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What are the elements required for a grand fairy tale? You must have a damsel in some sort of distress paired with a knight, with or without shining armor, who is willing to risk all to help the damsel. It has to start with a curse and by all means end with a lesson learned and the ever after lived happily by all. And like all tales worth telling, it has to be told in a way that is unforgettable. All the classics follow this template in one form or another regardless of the setting or the time period or the depth of the curse. But what the new film Penelope does is take that basic recipe and mix it up a bit by using people that are average. Who have there own struggles. His armor is a bit dented and she has long ago given up on love. So in saving each other, they just might find the answers they need.

Penelope (Christina Ricci) is the way she is because of a curse put on her family three generations past. The curse stated that the very next female heir
born into the family would have pig features. Through the years everyone had been lucky enough to produce a son. Until now. Then out pops Penelope. Being the high society family they are they decide it best to fake the child's death and lock her away where they can protect her from the cruel, outside
world. Now 25 years later, mom (Catherine O'Hara) is trying to find a blue blood who will marry her daughter; this being the only way the curse can be
lifted. For she has to be loved by one of her own. The suitors are sworn to secrecy so that they can never reveal who is hidden away. When one prospect
flees the house he runs directly to a local newspaper reporter (Peter Dinklage) and sells the horrific story of the beast behind the gate. 

This film is lighthearted and whimsical. The sets and characters are all sort of magical, even in their simplicity. Though it has the look and feel of an earlier time period, it could take place in any era. You can never quite place a time. But that is the fantasy of it all. O'Hara shows why she is one of the funniest women in the business as the hyper protective, yet, vain mother who wants the perfect child. She is neurotic and over the top which is perfect for this role. James McAvoy as the love interest was also a good casting choice. He has a quiet romanticism about him which adds a warmth and charm to the story. Reese Witherspoon also stars, as one of the first outsiders to befriend young Penelope. This too was a fun role to see Witherspoon in as she takes on this '80's throwback Cyndi Lauper look with a rough and tumble mannerism. 

Christina Ricci makes a loveable Penelope in that although she has these odd features she is still quite adorable. It is nice to see her in a role where
she can be funny and quirky. She has a dry comedy style about her and is excellent in the straight role alongside O'Hara's craziness. It adds a balance which in turn allows them both to give memorable performances. 

Penelope is rated PG for thematic elements, some innuendo and language. It is a fun film for everyone. It does a splendid job at conveying its message
while not being cheesy or full of Disney-riddled fluff. It is a modern fairy tale for a modern, hip audience. I give it a solid 3.75 out of 5 scarves. It is a reminder that we all have our flaws and things we wish we could change. But until we learn to love each other for who we are, and honestly love
ourselves as well, we will never truly find happiness.

Matt Mungle (2/28/08)

Matt is a member of the North Texas Film Critics Association (NTFCA) and co-hosts a weekly radio feature, The Mungles on Movies, with his wife Cindy.
For additional reviews, interview clips and great DVD giveaways, visit the website www.mungleshow.com

# of tocks (3.75 out of 5)

Review copyright 2008 Mungleshow Productions. Used by Permission.
 

The film which casts Christina Ricci in the lead role as Penelope, as well as starring James McAvoy as a potential suitor, and Catherine O’Hara as an overprotective, babbling mother, is well written, cast impeccably, and features numerous outstanding acting performances.  Leslie Caveny who is best known for her writing and production credits for the hit television series Everybody Loves Raymond, makes her big screen debut, and has developed a wonderfully romantic and comedic script, which tells the story of a Penelope, a now twenty-five year old young woman, who has been cursed with the snout and ears of a pig since birth. Her wealthy paternal great-great-great grandfather romanced and later spurned the love of a maid named Clara to satisfy his family’s demands that he marry someone of more suitable economic and societal status.  Alas, poor Clara whom we meet only in a fleeting cameo appearance becomes heartbroken and jumps off a cliff to her death, leading her mother to pronounce a curse on the Wilhern family. The next Wilhern daughter to be born shall be born with--you guessed it the snout and ears of a pig. How did that curse come to plague poor Penelope several generations later? You do not want us to tell you everything, do you?

Christina Ricci gets my vote, at least to this point in the year, for A Best Actress nomination, in her role as Penelope Wilhern. Ricci’s eyes portray the sadness, loneliness and disappointment of a young woman who has spent her entire life locked up inside a mansion and has never seeing the outside world. She has dealt with the rejection of potential suitors, all of whom run away, as they consider her to be too hideous to look at, let alone marry. 

Canadian actress Catherine O’Hara is hilarious as Penelope’s mother, Jessica Wilhern. It is difficult to tell how much of the Wilhern character was scripted, and how much of O’Hara’s personality was incorporated into the character of Jessica Wilhern, because the two seem inseparable. One would hope that at Oscar time, O’Hara will receive consideration for a Best Supporting Actress award. 

Ladies if you have not yet feasted your eyes on Glasgow native James McAvoy, prepare yourself for some heart palpitations and sweaty palms. As is the case with many fairy tales, there must be a hero, and McAvoy (Children of Dune, The Last King of Scotland and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,) is cast in that role. He not only brings his good looks to the screen, but he also puts forth a sensitive, vulnerable performance as Johnny Martin / Max (one role, two names). Enough said, go see the movie. 

If we had the time and space, we could continue to expound upon the outstanding performances turned in by a supporting cast consisting of Richard E. Grant (Franklin Wilhern), Simon Woods (Edward Vanderman) and Reese Witherspoon’s surprisingly minor role as Annie, but we want to instead turn our attention to actor Peter Dinklage who plays the conniving one-eyed, journalist Lemon. Dinklage’s role demands the elements of seediness and tenderness. Lemon’s seediness is portrayed in almost caricature form, while his change of heart occurs primarily in one scene as he sits at his desk mulling over a newspaper report about Penelope. The careful phrasing of his lines, his facial expressions and his body language are believable, and not for a moment does one doubt that Linkage’s character could ever undergo such a transformation. 

The film is long enough, at ninety minutes to develop the storyline gradually, without huge leaps of faith, and yet remains short enough, so that it does not try the patience of the moviegoer by including superfluous information and dialogue. Mark Palansky turns in an impressive directorial debut. Joby Talbot did a wonderful job with the musical score, perfectly matching the mood of the music to the scenes depicted on the screen. Talbot also directed the music for Son of Rambow, which will be out May 2nd. He also fulfilled similar roles with the 2006 movie Sixty Six and 2005’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. 

The movie Penelope, may be no more than a fairytale, but it strikes a deep chord with many people today, who find themselves living alone, in a world too busy to notice the pain they have experienced, because they did not quite measure up to their family or society’s expectations for them. There is a very strong message here for those who find themselves in that position, and for those who are, at least in part, responsible for them being there. The movie is not pretentious, nor is it preachy. It does not depend on racial, economic or religious biases to convey a message that needs to be heard by all of us 

By Joe Montague, exclusive rights reserved

Joe Montague is an internationally published journalist / photographer and the publisher of Riveting Riffs, www.rivetingriffs.com . His ministry is dedicated to the memory of his late son Kent David Montague who went to heaven at the age of 18. All copyright and distribution rights remain the property of Joe Montague.