Penelope was a late addition to my viewing schedule for the weekend, and a change well spent. It is a light-hearted fantasy that goes down easy and builds up a healthy dose of romantic fantasy that should play well with a younger set. However, its enjoyment is not limited to the obvious tween target, as evidenced by me enjoyment. It transcends its audience and brings hope and light to romantics of every age. No, it is not perfect, there are moments where the relationships take large leaps of logic, but it is so light and fun that it is easy to overlook moments such as these.
Penelope is the story of Penelope Wilhern (Christina Ricci), a young woman afflicted by a curse placed on the blue-blood Wilhern family many generations prior. It was laid down when a male Wilhern cut off a relationship with a young woman of a lower social class. It just so happens that the woman's mother is a witch, and rather than exact her revenge on the immediate object, she gives the family a longer lasting paranoia over who will have the next daughter. Whoever that woman is, her daughter will have the distinctive features of a pig.
Penelope is handed a long succession of rich potential suitors, each of whom run at the very site of the lass. However, there is one who does no such thing. Max, who enters the Wilhern home under false pretenses, but whose motives change quickly upon their first, unseeing, introduction.
The film is sold by the performances at all levels. At the top is Christina Ricci, who plays up this wonderful innocence and wonder combined with an exasperation that makes her extremely likable, and pig-nose or not, still quite adorable. Then there is the over-protective nature of her mother, played by Catherine O'Hara who is over the top and wild in her efforts to protect. Peter Dinklage, as the reporter, is as stong as usual. He always gives good performances. That brings us to James McAvoy, whose Hollywood stock has been on a steady rise of late, he gives a believable performance as a compulsive gambler who has just met a life altering change. I guess it should also be mentioned that Reese Witherspoon has a supporting role as a young, rebellious woman who helps introduce Penelope to the world, this is also her first film as a producer.
Bottomline. In the end, first time feature director Mark Palansky and first time writer Leslie Caveny have crafted a fine film. It tells a story of believing in oneself and liking someone for who they are. It really is quite enjoyable and well worth spending some time with.
Recommended.
0 comments:
Post a Comment