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10/18/08
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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.
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... [More]
Starring: Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Catherine O'Hara, Reese Witherspoon
Director: Mark Palansky
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Reviews for Penelope
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04/23/09
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10/18/08
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.
05/01/08
A precocious fairy tale made for and starring people too old for whimsy
03/02/08
Is this meant to be dark comedy? It's hard to tell.
06/25/08
It's too bad that the second half turned out to be a drag, because I very much enjoyed the first half.
07/22/08
Resembling the kind of tale Aesop might spin after one too many vats of homemade Ouzo, Penelope plods along on a desire to endear. All it really does is infuriate.
02/28/08
Unfortunately, Penelope only masquerades as a film about self-acceptance and liking ourselves for who we are.
02/29/08
The success of Juno has re-set the bar for whimsical tales of headstrong, intelligent young women grappling with life difficulties.
03/06/08
I suppose Penelope would be pleasurable if the title character looked more like a pig and less like a burn victim.
02/28/08
Just another stab at modern fantasy with some fatal filmmaking flaws that are all-too-real.
02/29/08
A diligent ensemble can't lift the film to anything higher than a shallow fairy tale with only worthy intentions.
07/19/08
Penelope sat unreleased for two years, and no wonder. It's a shambles, so inexpertly timed and clumsily directed by newcomer Mark Palansky that it seems like a first-draft edit of some hopeless, abandoned project.
02/28/08
Neither a talented cast nor the film’s Gaudi-like version of London’s urban landscapes can make up for schizophrenic pacing and inexplicable phenomena.
02/28/08
This film had the potential to be much more heartfelt, but the silly antics in the beginning, and the cool approach of the parents towards their "ugly daughter" undermine the poignancy that the filmmakers were obviously shooting for in the end.
03/04/08
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...
04/02/08
The whimsical ugly-duckling fable becomes more uneven as it proceeds, straining too hard to manufacture its quirky charms.
09/13/06
With some fine-tuning, Penelope might have been transformed into a winning little fable about accepting and loving oneself. As is, it only serves to remind of what could have been.
02/29/08
However one can fault the execution, there's something ironic about its sweet message about accepting one's own faults.
02/26/08
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. 
More...
February 28, 2008:
Box Office Guru Preview: Semi-Pro Set To Slam Dunk The Competition
A triumvirate of films opens this weekend, but all will bow to the power of the mighty Will Ferrell and his latest outrageous comedy, Semi-Pro. More...
February 28, 2008:
Critics Consensus: Semi-Pro is Semi-Good, Boleyn Girl Not Quite Movie Royalty
This week at the movies, we've got hapless hoopsters, snouted socialites, and scandalous siblings. What do the critics have to say? More...
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.
More...
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