Penelope

I saw this at a NY preview, and it was very much worth my time.

Cristina Ricci was excellent. I thought it was brave and smart of her to take on this role, and given the make up and costume she was very expressive and genuine – eyes, eyes, eyes. If any of you have seen "Pumpkin" this character would be a polar opposite of that role, but just as tongue and cheek, and just as much fun.

James McAvoy looked great, as was his performance. Christina and James had sparks that were believable. The supporting cast was also fun and fanciful. Catherine O'Hara played an excellent zany Mom which was more believable and real, in a weird way, then her role in Beetle Juice, (a film I adore.) Reese Witherspoon, was strong as usual, even in this odd, small supporting role (given her filmography). She looked great as a lower east side character. The only disappointment was Richard E. Grant, and not by his doing. There was no chance for him to shine given the part. Something tells me he got lost on the cutting room floor. A zero role for him given his talent.

In sum, I am one for magic and fables, so for me this was a very enjoyable film. I forgot the time which is the best test of all. Bravo!

I saw this movie last year at a screening, but it has taken me awhile to submit a comment on here.

I LOVED THIS MOVIE!!! It is a wonderful story with a great message that needs to be heard in this modern age.

I assume it will be targeted toward teens, but as a 36 year old, I really enjoyed it. It might be one of Ricci's best performances, as good as Black Snake Moan, but completely different roles. James McAvoy is charming. Catherine Ohara, Reese Witherspoon and Peter Dinklage are nice surprises and always funny when they appear. Overall, very enjoyable. It is somewhat predictable, but it has to have a happy ending.

What a lovely creature Christina Ricci is. Even with a pig's snout stuck to her face, I found her to be completely entrancing. She was certainly the only reason I decided to give this modern-day fairy tale a go and, on the whole, I'm fairly glad that I did. It has its weaknesses, for sure, the main one being that it can't seem to settle on a tone or to decide whether it takes place in Britain, America or some mythical amalgam of the two. The tone certainly could have been darker, even if the film is (probably) primarily aimed at teens considering its story (basically an update of Beauty and the Beast with gender roles reversed).

Ricci does a good job of holding everything together. She looks too cute to send men flying through windows in terror, and seems too well-adjusted for a 25-year-old who has never stepped outside the confines of her palatial home, but I suppose these are minor quibbles. After all, how could we root for a truly hideous princess with social interaction issues? Catherine O'Hara also scores as Penelope's overbearing mother who can't see that she is the barrier preventing her daughter from lifting the curse that has left her with a pig's snout for a nose. Other familiar names are more of a distraction than anything else: hedge-haired Russell Brand appears for one scene, an increasingly chubby Lenny Henry in another few. Producer Reese Witherspoon even makes an appearance late on.

One character I liked a lot was that of Lemon, played by Peter Dinklage. Not only does Dinklage provide probably the strongest performance in the film, thanks to a well-written role, the script wisely refrains from spelling out the similarities between his character and Penelope that lead to his pulling back from the pursuit of her. Anyone with a little insight can understand the reason for the casting; it doesn't need to be spelled out, but how many other films would keep hammering home the point until even the thickest viewer caught on?

Loved! Loved! Loved this Movie! One of the last movies I caught at the Toronto Film Festival....and by far my FAVORITE!!!!! Penelope is an original and uplifting story that reminds us of life's most fundamental truth -- that our beliefs lock us into a particular reality. It is packed full of excitement, surprises, laughs, heartfelt pangs and soaring joy. Christina Ricci is radiant as Penelope and in the face of daunting circumstances she inspires us to not only persevere but to dare to break free. It is a treat to see Reese Witherspoon portraying an edgier gal than norm and James McAvoy is a heartthrob! Oh, and the performance of Simon Woods is absolutely delightful and unforgettable! This movie is important, but I would give away the ending if I told you why!!

I didn't know what the heck Penelope was, I only saw the trailer once and it looked very strange, I only saw the poster more than a few times and it again, didn't really catch my interest. But my friends and I decided to check it out and I'm actually glad that I saw it. As silly story that it is and a bit predictable, it's a good movie. Most romantic comedies tick me off because they are so predictable and the it's the same formula each time, Penelope is close to the same formula, but instead adds a fairy tale twist. It has the same moral of the story as most films of having to accept yourself, but Christina Ricci made it more charming and lovable. The cast was perfect and all did a great job, the looked like they had such a good time bringing this story to life.

Penelope seems like the girl that should be living the high life, a wealthy family, part of royalty, but her life isn't perfect. Due to a shallow mistake her ancestor made, a witch cursed a face of a pig onto the next born daughter, that happens to be Penelope who apparently has to marry a man of royal blood to break the curse. But since she's not the prettiest face on the planet, every man runs from her, but Max, a spy sent by a photographer, Max learns that Penelope is a beautiful soul. Penelope runs away though to find her freedom and instead finds herself and how wonderful she truly is.

Penelope is a very cute film, I was very impressed with the story, there were some things I was a little disappointed in, like how they just abandoned some characters for no reason. But I think it's hard to fit it in a short film, still I think it could have been edited better. But Christina Ricci was a great choice for Penelope, even though she's still oddly enough not the ugliest woman I've ever seen with the nose, she did a good job and held her own well. Reese Witherspoon, small role, but she was so charming. I would recommend Penelope, it's a cute film and was a lot of fun to watch.

7/10