Penelope is a very enjoyable modern fairy tale that is more or less Beauty and the Beast with the protagonists’ genders reversed - though the storyline is certainly not an exact parallel to that famous story. The movie begins with the reason for a curse being put on Wilhern family, and what the curse is - that the next female in the family line will be born with the face of a pig, until she can find love from one of her own. In the modern day we meet the unfortunate recipient of this curse, the eponymous heroine of the movie.

One of the reasons for this movie’s slightly stuttering start is that the fulfilment of this prophecy seems to immediately go awry - Penelope has the snout of a pig and there is often the suggestion of abnormal ears, though her long hair always covers these anyway, but since the effect is underplayed somewhat and it’s Christina Ricci playing the role of Penelope, we are left with an extremely pretty girl who happens to have a rather large, slightly snout-shaped nose. Though it’s obviously all done in a rather whimsical fashion this may be deliberate, but it immediately creates a sense of anticlimax, and the many potential suitors that her mother Jessica (Catherine O’Hara) lines up for her from aristocratic families running through first-floor windows, screaming, to get away from her seems very bizarre. I mean, seriously, she doesn’t look that bad at all. Also the idea of her carotid artery running through her snout making plastic surgery impossible seems improbable on many levels… but still, it’s supposed to be magic I guess. At any rate the film gets better after this. Parents with very sensitive young children might want to know the opening couple of minutes are actually pretty creepy. (It’s listed on IMDB as a PG for thematic elements, some innuendo and language, though I seem to remember it being a U in UK cinemas.)

Anyway, on with the film. One of the potential suitors who legs it is Edward Vanderman Jr (Simon Woods). Woods is one of the main reasons why I’ve given this film 4 stars instead of 3 - he is absolutely brilliant, very funny even when on the screen for only a moment or two. His character is quite dislikeable (although pathetic enough to sympathise for in some ways) and he reports a very gruesome picture of Penelope as a monster with fangs trying to eat him. The Wilhern family aren’t stupid though and have managed to get all potential suitors to sign a waiver saying they will never mention the incident. However Edward breaks this agreement and teams up with a photographer / journalist called “Lemon” (Peter Drinklage) who has his own reasons for wanting to expose the family. Jessica tries to stop the incident from going to press, but when Penelope goes missing, her husband Franklin (Richard E Grant - the movie picks up significantly when he is given more screen time) insists that they have to give the police a proper description. (The policeman in question is played by Lenny Henry, who I haven’t seen in anything other than Comic Relief for many years. Readers outside the UK will probably have no idea what I’m talking about, but never mind eh?!).

In amongst all of this, Lemon and Edward enlist the help of someone to bring out Penelope’s secrets - Max, played by one of the hottest young talents around, James McAvoy (who looks set to become one of the biggest stars of his generation). His gambling problem turns out not to be his biggest problem once he’s met Penelope… but it turns out that he has more than one secret to hide… McAvoy turns in a very solid performance once again, and certainly the scenes between him and Ricci have an air of magic about them.

Comedian Russell Brand pops up in another cameo role (this may be a regular feature of British films from now on by the look of it - see my review of St Trinians [2007]) and adds a little to the film, while Reese Witherspoon plays against type as a sparky motorbike riding delivery girl who befriends Penelope who, aided by a large scarf, ventures out into the world without giving away her secret. Not for long though… The cast also include Ronni Ancona as Wanda, the high profile matchmaker brought in by the Wilherns, and Jason Thornton as Shane, the inevitable friendly, happy-go-lucky Irish barman who also befriends Penelope.

Although the storyline is a bit predictable most of the time, there are a couple of plot twists that I didn’t see coming. It’s often funny and the cast, in particular Woods, Grant, and the leads Ricci and McAvoy, are a joy to watch. There are many amusing scenes and a couple of real belly laughs hidden in there. The music score by Joby Talbot works very nicely, similar to a traditional fairy-tale score with an extra zing to it. It’s all very nicely put together and, while it does lag just occasionally, its overall nicely paced and has enough variety in the humour to keep both young and old (not that I’m old, of course… [ahem]) amused and entertained.

The film also manages (perhaps unintentionally) to be quite a perceptive look at how society views those who don’t meet accepted social norms - alternatively shunning or adulating them.

There were rumours that after 2 years in production before being released, it might only get a straight to DVD release in the USA, but happily the official website says that it will be in theaters from 29th February in the Sates. If you have young ones or don’t need a lot of violence / sex in your films to keep you entertained, I’d strongly recommend having a look at this one. Thanks to some great performances and a lively sense of fun, this is a very enjoyable film instead of merely watchable.



Related Links


Simon Woods played Mr Bingley in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice
Reese Witherspoon was also in Legally Blonde, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde
Richard E Grant was also in Gosford Park
James McAvoy also starred in the highly acclaimed Atonement opposite Keirra Knightley and also opposite Anne Hathaway in Becoming Jane

See Also:

My Top Ten Romantic Comedies
My Top Ten Comedies


Recommended: Yes

Movie Mood: Funny Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.