|
|
|
Penelope
(2006)
Penelope is a quirky romantic comedy
with touches of fantasy, a winning cast, and a little bit of
magic.
A curse put on a wealthy family generations ago finally comes to pass
when Penelope (Christina Ricci) is born with the nose and ears of a
pig. Her frantic parents (Richard E. Grant, Catherine O'Hara) fake
her death and hide her away for years. Believing that the curse can
be removed if a man of her own kind (meaning one of privilege) falls
in love with her, they bring suitable young men to court her, but they
all run away when they see her. One of those men, Edward (Simon
Woods), is publicly ridiculed for his stories of a pig-nosed monster,
and hatches a plan with dogged reporter Lemon (Peter Dinklage) to
expose the truth in a bid to restore his reputation. Their secret
weapon is Max (James McAvoy), a down on his luck blue blood they hire
to court Penelope and take a photo of her as evidence. Will Max be
able to go through with the plan or will he fall in love with Penelope
instead?
Director Mark Palansky (a former assistant to Michael Bay) makes his
debut with a project that on the surface sounds like a Tim Burton
film. While Palansky lacks the unique visual flair of Burton (or even
Bay), he ably blends comedy and romance into an entertaining brew with
a feel-good message. The film proceeds in an uneven manner at times,
but there are enough strengths on display to offset that. The
screenplay by Leslie Caveny (a former staff writer for television's
Everybody Loves Raymond) provides a story that's one part charming
modern fairy tale and one part an important message about beauty and
self-esteem, the latter aimed at the young female demographic that the
production seems tailor made for.
The cinematography of Michel Amathieu (responsible for the "Place des
FÍtes" segment of Paris, je t'aime) is competent but also a bit
flat. Although it was filmed in London, production designer Amanda
McArthur (Passion in the Desert, St. Trinian's) niftily constructs
a cityscape that's not-quite London and perhaps is a metropolis that
only exists in this tale. The score by Joby Talbot (The Hitchhiker's
Guide to the Galaxy) ably complements the story's different textures.
Ricci is really a lovely presence here, filling the screen with an
innocent charm and sweetness that makes it all the more heartbreaking
when she experiences rejection after rejection. Of course, on a
physical level, Ricci is so lovely that even a prosthetic pig snout
can't disguise it and the suspension of disbelief necessary to buy
into the story must be extended to men fleeing in fright at her
appearance. Ricci's on-screen charm is ably matched by that of
McAvoy, which adds to the strong chemistry they have. Grant and
O'Hara give fine comedic performances as Penelope's parents.
The rest of the cast is also quite good, including Reese Witherspoon
(one of the film's producers) as the first real friend Penelope makes,
Dinklage in a dryly funny turn as Lemon, Burn Gorman as another
reporter, Woods as Edward, Ronni Ancona as a matchmaker, Lenny Henry
as a detective, Nick Frost as a gambling acquaintance of Max's, and
Richard Leaf as a barman.
Penelope may be fairly predictable in the way romantic comedies
tend to be, but the journey is what it's all about and the cast is
what makes it such a fun one to take. Take it for yourself and you'll
also fall in love with the film and its title character.
-Danielle
Ní Dhighe
|
|
|
|
All contents ©
2004-2007 Thoughtsonfilm.com |
|
|
 |
Director:
Mark
Palansky
Writer: Leslie
Caveny
Starring: Christina
Ricci, James McAvoy, Catherine O'Hara, Reese Witherspoon, Peter
Dinklage, Richard E. Grant, Simon Woods
Distributor: Summit
Entertainment
Runtime: 102
min
Rating: PG
Release Date: February
29, 2008
|
|
 |
|
