
We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.
Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.
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