Penelope (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
Christina Ricci is a nose ahead in 'Penelope', directed by Mark Palansky. To break the family curse which gave her a pig's nose, a young heiress, Penelope (Ricci), must find true love with 'one of her own kind' & realize that it's ok to like yourself the way you are. Her parents (including the zany Catherine O'Hara) have tried their best to keep her from a society that frowns upon the ugly ducklings of the world. Having never stepped outside (the horror of the pig nose would bring scandal to the family), Penelope escapes from her estate, determined to live life on her own terms, and hopefully find the blue-blooded man who could end the curse for good. Not everything about this Tim Burtonesque film works. It's a quirky, flawed fairy tale ... but fanciful enough & winning enough in the end.
Knowing that the most important feat in her young life is to find the one who loves her faithfully, Penelope sits behind a one-way mirror, hoping to find a connection with a man who could see beyond her pig nose (when revealed). The eligible bachelors know that a hefty dowry is in store for the man who can handle Penelope's face and live the rest of their lives with her. But after years of bachelors fleeing at the very sight of her nose, she finds her situation to be virtually hopeless. Enter Max (James McAvoy), a down-and-out gambler who is hired by a dwarf-sized tabloid reporter, Lemon (Peter Dinklage), to take a picture of the hideous Penelope for his newspaper. However, and quite predictably (for this story), Max winds up falling for Penelope, even 'after' seeing her face.
She thinks he's the 'one'. But he is neither blue-blooded, nor noble enough for her (as he was initially willing to rat her out to the tabloids). Disappointed in himself, he retreats, right when she thought her curse would finally end. Fed up with her misfortune, this is when Penelope joins the real world (keeping her nose covered by a scarf). Penelope finds adventure in Annie (Reese Witherspoon), a Vespa-riding free spirit who befriends her after meeting in the very pub that she'd hoped to go to with Max one day. At this point, the story splinters off into some uninteresting subplots. I didn't really care about Lemon's pursuit, nor the scandal that one of Penelope's prior suitors is trying to cover-up. But 'Penelope' redeems itself in the end when Max shows up again, and a moral story charms us.
'Penelope' makes some missteps. Catherine O'Hara was either very funny, or completely over-the-top. As mentioned, though semi-important to the story, I didn't care about the subplot involving Edward (Simon Woods), a prior suitor who hopes to marry Penelope to cover his own family scandal. And since the film is probably aimed at kids/teens, I don't think many children in the audience were wild about the subplots, either. What the kids will 'hopefully' go for is the moral story: 'ugly duckling or not, it's important to stop the self-loathing, and love one's self. Loving yourself will set you free'. That said, while I observe the several missteps (throwaway characters, uneven dialogue, and lacking a pulse, at times), I get the impression that this is a movie I would have really liked if I were younger.
There's enough of a comic tone to make me chuckle. It's weird enough to keep you watching. The set designs, costumes & prosthetics are original. Christina Ricci (who doesn't get enough credit for tackling such interesting roles) is endearing here, with or without the snout. Kids will laugh at her, and then root for her to make friends and get a life. And most kids will like McAvoy's Max. The best scenes in the film include him & Penelope talking & finding common ground as she sits behind her one-way mirror. The kids will hope that she ends up with him in the end. Speaking of McAvoy, his role here isn't overly challenging, but he has a certain Prince Charming flair; and his American accent is decent. 'Penelope' is fine, but not eccentric enough to shower praise upon.
Knowing that the most important feat in her young life is to find the one who loves her faithfully, Penelope sits behind a one-way mirror, hoping to find a connection with a man who could see beyond her pig nose (when revealed). The eligible bachelors know that a hefty dowry is in store for the man who can handle Penelope's face and live the rest of their lives with her. But after years of bachelors fleeing at the very sight of her nose, she finds her situation to be virtually hopeless. Enter Max (James McAvoy), a down-and-out gambler who is hired by a dwarf-sized tabloid reporter, Lemon (Peter Dinklage), to take a picture of the hideous Penelope for his newspaper. However, and quite predictably (for this story), Max winds up falling for Penelope, even 'after' seeing her face.
She thinks he's the 'one'. But he is neither blue-blooded, nor noble enough for her (as he was initially willing to rat her out to the tabloids). Disappointed in himself, he retreats, right when she thought her curse would finally end. Fed up with her misfortune, this is when Penelope joins the real world (keeping her nose covered by a scarf). Penelope finds adventure in Annie (Reese Witherspoon), a Vespa-riding free spirit who befriends her after meeting in the very pub that she'd hoped to go to with Max one day. At this point, the story splinters off into some uninteresting subplots. I didn't really care about Lemon's pursuit, nor the scandal that one of Penelope's prior suitors is trying to cover-up. But 'Penelope' redeems itself in the end when Max shows up again, and a moral story charms us.
'Penelope' makes some missteps. Catherine O'Hara was either very funny, or completely over-the-top. As mentioned, though semi-important to the story, I didn't care about the subplot involving Edward (Simon Woods), a prior suitor who hopes to marry Penelope to cover his own family scandal. And since the film is probably aimed at kids/teens, I don't think many children in the audience were wild about the subplots, either. What the kids will 'hopefully' go for is the moral story: 'ugly duckling or not, it's important to stop the self-loathing, and love one's self. Loving yourself will set you free'. That said, while I observe the several missteps (throwaway characters, uneven dialogue, and lacking a pulse, at times), I get the impression that this is a movie I would have really liked if I were younger.
There's enough of a comic tone to make me chuckle. It's weird enough to keep you watching. The set designs, costumes & prosthetics are original. Christina Ricci (who doesn't get enough credit for tackling such interesting roles) is endearing here, with or without the snout. Kids will laugh at her, and then root for her to make friends and get a life. And most kids will like McAvoy's Max. The best scenes in the film include him & Penelope talking & finding common ground as she sits behind her one-way mirror. The kids will hope that she ends up with him in the end. Speaking of McAvoy, his role here isn't overly challenging, but he has a certain Prince Charming flair; and his American accent is decent. 'Penelope' is fine, but not eccentric enough to shower praise upon.