In a modern twist on the "Beauty and the Beast," "Sleeping Beauty" and "Shrek" fairy tales, Christina Ricci ("Addam's Family," "Sleepy Hollow"), stars as the title character, cursed with a pig's nose as penance for a sin she had nothing to do with.
It seems a royal London ancestor jilted a common woman (whom he impregnated) in the 1800s, causing her to commit suicide. The woman's mother - dubbed the "town witch" - uttered the swine curse which passed on only to females born into the offending clan. Hey, in my opinion, the mother had a legitimate point here ...
Growing up in almost complete isolation and seclusion under an embarrassed and frantic mother (Catherine O'Hara, "Home Alone," "Best Of Show," "A Mighty Wind"), Penelope leads a lonely, bitter existence. O'Hara has some fun with this role as the shrewish mother who is devastated to learn that the nose is connected to her daughter's carotid artery, and therefore cannot be removed.
Still, however, since she is wealthy beyond imagination, Penelope continues to entertain blue-blooded suitors who seek her hand in marriage.
Unfortunately, when the eligible bachelors see her, they take a quick exit (usually out of her mansion's second-story window), causing the young girl's exasperated mother to become even more exasperated.
When the last man, Edward Vanderman, Jr. (Simon Woods), takes a powder upon viewing her mug, a couple of newspaper reporters, including Lemon (Peter Dinklage, "Elf," "The Station Master"), write about his experience, basically labeling him as insane.
To prove he is not, Vanderman and Lemon hire a down-on-his-luck gambler, Max (James McAvoy, "The Last King of Scotland," "Atonement"), to get a photo of Penelope to show the world. Of course, as one could surmise in a film like this, Max begins to fall in love with her - when he cannot see her. When she finally appears to him, however, he reacts just like everyone else.
Penelope then takes off (much to the consternation of mom), meets the gum-smacking motorcycle-riding pseudo lesbian, Anne (the film's producer Reese Witherspoon) and is finally outed by the media.
Most of those who ridiculed her are remorseful by the movie's conclusion and the message is a "Shrek"-like, "Accept yourself for what you are." The problem is, after she accepts herself for what she is, the curse is (*SPOILER ALERT*) modified.
Therefore, the message should be, "Accept yourself for what you are and you can then change to be like everyone else."
Or, "Forget about individuality and conform, CONFORM!"
I'm sorry, but sticking a small pig's nose on Christina Ricci does not make her any less beautiful. In fact, in a strange way, it makes her more vulnerable and as such, much more appealing. To me, the whole idea of all of these guys asking to marry her (even though they HAVE to had heard about her situation), then reacting like Marilyn's dates on "The Munster's," is totally ridiculous.
I would have accepted her, but then again, I guess I can accept almost anything, except for the premise of this picture. That being written, however, the movie does have a heart and with decent performances by Ricci, O'Hara, Dinklage and McAvoy (who broods and feels sorry for himself a lot), should be enjoyed by teenage girls, women and a few men around this time of cinematic flotsam before the blockbuster season is upon us.
It seems a royal London ancestor jilted a common woman (whom he impregnated) in the 1800s, causing her to commit suicide. The woman's mother - dubbed the "town witch" - uttered the swine curse which passed on only to females born into the offending clan. Hey, in my opinion, the mother had a legitimate point here ...
Growing up in almost complete isolation and seclusion under an embarrassed and frantic mother (Catherine O'Hara, "Home Alone," "Best Of Show," "A Mighty Wind"), Penelope leads a lonely, bitter existence. O'Hara has some fun with this role as the shrewish mother who is devastated to learn that the nose is connected to her daughter's carotid artery, and therefore cannot be removed.
Still, however, since she is wealthy beyond imagination, Penelope continues to entertain blue-blooded suitors who seek her hand in marriage.
Unfortunately, when the eligible bachelors see her, they take a quick exit (usually out of her mansion's second-story window), causing the young girl's exasperated mother to become even more exasperated.
When the last man, Edward Vanderman, Jr. (Simon Woods), takes a powder upon viewing her mug, a couple of newspaper reporters, including Lemon (Peter Dinklage, "Elf," "The Station Master"), write about his experience, basically labeling him as insane.
To prove he is not, Vanderman and Lemon hire a down-on-his-luck gambler, Max (James McAvoy, "The Last King of Scotland," "Atonement"), to get a photo of Penelope to show the world. Of course, as one could surmise in a film like this, Max begins to fall in love with her - when he cannot see her. When she finally appears to him, however, he reacts just like everyone else.
Penelope then takes off (much to the consternation of mom), meets the gum-smacking motorcycle-riding pseudo lesbian, Anne (the film's producer Reese Witherspoon) and is finally outed by the media.
Most of those who ridiculed her are remorseful by the movie's conclusion and the message is a "Shrek"-like, "Accept yourself for what you are." The problem is, after she accepts herself for what she is, the curse is (*SPOILER ALERT*) modified.
Therefore, the message should be, "Accept yourself for what you are and you can then change to be like everyone else."
Or, "Forget about individuality and conform, CONFORM!"
I'm sorry, but sticking a small pig's nose on Christina Ricci does not make her any less beautiful. In fact, in a strange way, it makes her more vulnerable and as such, much more appealing. To me, the whole idea of all of these guys asking to marry her (even though they HAVE to had heard about her situation), then reacting like Marilyn's dates on "The Munster's," is totally ridiculous.
I would have accepted her, but then again, I guess I can accept almost anything, except for the premise of this picture. That being written, however, the movie does have a heart and with decent performances by Ricci, O'Hara, Dinklage and McAvoy (who broods and feels sorry for himself a lot), should be enjoyed by teenage girls, women and a few men around this time of cinematic flotsam before the blockbuster season is upon us.