Penelope

Loved! Loved! Loved this Movie! One of the last movies I caught at the Toronto Film Festival....and by far my FAVORITE!!!!! Penelope is an original and uplifting story that reminds us of life's most fundamental truth -- that our beliefs lock us into a particular reality. It is packed full of excitement, surprises, laughs, heartfelt pangs and soaring joy. Christina Ricci is radiant as Penelope and in the face of daunting circumstances she inspires us to not only persevere but to dare to break free. It is a treat to see Reese Witherspoon portraying an edgier gal than norm and James McAvoy is a heartthrob! Oh, and the performance of Simon Woods is absolutely delightful and unforgettable! This movie is important, but I would give away the ending if I told you why!!

I didn't know what the heck Penelope was, I only saw the trailer once and it looked very strange, I only saw the poster more than a few times and it again, didn't really catch my interest. But my friends and I decided to check it out and I'm actually glad that I saw it. As silly story that it is and a bit predictable, it's a good movie. Most romantic comedies tick me off because they are so predictable and the it's the same formula each time, Penelope is close to the same formula, but instead adds a fairy tale twist. It has the same moral of the story as most films of having to accept yourself, but Christina Ricci made it more charming and lovable. The cast was perfect and all did a great job, the looked like they had such a good time bringing this story to life.

Penelope seems like the girl that should be living the high life, a wealthy family, part of royalty, but her life isn't perfect. Due to a shallow mistake her ancestor made, a witch cursed a face of a pig onto the next born daughter, that happens to be Penelope who apparently has to marry a man of royal blood to break the curse. But since she's not the prettiest face on the planet, every man runs from her, but Max, a spy sent by a photographer, Max learns that Penelope is a beautiful soul. Penelope runs away though to find her freedom and instead finds herself and how wonderful she truly is.

Penelope is a very cute film, I was very impressed with the story, there were some things I was a little disappointed in, like how they just abandoned some characters for no reason. But I think it's hard to fit it in a short film, still I think it could have been edited better. But Christina Ricci was a great choice for Penelope, even though she's still oddly enough not the ugliest woman I've ever seen with the nose, she did a good job and held her own well. Reese Witherspoon, small role, but she was so charming. I would recommend Penelope, it's a cute film and was a lot of fun to watch.

7/10

"Penelope" opens with Christina Ricci narrating the story to us of how she, Penelope, was born with a curse - a pig nose. The film may seem childish and too fairy tale-like but Ricci speaks with such a soft pleasing manner that she reminds us of the best kindergarten teachers reading to us so we relax and settle in and comfortably enjoy the film.

Then we meet Penelope's mother (Catherine O'Hara) she is everything that Penelope is not: high-strung, over-bearing, intolerant. Of course she's just being a protective mother but she's painted in such a light so the audience can relate more and laugh with Penelope. Most of the supporting characters are cliché but they are done over the top so they are actually funny. At this point I should make a caveat, I am a James McAvoy votary. Such that I would be glowing about his role and performance no matter what, so I will be conspicuously quiet on McAvoy to not over-colour this review.

Listed as a modern-day fairy tale for the entire family, I actually found the movie much more slanted towards young adults (a few jokes would go over kids' heads). This would probably explain the casting of twenty-something and 30-year-old popular actors. I, for one, am glad that they made a film for me with no violence, vulgarity, action or effects and instead filled it with light-hearted, romantic, feel-good messages about loving yourself. And they somehow did that with out being saccharine or sappy.

I saw this at a preview and really enjoyed this movie. It's a wonderful take on the common theme of accepting who you are, not what you are.

Although aimed at tweens/teens, it has elements which also makes this entertaining for adults. It has great visual appeal, slapstick humor as well as clever writing throughout.

This movie deserves to be successful and it's best promotional vehicle will be word of mouth.

It is well cast and Cristina Ricci, as the main character, is instantly engaging.

A fun movie for all !

I saw this movie last year at a screening, but it has taken me awhile to submit a comment on here.

I LOVED THIS MOVIE!!! It is a wonderful story with a great message that needs to be heard in this modern age.

I assume it will be targeted toward teens, but as a 36 year old, I really enjoyed it. It might be one of Ricci's best performances, as good as Black Snake Moan, but completely different roles. James McAvoy is charming. Catherine Ohara, Reese Witherspoon and Peter Dinklage are nice surprises and always funny when they appear. Overall, very enjoyable. It is somewhat predictable, but it has to have a happy ending.