Seen on: March 1, 2008

The players: Director: Mark Palansky, Writer: Leslie Caveny, Cast: Christina Ricci, Reese Witherspoon, James McAvoy, Catherine O'Hara, Peter Dinklage

Facts of interest: Yep, Reese Witherspoon also serves as producer of the movie.

The plot: Christina Ricci plays a girl who was born with a pig nose. To break the family curse and return to normalcy, all she has to do is find true love.

Our thoughts: “Penelope” is a modern fairy tale, and as we all know, everything is possible in a fairy tale. That said, it’s a lot easier to forgive some of the film’s obvious flaws. But as far as uplifting family comedies go, “Penelope” is a success. The movie is easy to digest and offers audiences a heartwarming story about a girl whose terrible curse has always prevented her from exploring the outside world…until now.  

In what is one of her most delightful performances in a long time, Christina Ricci jumps into the role of Penelope, a young girl who fell victim to a family curse and was born into this world with a pig nose. To break the curse, all she has to do is find a charming aristocratic young man who loves her just for the way she is. But with the face of a pig, dating is complicated. Hope springs up when Penelope meets Max (James McAvoy), a young gambler who convinced the pig-nosed girl to quit hiding and discover the beauty of a world she never knew existed.

Directed by Mark Palansky, “Penelope” is not necessarily a film for the very young cinemagoers, but kids aged 9 and up will likely be able to take home a valuable lesson or two. As a story about the importance of inner beauty and self-confidence, the film works just fine. Watching Penelope struggle with rejection on a daily basis and find the courage to fight her predicament is a heartening experience fueled by wit and magic.  

On more than one occasion however, the flick desperately tries to deliver a social comment about the troubled relationship between the media and celebrity circles. Although this shit in focus does not entirely ruin the main story line, it creates certain awkward and unnecessary moments that disrupt the place of the plot. The presence of a variety of underdeveloped subplots consequently prevents some of the characters to not stick out enough. They may just as well have been left out.
 
Ricci, as I mentioned earlier, delivers a cute performance and quickly steals the heart of every moviegoer, young and old. She plays this role with enough energy and enthusiasm, acting as an ideal inspiration to young girls who may not be pleased with their own looks. Solid supporting roles include James McAvoy, Richard E. Grant, Catherine O-Hara, Reese Witherspoon and the great Peter Dinklage, who despite his shallow role as a local reporter hits all the right notes.

Freaky quote: "So what are you hiding from the law or is it just a bad nose job?" – Reese Witherspoon

The final word: Younger audiences will appreciate the cuteness of the film and find many goofy scenes to laugh at, but chances are their parents will look at the plot more critically. But nice production design, a fast pace, top-notch actors and a decent dose of simple but entertaining fairytale magic and feel-good emotions should eventually lift every spectator’s spirits.