PENELOPE

Director: Mark Palansky
Stars: Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Catherine O'Hara, Peter Dinklage, Richard E. Grant, Reese Witherspoon, Simon Woods
Year: 2006
Rating: PG

You have to love Christina Ricci.

No matter what, no one can argue that Ricci tries to challenge herself as an actress, often choosing quirky roles that - oftentimes - make the film worth watching simply because she's in it. As Penelope opens with "Once upon a time ... " you also know you are in for something a bit different - and here both Ricci (as Penelope) and the film (especially James McAvoy, in one of his most charming performances) more than satisfy; Penelope is a warm romantic comedy/fairy tale with a positive message about self-image behind it that doesn't hit you over the head as you watch.

The Wilhern family, long ago an established upper-crust British institution, nearly fell to ruin several generations back, when Penelope's great-great-grandfather ticked off the local witch - who, in return, put a curse on the entire Wilhern clan, declaring that the next female child born into the family would have a pig's face ... a spell that would only be broken when she grew up and found someone of her own kind (a blue-blood) to love her for herself.

For years onward, the Wilhern family only gave birth to sons (with one exception, which is outlined in the film in a pretty funny/cute way) ... until Jessica and Franklin Wilhern (Catherine O'Hara and Richard E. Grant) gave birth to Penelope twenty-five years ago, and freaked out when the baby girl came out with a pig's snout and ears.

A carotid artery in the nose made surgery an impossibility - and as a child, the publicity about their little "pig girl" got so intense, the paparazzi so out of control, that the Wilherns (well, mostly Mrs. Wilhern) went to the extreme trouble of faking Penelope's death, just to get the press off their back.

But determined to break the curse once and for all, Mrs. Wilhern hired a matchmaker the year Penelope turned eighteen, trying to find her daughter that one true love who would break the spell (even throwing a sizable dowry in for incentive). Now, six years later, Mrs. Wilhern and the matchmaker are still having their issues with finding the right man - as every guy who finally gets to see Penelope face to face runs screaming from the house, the gag order they pre-sign the Wilherns' only protection of privacy once their gone. Penelope, too, is quite tired of the matchmaking game; as badly as she wants the spell broken, she continues to hope her mother will just give up.

Not a chance - and in fact, one prospective suitor named Edward (Simon Woods) gets out without signing the gag order, actually going to the police to report he was attacked by the "pig girl." He is, in fact, thrown in jail overnight, the cops thinking he's drunk or nuts, and the next day Edward finds himself in the newspapers - and his family's good name (not to mention his own future with his father's business) in jeopardy.

Enter Lemon (Peter Dinklage, so terrific here) - a reporter who overhears Edward's complaint when he comes to the newspaper offices. Lemon, you see, lost his right eye over twenty years ago to Mrs. Wilhern, who caught him in her home trying to get a photo of Penelope - and now, with the idea that maybe Penelope is alive, his interest in getting the photo becomes an obsession; so much so, Lemon hires a scruffy, down-on-his-luck blue-blood with a gambling problem, named Max (James McAvoy), to sneak in with a camera, as a prospective suitor, and get the photo of Penelope that Lemon's been trying to get since the girl was a baby.

Max agrees, but after a disastrous meeting with a roomful of other suitors, Penelope now doesn't want to reveal herself right away. The two share a few visits at the house, talking with a two-way mirror between them as they laugh or chat of even play chess. By the time Penelope gets up the nerve to reveal herself to Max - having become smitten by him, as (it seems) he has with her - Max has grown to care for her enough that he later refuses to help Lemon ... but still refuses to marry Penelope, even though he's the one man who's come to visit her more than once - and his rejection of her (which seems confusing, as Max so obviously cares for her) causes Penelope to run away, to - at 25 - finally explore and find her way alone in the real world, at last.

Penelope is a charmer - a modern-day fantasy/fairy tale. A twist on Beauty and the Beast, if you will, that's genuinely funny, and as refreshing and sweet as lemonade in July. O'Hara is hilarious as Penelope's frenetic and superficial mother, and though Richard E. Grant isn't given much to do, he makes a good straight man at Penelope's father. Throw aside any searching for in-depth characterization or complex plot, and sit back and enjoy the ride instead; this one will put a smile on your face if you do.

Only complaint: evidently the original theatrical version of the film is 104 minutes long - 15 minutes longer than the USA version on DVD, which is what I watched. Having checked around, I'm sorry that the original version was edited for American shores; I hope to see it someday on region one DVD here, and have no idea (based on the comments I've read about the full film) why the cuts were even made. So be forewarned, if you see the 89-minute version that IS the only version available in region one here. And by all means, the film is worth your time - but by all means, if anyone reading this review knows how I can get the full 104-minute feature ... please yell. Thanks! **** - Reel Awesome