Bumblebee
Mary Poppins Returns
Halloween
Outlander
Log in with Facebook
OR
By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango.
Please enter your email address and we will email you a new password.
Critics Consensus: Though Penelope has a charming cast and an appealing message, it ultimately suffers from faulty narrative and sloppy direction.
Critic Consensus: Though Penelope has a charming cast and an appealing message, it ultimately suffers from faulty narrative and sloppy direction.
All Critics (127) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (68) | Rotten (59) | DVD (5)
I think it's a sweet film.
A precocious fairy tale made for and starring people too old for whimsy
While uneven, this Ugly Duckling redux is hipper and funnier than a Disney movie, and the positive message to young girls can't be discounted.
The semi-satirical treatment of celebrity culture, as Penelope is treated first as a tabloid sensation then a media darling, is lame and dated.
Sweet as gingerbread, Penelope deserves to find an audience; those with a taste for happily-ever-afters should look for it, before it too-quickly disappears.
Director Palansky and screenwriter Leslie Caveny seem to have many of the right ingredients for creating something beguiling, but the film is, finally, surprisingly pedestrian. What a shame, with all these good performers.
This quirky, snarky contemporary fairy tale could have been a family blockbuster.
Penelope suggests that peace comes through character, not cosmetic surgery. In this, it's smarter than Twilight...
I can truthfully say that watching this abysmal fantasy-comedy is less rewarding than being slapped across the face with a large wet fish.
Watchable but patchy fantasy romance that doesn't quite work, despite strong performances from Ricci and McAvoy.
A modern-day fairytale, the film is tarted up like a hyperactive five-year-old's lurid fantasy of interior decor.
Visually stylish, what might have been a cute fantasy becomes tedious due to its banal script and a relentless overload of pig-jokes.
Sweet, fairy tale type movie. Resse Witherspoon is barely in this, which surprised me, but quite honestly Christina Ricci and James McAvoy steal the film anyhow. It has a great message to it and is a film all ages would enjoy. 4/5/15. Wow, sounds like I enjoyed this a lot more on the first viewing. A few years have gone by and I decided to watch it again. It's still an okay movie, but nothing great. Certainly not the 4 stars I originally rated. Reese Witherspoon is actually quite grating here, considering her small role. (Even though the character is nice). The whole thing is far fetched (obviously) and I don't know that I really felt anything for Penelope. This felt to me very much a family movie fairy tale. Like Enchanted. So I guess for a fan of that genre, I would recommend it. Not so much for myself though.
Super Reviewer
Adorable and 3/4. Funny and effective social satire about beauty, fame, and marriage. Christina Ricci is a lovely-locked if bobbleheaded vision, and James McAvoy is a shaggy-haired dream.
It seems a bit ridiculous that a pig nose could cause people to cringe in horror and jump out of windows (especially considering the amount of ugly people in this world), but this decent little fable-like comedy has a sweet moral message and makes the best of a simple idea.
Penelope (Christina Ricci) is cursed with a pig nose so her family are in pursuit of a suitor who will break the curse. James McAvoy is great in this movie. A bit of an unusual role for Reese Witherspoon but she's great too. It is certificate U but some scenes might be a bit scarey for young kids.
View All Quotes
View All