PENELOPE

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 5 out of 5

Rated:

Few movies warm my heart without being overly sad or melancholy, but Penelope is a delightfully funny and sweet fairy tale that leaves you with a smile on its face long after the closing credits. It is so wonderful that I find it difficult to understand why it took two years after production to find a studio willing to market it -- but it's here at last, and you may want to get your tickets early, because it's well worth seeing at least twice on the big screen.

Two hundred years ago, a member of the Wilhern family made the mistake of impregnating and then choosing not to marry one of the household servants, who, in her distress, threw herself from a cliff. Her infuriated mother, the town witch, placed a curse upon the Wilherns that the first born daughter would bear on her face the unfortunate disposition of her ancestor, until one of her own kind could love her despite her face and break the curse. There was, much to family relief, a great succession of all-boy descendents... until Penelope (Christina Ricci). Family distress was so great at her birth with the ears and nose of a pig that her humiliated mother (Catherine O'Hara) faked her own child's death and hid her away in the manor until she could think of a plan to have her married off when she became of age.

That day came and went and so far every single man that has taken one look at her has leapt out the nearest window screaming, including the latest in their long line of potential husbands, Edward Vanderman Jr. (Simon Woods). Only this time the long-suffering butler could not catch him before he made it out into the world to sign a gag order, so he goes stumbling into the nearest police station with the incredible story of a "monster." No one believes him except an intrepid reporter who once caught sight of Penelope as a child. Even though he was present for the funeral, he now wonders if Penelope is not dead after all.

Now that Edward's reputation is sullied, he agrees to help the reporter prove Penelope's existence and they enlist the assistance of a blue blooded compulsive gambler by the name of Max (James McAvoy) to infiltrate the house and get a picture of Penelope. But life never unfolds as you suspect, and what transpires in the following hour and a half is a wonderfully sweet story that is ultimately about self-acceptance and discerning the worth of true friendship. It is mindful of its messages but not preachy in delivering them, and there was a twist about twenty minutes from the end that I absolutely loved, as I did not expect it. Ricci has been in so many brooding, dark films that it's delightful to see her as the spirited and sweet Penelope, who is innocent of the world and just wants to be accepted despite her deformities. The rest of the cast is equally delightful, ranging from Richard E. Grant as her frustrated father to Reese Witherspoon as her best friend.

Best of all, the film is appropriate for all ages since there is nothing to cause concern. The humor is sometimes at Penelope's expense, but revolves around how shallow the people in her life are -- and it's rapidly apparent that the people who truly care about her, do not mind if she looks a little different than everyone else. Some characters have a change of heart, and others remain as selfish and biased as they ever were. Max does have a gambling problem but indicates later on that he intends to move away from the big city to the country, where he will not be tempted.

There is one mild abuse of deity and one mild profanity ("hell"). Violence is played for laughs as men fling themselves out second story windows amidst a hailstorm of glass. Penelope does run away from her over-protective parents for a time but ultimately they are reconciled. She gets a little bit drunk at a pub after Max insists she must have a "beer on tap" during one of their conversations. There is mention of a curse and a witch, but she only makes two brief appearances -- once to curse the baby, and again to silence someone who is annoying her. It may not appeal to everyone, but to young women looking for inspiration and strength without the unwanted encumbrances of scandal and inappropriate behavior, they will find a true and lasting friend in Penelope.