Saturday night is family DVD night at the Harrison household, and so, once a week, I get to watch some wholesome, child-friendly fun rather than my usual diet of death and depravity. This weekend we chose Penelope, a romantic fairy tale starring Christina Ricci.
Ms. Ricci plays the titular character, a rich young woman with the nose and ears of a pigthe unfortunate result of an ancient family curse that can only be broken if the poor girl is loved by one of her own kind: a blue-blood. However, finding a suitor of the right pedigree proves to be rather difficult, since no man can even bear to be in the same room as the porcine Penelope.
Despite the film's rather clichéd moralitythat it is important to love yourself, no matter how strange you lookPenelope is a rather enjoyable tale: well written, well directed and quite charming. However, there is one thing that stops it from being a success: Ms. Ricci!
Don't get me wrong... I'm a big fan of the actress (her being in the film might have even swayed my decision to rent it somewhat), and she gives a great performance, but the fact that Christina looks completely adorable, even with a snout, makes the whole film fall flat on its little, piggy face. It's a fundamental flaw that means that, although there is much to like about the film, I cannot bring myself to give it any more than a rating of 5/10.
Ms. Ricci plays the titular character, a rich young woman with the nose and ears of a pigthe unfortunate result of an ancient family curse that can only be broken if the poor girl is loved by one of her own kind: a blue-blood. However, finding a suitor of the right pedigree proves to be rather difficult, since no man can even bear to be in the same room as the porcine Penelope.
Despite the film's rather clichéd moralitythat it is important to love yourself, no matter how strange you lookPenelope is a rather enjoyable tale: well written, well directed and quite charming. However, there is one thing that stops it from being a success: Ms. Ricci!
Don't get me wrong... I'm a big fan of the actress (her being in the film might have even swayed my decision to rent it somewhat), and she gives a great performance, but the fact that Christina looks completely adorable, even with a snout, makes the whole film fall flat on its little, piggy face. It's a fundamental flaw that means that, although there is much to like about the film, I cannot bring myself to give it any more than a rating of 5/10.