Review: ‘Penelope’

Travis:

I am often drawn to movies that appear mysteriously interesting, especially when they’re flying just under the radar of the mass media. There’s something about movies that somehow avoid any serious amount of publicity that appeal to my curiosity. I noticed this movie on just a few of the marquis around town and looked it up. I read the unbearably vague plot synopsis and then I saw the cast. So, with a PG rating I could only assume it was a kid’s flick, but why should that stop me? Its true, I’m normally rarely drawn to kid’s movies as the vast majority of them are dumbed down so much that I’ve actually talked to some kids themselves who’ve felt insulted by their insulting assumption of the audience’s general IQ. After all, I have met kid’s 20 years younger than myself who could teach me how to do things on computers that I didn’t even realize was possible.

Penelope (2006) was directed by first-timer Mark Palansky, who before this has worked as director for a very interesting industry talk-show called The Dialogue, which interviews major screenwriters. I haven’t seen the show, but if I stumble upon it I will surely check it out. Anyway, the movie stars Christina Ricci as Penelope. An interesting choice, considering that same year she starred in Black Snake Moan. I do like Christina Ricci, but I also like the remaining cast of James McAvoy (Atonement), Catherine O’Hara (For Your Consideration), Peter Dinklage (The Station Agent) and Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line). The story follows Penelope, the daughter of a wealthy blue-blood couple whose family has lived with a curse for several generations. It is believed that the curse can only be broken when Penelope finds a blue-blood suitor to marry her. The catch is, the curse has rendered her romantically-challenged and makes finding a willing suitor nearly impossible.

The story in and of itself is pretty simple, one of the classic fairy tale princess nature, but is handled very intelligently. The writing is both realistic and humorous, maintaining the dignity of the underlying message being presented to the youthful target audience. The primary moral of the story is an important one that, while being told numerous times already, is still critically relevant today. The one element of the movie that I really enjoyed is that the point of the movie is nicely blended into the entire film, emphasized by a few additional yet relevant metaphors, and it doesn’t rub the audience’s nose in any kind of blatant soap-box preaching. If you want to know what the film has to say, well … you’ll have to see for yourself. By the way, there’s a nagging hunch in my head that this movie’s based on a children’s book, but I may be wrong. I don’t have kids so I’m not familiar with that literary genre. I would recommend that if you have kids, give them credit for their intelligence and take them to see Penelope instead of Hannah Montana … and as a bonus, you’ll save some dough.

(3 out of 5)

Zac:

This modern day fairy tale follows the adventure of a cursed, pig nosed, girl searching for the man who can of blue blood decent that can break the curse and turn her to normal, and while it starts off strong it slowly fades into something pretty ridiculous and bad by the time it’s all over.
Penelope is played well by Christina Ricci but the script and story is just all over the place and the solid performances by the lead and supporting cast can’t save the mess of a picture that this becomes. The myth of the curse and the early courting montage are great and funny bits at the beginning and the films head is firmly on tight, but by the time that Penelope runs away, the movie loses its focus and is just all over the place.
James McAvoy does a good job as the possible suitor, but he has an American accent, and just disappears for extended period of the film, it just doesn’t make sense. Catherine O’Hara is great as the over protective, yet desperate, mother that is trying to find her daughter a husband and give them the life they deserve instead of the secluded life they were forced into.
Another plot point that starts off fine and then just makes little sense by the end is Peter Dinklage’s role as a photographer trying to get a picture of the pig faced Penelope for the tabloids. Dinklage is great as usual, and his plot works well in the get go, but unhinges with the rest of the film. Simon Woods is also great as the snobby blue blood working with Dinklage, trying to clear his name and regain face after his pig woman report.
Reese Witherspoon is a waist in her small, but the only reason she is in the picture is due to her producer credit as they were trying to give the film a bit more appeal.
I really was so ready to like this film, but just as I was getting into it, it all falls apart at the seams. The film doesn’t really know what it wants to be and is more of a smattering of ideas that might have worked but just can’t really solidify into something solid. The first third is pretty great and funny, but I can’t recommend you to go see this in theaters based on the debacle collapse of the film; wait for a rental if interested.

(2.5 snouts out of 5)

[rating: 3/5]