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Penelope

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Penelope (2008)

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Reviews Counted:121

Fresh:61

Rotten:60

Average Rating:5.5/10

Consensus: Though Penelope has a charming cast and an appealing message, it ultimately suffers from faulty narrative and sloppy direction.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for thematic elements, some innuendo and language.

Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:Feb 29, 2008 Wide

Box Office: $9,841,968

Synopsis: Like Tim Burton's EDWARD SCISSORHANDS and the TV show PUSHING DAISIES, PENELOPE is a modern fairy tale, complete with candy colors and whimsical cinematography. PENELOPE begins with a... Like Tim Burton's EDWARD SCISSORHANDS and the TV show PUSHING DAISIES, PENELOPE is a modern fairy tale, complete with candy colors and whimsical cinematography. PENELOPE begins with a generations-old curse by a jilted lover: the next girl in the aristocratic Wilhern family will be born with a pig's snout and ears. Though ages pass, the bad luck finally manifests itself in young Penelope (Christina Ricci) much to the shame of her mother (Christopher Guest favorite Catherine O'Hara). In an effort to break the curse, her mother and father (Richard E. Grant, WITHNAIL AND I) try to bring in a series of blue-blooded suitors. But when they see her face, the men all run screaming. Enter Max (James McAvoy), a down-on-his-luck gambler who connects with Penelope. But when he is exposed as a fraud, the heartbroken girl escapes into the surrounding city. Though she hides her face with a scarf, Penelope gets to experience life outside her family's mansion for the first time. Pig nose and all, Ricci is adorable as the title character, excellent in alternating between naïveté and independence. Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon succeeds in double duty as both a producer and in a small acting role as Penelope's first friend in the big city. But it's McAvoy, a standout in ATONEMENT and THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, who threatens to steal hearts. The pair's romance is believable, and it makes the film good viewing for fairy tale fans of all ages. The PG rating should appeal to families, as should the film's message about the importance of inner beauty and self confidence. [More]

Starring: Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Catherine O'Hara, Reese Witherspoon

Starring: Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Catherine O'Hara, Reese Witherspoon, Peter Dinklage, Richard E. Grant, Nick Frost, Simon Woods, Nigel Havers, Lenny Henry

Director: Mark Palansky

Director: Mark Palansky
Screenwriter: Leslie Caveny
Producer: Reese Witherspoon, Scott Steindorff, Jennifer Simpson
Composer: Joby Talbot
Studio: Summit Entertainment

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jul 15, 2008

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Penelope

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Betsy Sherman
Betsy Sherman
Boston Phoenix

I can truthfully say that watching this abysmal fantasy-comedy is less rewarding than being slapped across the face with a large wet fish.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment 1 Comment
10/18/08
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
10/18/08
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: NPR.org | comment Comment
10/18/08
Bob Mondello
Bob Mondello
NPR.org

Watchable but patchy fantasy romance that doesn't quite work, despite strong performances from Ricci and McAvoy.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/18/08
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

A modern-day fairytale, the film is tarted up like a hyperactive five-year-old's lurid fantasy of interior decor.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
10/18/08
Wendy Ide
Wendy Ide
Times [UK]

Visually stylish, what might have been a cute fantasy becomes tedious due to its banal script and a relentless overload of pig-jokes.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
08/29/08
Louise Keller
Louise Keller
Urban Cinefile

It's too bad that the second half turned out to be a drag, because I very much enjoyed the first half.

Full Review Source: Sin Magazine | comment Comment
07/22/08
Austin Kennedy
Austin Kennedy
Sin Magazine

A diligent ensemble can't lift the film to anything higher than a shallow fairy tale with only worthy intentions.

Full Review Source: Spectrum (St. George, Utah) | comment Comment
07/19/08
Bruce Bennett
Bruce Bennett
Spectrum (St. George, Utah)

With only a DNA witch's curse pig's snout compromising Ricci's otherwise exceedingly alluring physical assets, it doesn't make a lick of sense that prospective suitors are jumping out of windows after catching a glimpse of her disfigured beak.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
07/12/08
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
NewsBlaze

Penelope is adorable and easy to watch thanks to the charms of its leads Ricci and McAvoy. But it's too much a mainstream Hollywood product and not enough of a spunky indie spirit to really win audiences over.

Full Review Source: KPBS.org | comment Comment
07/09/08
Beth Accomando
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org

Is this meant to be dark comedy? It's hard to tell.

Full Review Source: Film4 | comment Comment
06/25/08
Anna Smith
Anna Smith
Film4

Penelope is a sweet trifle, a great kid's movie, and not surprising, given its subject matter a film gay audiences will find familiar and comforting. That's because, more than anything, this is a story of acceptance of one's true self.

Full Review Source: Windy City Times | comment Comment
05/22/08
Richard Knight
Richard Knight
Windy City Times

It's not eccentric enough to be as otherworldly as it wants to be, but it's too self-consciously quirky to perform on its own merits.

Full Review Source: MSNBC | comment Comment
05/01/08
Alonso Duralde
Alonso Duralde
MSNBC

Maybe I've got some subconscious porcine fetish thing going (or something) but I think Christina Ricci looks kind of cute with a pig's snout where her nose should be...

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
04/02/08
David N. Butterworth
David N. Butterworth
rec.arts.movies.reviews

A sweet but clumsy fable that's pleasing without being particularly distinguished.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
03/16/08
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

After I saw the intriguing trailers that trailed off a couple years back, I wondered why this movie was wallowing somewhere on a shelf.I'm still not sure. Although I do know one thing: Had this been a Christmas-time release, it would have been seen by lot

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
03/09/08
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

Produced according to a formula for squeezing the maximum amount of cloying charm out of the minimum investment.

Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy | comment Comment
03/07/08
Tim Brayton
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy

It's Ricci, with her princesslike innocence and Keane-painting eyes, who provides the movie's abundant charm.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
03/07/08
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

Despite Christina Ricci's charming performance, Penelope is trapped in a twilight zone between fairy tales and play-it-safe romantic comedies.

Full Review Source: Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA) | comment Comment
03/07/08
John Wirt
John Wirt
Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)
 
 
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Latest News for Penelope

July 12, 2008: With only a DNA witch's curse pig's snout compromising Ricci's otherwise exceedingly alluring physical assets, it doesn't make a lick of sense that prospective suitors are jumping out of windows after catching a glimpse of her disfigured beak. Opens in new window
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February 28, 2008: With only a DNA witch's curse pig's snout compromising Ricci's otherwise exceedingly alluring physical assets, it doesn't make a lick of sense that prospective suitors are jumping out of windows after catching a glimpse of her disfigured beak. Opens in new window
More...

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