This film is quite innocent. That's why I feel sort of bad being critical of it. Like I'm trashing on a friend's little kid's painting that they think is brilliant. Both director Mark Palansky and TV writer Leslie Caveny make their big screen debuts on the film. From the results of this film, it's not surprising they come from shorter productions. For this hour and a half film, there are three themes driving three sections of the story. None of which come together in a coherent way.
Set up from the start as a modern fairy tale, the Wilhern family was cursed generations before by a witch. As a result, the next Wilhern girl will look like a pig. For generations the Wilherns only had boys, but the curse finally lands on Jessica and Franklin Wilhern (Catherine O'Hara, BEST IN SHOW & Richard E. Grant, WITHNAIL & I). Their daughter Penelope (Christina Ricci, SPEED RACER) is born with a pig's snout and ears. As the curse goes she needs to find love with one of her own to break the curse. To save her from tabloid publicity, the Wilherns fake the baby Penelope's death, keeping her hidden away in their mansion. Now they bring in eligible blue bloods to see if they can make a match, but when she shows herself to them, they always run, often leaping out of windows.
One of those men is Edward Vanderman III (Simon Woods, PRIDE & PREJUDICE), whom was able to run away before signing the non-disclosure agreement. He goes right to the police with tales of a monster then he meets Lemon (Peter Dinklage, THE STATION AGENT), a little person reporter who lost an eye at the hands of Jessica when he snuck into the house to take pictures of the baby. The two team up to get new pictures of Penelope, sending in down-on-his-luck blue blood Max (James McAvoy, LAST KING OF SCOTLAND) to woo the girl. As things transpire, Penelope ends up on her own in the real world, wearing a scarf to hide her nose and befriends the scooter messenger Annie (Reese Witherspoon, RENDITION).
The repetitiveness of shocked reactions and jokes regarding Penelope's looks gets old really quick. The more extreme the reactions the less credible the film becomes. Penelope does not look that bad. Moreover, in setting the film in a modern age, the naivety of the story creates problems. Lame excuses have to be created for why Penelope can't just get a nose job, etc., etc. When Penelope strikes out on her own one thinks that it is ridiculously overdue. And a character's reaction that spurs it comes off very awkward like it’s a manufactured plot device. The reason comes toward the end, but it's too late to be emotionally effective. It's a secret that shouldn't have been hidden from the audience only the characters. Then the viewer could have something to root for. The revelation of the truth.
Penelope is not a compelling character. We never really know what she wants. Does she want to end the curse? Does she just want to be accepted for herself? Does she just want to be free of her mother (who is treated like a villain even though she is not played that way)? Instead of developing which it is from the start the film tacks on a really lame scene at the end to outright tell us what the film is about. Penelope isn't the mess, just the film about her.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
