Watts plays a formerly active mother who becomes a paraplegic after a fall, dealing with the loss of her independence and former self, learning to adapt to her situation with the aid of an orphaned magpie which has befriended her children.
Watts seems realistic in her angst and Weaver plays the well-meaning mother with her trademark working-class expression and emotion. The magpie(s) is surprisingly well disciplined, hitting its marks and delivering chirpy dialogue with deft timing. There's also a tautly choreographed magpie cockfight which panics the people into an hysterical flurry as beaks-bite and feathers-fly.
Based on a true story that's narratively simple and offers no surprises, 'Penguin Bloom' is a timid, inoffensive family drama, well-acted and scripted, with attractive scenery and a watchable pace despite a thin plot.
Watts seems realistic in her angst and Weaver plays the well-meaning mother with her trademark working-class expression and emotion. The magpie(s) is surprisingly well disciplined, hitting its marks and delivering chirpy dialogue with deft timing. There's also a tautly choreographed magpie cockfight which panics the people into an hysterical flurry as beaks-bite and feathers-fly.
Based on a true story that's narratively simple and offers no surprises, 'Penguin Bloom' is a timid, inoffensive family drama, well-acted and scripted, with attractive scenery and a watchable pace despite a thin plot.