Movie Review: Penguin Bloom

 Movie: Penguin Bloom

Stars: 3.75

Theatre: Hoyts Victoria Gardens

Okay, a confession. I hate magpies. It stems back to primary school, where during nesting season we had to dodge swooping magpies as we made our way to the toilets at the back of the school. I hate the fuckers. I'm scared of them. 

So going to a film about a magpie probably wasn't the most sensible of things to do. 

But I did, and I'm glad I've seen it, even if it was about a shitty magpie. But it was about more than that, and this was it's the film's redemption. 

Based on a true story, it tells the tale of the Family Bloom in the period after a tragic accident strips the mother, Sam (Naomi Watts) of her ability to walk and most of her sense of humour. Her husband, Cam (played by Andrew Lincoln of This Life and The Walking Dead fame, doing a spot on Aussie accent), tries to hold the family together, a family containing three boistrous boys and a depressed and disabled wife. 

Early on a in the film, the eldest son, Noah (Griffin Murray-Johnson) finds an injured magpie fledgling. The bird is taken home, named Penguin, as a young boys will do and adopted by he family while it becomes stronger. Sam is not happy about the new addition to the family, but the bird in its inimitable style, helps to heal both Sam, and the family, with a sense of humour that only a magpie can provide, it seems. 

Elements of this film reminded me of my most hated book Cleo, the Cat that Healed a Family, by Helen Brown. But this was  much better than that. For a film about trauma and grief, it is quite uplifting in the end. 

As the movie progresses, the magpie heals, as does the mother, partly as she has somebody else to focus on, and partly because Sam rediscovers her love of the water thanks to Gaye (Rachel House of The Hunt for the Wilderpeople fame - allegedly my doppelganger), a  kayaking coach. Oh, and Jackie Weaver is wonderful and Sam's Mum. We all know one just like her. 

The kids steal the show as Noah, Olly and Reuben, the three boys coming to terms with their Mum's predicament.

And then there is the magpie, who is cute annoying, funny, smart and all other things to all people. And it shits everywhere. And they cuddle it. They cuddle the magpie. It's a fucking magpie, people! It will take out your eye if you give it a chance!.

There's lots to like about the film. It's rated PG, so you can take your Mum and your kids. It shows the Northern beaches of Sydney in a lovely light, free from the wankers and idiots associated with the region. 

Also, thankfully, Naomi Watts gets to act her age. Nothing better than a film where a woman is allowed to have lines on her face. 

And for a movie about magpies, I ended up crying buckets at the end, which was sort of surprising as I really don't like magpies. 

I've had to mark this film down a bit because of the magpie factor, but it is a charming, slighlty schmaltzy, sort of formulaic film about people, and animals, overcoming adversity. Also, I'm making a concerted effort to support the Australian film industry, so this had to be seen. And I do recommend it as it is a great diversion for its full 95 minutes. Even better, when in the end credits, you work out they filmed the movie at the Bloom's home and you see how far the family have come. 

It's just a pity the film is partly about a shitty magpie. 

Today's song: