In association with

Penelope [2007]
from Momentum Pictures
starring Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Catherine O'Hara, Reese Witherspoon, Peter Dinklage
directed by Mark Palansky

Features:

• PAL

Editorial Review:

Like Tim Burton's EDWARD SCISSORHANDS and the TV show PUSHING DAISIES, PENELOPE is a modern fairy tale, complete with candy colours and whimsical cinematography. PENELOPE begins with a generations-old curse by a jilted lover: the next girl in the aristocratic Wilhern family will be born with a pig's snout and ears. Though ages pass, the bad luck finally manifests itself in young Penelope (Christina Ricci) much to the shame of her mother (Christopher Guest favourite Catherine O'Hara). In an effort to break the curse, her mother and father (Richard E. Grant, WITHNAIL AND I) try to bring in a series of blue-blooded suitors. But when they see her face, the men all run screaming. Enter Max (James McAvoy), a down-on-his-luck gambler who connects with Penelope. But when he is exposed as a fraud, the heartbroken girl escapes into the surrounding city. Though she hides her face with a scarf, Penelope gets to experience life outside her family's mansion for the first time.
Pig nose and all, Ricci is adorable as the title character, excellent in alternating between naivete and independence. Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon succeeds in double duty as both a producer and in a small acting role as Penelope's first friend in the big city. But it's McAvoy, a standout in ATONEMENT and THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, who threatens to steal hearts. The pair's romance is believable, and it makes the film good viewing for fairy tale fans of all ages. The PG rating should appeal to families, as should the film's message about the importance of inner-beauty and self-confidence.

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

• This one GROWS on you.
  For some time (almost 2 years) I have known about, and waited patiently for this Reese Witherspoon production; wondering if it ever would come to fruition on DVD in the U.K. On 12th August, I found it in a local Super-Market, and bought my copy there and then.
  I have to say that my first thoughts when I watched it for the fist time were not very complementary. But, unusually for me after such thoughts, I let the film continue, watching it to the Happy Ending that it duly deserved. As I watched that... more info

• Sweet fairy tale - great performances from a talented cast
  "Penelope" is the story of a high society girl, born with a pig's snout due to a curse. She is kept isolated by her excentric mother, who desperately tries to break the curse by finding a blue blood suitor for Penelope. This isn't easy, every man runs away after seeing Penelope's snout, until Max that is. Penelope and Max hit it off, but Max will not marry Penelope. After this rejection, Penelope breaks free into the world and goes exploring - and much follows...
  "Penelope" is a sweet, little fairy... more info

• sweet
  what a nice, adorable film, i certainly enjoyed this very much. I thought the cast was great, the story was great and the motto was great!!brill film which can be enjoyed again and again!!

• All star romantic comedy
  This is a really lovely story - it's a bit of a fairy tale but is really bought to life by the all-star cast in this movie. Excellent lead-role by Chritina Ricci, and not what you'd normally expect from Reese Witherspoon either! Some sad parts, but mostly very funny and very moving - I dont want to give the story away as this one is definitely worth the watch, but there's some good little twists in here and the breaking of the curse comes in one of the most unexpected places so that once you've seen it... more info

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