| | | What Makes Us Different Makes Us Beautiful.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, English, Spanish, Dolby, Dolby Digital (5.1)
Christina Ricci (Speed Racer) stars as Penelope, a lonely heiress who has spent her entire life trying to break a strange family curse that left her with the nose of a pig. When she meets a charming aristocrat (James McAvoy, Atonement) who seems to see beyond her physical appearance, Penelope begins to learn that loving herself is more important than breaking the curse. Also starring Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde) and Catherine O'Hara (Best in Show), Penelope is a delightful modern-day fairy tale for the entire family.
"...this contemporary fairy tale provides a worthy vehicle for the fearless Christina Ricci." Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader
"An extraordinarily charming movie." Jamie Tipps, Film Threat
"A sweet, unassuming surprise." Ken Fox, TV Guide
"...an entertaining comedy for young girls and older girls who still like a good romantic fable." Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter
"This fairy tale feels pleasantly down-to-earth." Sean Axmaker, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"Aimed at tweenage girls and mushy romantics of all age and stripe, Penelope has a quick gait and a nice comic tone." Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
"A fun, modern-day fairy tale." Vee Vitanza, Hollywood Previews
Editor's Note
Like Tim Burton's EDWARD SCISSORHANDS and the TV show PUSHING DAISIES, PENELOPE is a modern fairy tale, complete with candy colors 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 favorite 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 naïveté 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.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Includes Both Widescreen & Full Screen Versions Of The Film! | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, Spanish |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: UNI DIST CORP. (SUMMIT) |
| Release Date: 1/6/2009 |
| Running Time: 90 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2008 | | Catalog ID: 66104618 | | UPC: 00025195037952 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen/Standard 2.35:1/1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Empire
4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]here are plenty of enjoyable twists....[With] an extremely snappy script..." 03/01/2008 p.57Box Office
"Christina Ricci as Penelope turns in a quiet, unassuming performance....The moral of the story is about acceptance, especially acceptance of self." 03/01/2008 p.51 Sight and Sound
"[A] colourful modern-day fairytale....Catherine O'Hara puts in an amusing performance....Often charming and occasionally witty." 03/01/2008 p.76 USA Today
"[T]he film has a strong cast, humor and a satirical take on celebrity culture....This UGLY DUCKLING redux is hipper and funnier than a Disney movie." 03/01/2008 ReelViews 7 of 10
Like many fairy tales, this one is allegorical and offers a clear message to girls who have body image issues. The themes are in the same vein as Beauty and the Beast and Shrek, albeit without the animation. The problem with the movie's closing act is that it wants to do more than merely italicize the moral - it wants to provide hearts and flowers and candy, and it all becomes too much...Watching Christina Ricci here and recognizing that her next role would be Black Snake Moan, I found myself impressed by her versatility. It seems that she rarely gets the credit she deserves; she always plays interesting characters and develops them into individuals even when the script is lacking...Much as I would like to give Penelope unreserved praise, I can't stretch my lukewarm approbation that far. This is an uneven production. It will appeal most strongly to pre-teen and early teenage girls although there's enough enchantment for other demographics to discover a diversion. Fans of the TV series Pushing Daisies may find echoes of that series here, although Penelope is more restrained in its comedic and satiric elements, keeping them in the background (except in certain scenes with O'Hara). Boiled to its essence, Penelope is Beauty and the Beast with the twist that in this telling, both Beauty and the Beast are aspects of the same person. - James Berardinelli
The Village Voice 7 of 10
"A Fairytale Like No Other"? Penelope's influences are right up front--there's the Tim Burton production design (overstocking each frame with curios) and Amelie music-box wistfulness tinkling all about. The film's titular heroine (Christina Ricci) is born into money, but thanks to a hex brought on by a distant ancestor's snobbery, is accursed with a sow's snout (she's a prettier breed of The Twilight Zone's pig people). Director Mark Palansky starts Penelope by whisking us through a "The Story Until Now" sequence, and doesn't slacken much once the real tale starts in--released fully two years after shooting, the film's been trimmed to the quick. This little piggy ventures off her family estate for the first time into a hybrid London--New York--Belle Epoque beyond, to experience life and love (with the impeccably scruffy James Mc-Avoy, ready to front some cruddy sparkle-and-fade NME-championed band). Ricci, though, is appealingly human, and some acknowledgement of the importance of female friendship, in addition to romance, is faintly touching. The social function of fables has long switched from cautionary chiding to coddling self-esteem. Hence the moral here: Self-acceptance brings inner beauty out. It's not quite that easy, but it's also not a bad lie to buy. - Nick Pinkerton
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