Scan and Pan
Monday, March 10, 2008
Penelope
A curse put on a wealthy family generations ago finally comes to pass when Penelope (Christina Ricci) is born with the nose and ears of a pig. Her frantic parents (Richard E. Grant, Catherine O'Hara) fake her death and hide her away for years. Believing that the curse can be removed if a man of her own kind (meaning one of privilege) falls in love with her, they bring suitable young men to court her, but they all run away when they see her. One of those men, Edward (Simon Woods), is publicly ridiculed for his stories of a pig-nosed monster, and hatches a plan with dogged reporter Lemon (Peter Dinklage) to expose the truth in a bid to restore his reputation. Their secret weapon is Max (James McAvoy), a down on his luck blue blood they hire to court Penelope and take a photo of her as evidence. Will Max be able to go through with the plan or will he fall in love with Penelope instead?
Director Mark Palansky (a former assistant to Michael Bay) makes his debut with a project that on the surface sounds like a Tim Burton film. While Palansky lacks the unique visual flair of Burton (or even Bay), he ably blends comedy and romance into an entertaining brew with a feel good message. The film proceeds in an uneven manner at times, but there are enough strengths on display to offset that. The screenplay by Leslie Caveny (a former staff writer for television's Everybody Loves Raymond) provides a story that's one part charming modern fairy tale and one part an important message about beauty and self-esteem, the latter aimed at the young female demographic that the production seems tailor made for.
The cinematography of Michel Amathieu (responsible for the "Place des Fêtes" segment of Paris, je t'aime) is competent but also a bit flat. Although it was filmed in London, production designer Amanda McArthur (Passion in the Desert, St. Trinian's) niftily constructs a cityscape that's not-quite London and perhaps is a metropolis that only exists in this tale. The score by Joby Talbot (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) ably complements the story's different textures.
Ricci is really a lovely presence here, filling the screen with an innocent charm and sweetness that makes it all the more heartbreaking when she experiences rejection after rejection. Of course, on a physical level, Ricci is so lovely that even a prosthetic pig snout can't disguise it and the suspension of disbelief necessary to buy into the story must be extended to men fleeing in fright at her appearance. Ricci's on-screen charm is ably matched by that of McAvoy, which adds to the strong chemistry they have. Grant and O'Hara give fine comedic performances as Penelope's parents.
The rest of the cast is also quite good, including Reese Witherspoon (one of the film's producers) as the first real friend Penelope makes, Dinklage in a dryly funny turn as Lemon, Burn Gorman as another reporter, Woods as Edward, Ronni Ancona as a matchmaker, Lenny Henry as a detective, Nick Frost as a gambling acquaintance of Max's, and Richard Leaf as a barman.
Penelope may be fairly predictable in the way romantic comedies tend to be, but the journey is what it's all about and the cast is what makes it such a fun one to take. Take it for yourself and you'll also fall in love with the film and its titular character.
[4 out of 5 stars]
A quirky romantic comedy with touches of fantasy, a winning cast, and a little bit of magic.
A curse put on a wealthy family generations ago finally comes to pass when Penelope (Christina Ricci) is born with the nose and ears of a pig. Her frantic parents (Richard E. Grant, Catherine O'Hara) fake her death and hide her away for years. Believing that the curse can be removed if a man of her own kind (meaning one of privilege) falls in love with her, they bring suitable young men to court her, but they all run away when they see her. One of those men, Edward (Simon Woods), is publicly ridiculed for his stories of a pig-nosed monster, and hatches a plan with dogged reporter Lemon (Peter Dinklage) to expose the truth in a bid to restore his reputation. Their secret weapon is Max (James McAvoy), a down on his luck blue blood they hire to court Penelope and take a photo of her as evidence. Will Max be able to go through with the plan or will he fall in love with Penelope instead?
Director Mark Palansky (a former assistant to Michael Bay) makes his debut with a project that on the surface sounds like a Tim Burton film. While Palansky lacks the unique visual flair of Burton (or even Bay), he ably blends comedy and romance into an entertaining brew with a feel good message. The film proceeds in an uneven manner at times, but there are enough strengths on display to offset that. The screenplay by Leslie Caveny (a former staff writer for television's Everybody Loves Raymond) provides a story that's one part charming modern fairy tale and one part an important message about beauty and self-esteem, the latter aimed at the young female demographic that the production seems tailor made for.
The cinematography of Michel Amathieu (responsible for the "Place des Fêtes" segment of Paris, je t'aime) is competent but also a bit flat. Although it was filmed in London, production designer Amanda McArthur (Passion in the Desert, St. Trinian's) niftily constructs a cityscape that's not-quite London and perhaps is a metropolis that only exists in this tale. The score by Joby Talbot (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) ably complements the story's different textures.
Ricci is really a lovely presence here, filling the screen with an innocent charm and sweetness that makes it all the more heartbreaking when she experiences rejection after rejection. Of course, on a physical level, Ricci is so lovely that even a prosthetic pig snout can't disguise it and the suspension of disbelief necessary to buy into the story must be extended to men fleeing in fright at her appearance. Ricci's on-screen charm is ably matched by that of McAvoy, which adds to the strong chemistry they have. Grant and O'Hara give fine comedic performances as Penelope's parents.
The rest of the cast is also quite good, including Reese Witherspoon (one of the film's producers) as the first real friend Penelope makes, Dinklage in a dryly funny turn as Lemon, Burn Gorman as another reporter, Woods as Edward, Ronni Ancona as a matchmaker, Lenny Henry as a detective, Nick Frost as a gambling acquaintance of Max's, and Richard Leaf as a barman.
Penelope may be fairly predictable in the way romantic comedies tend to be, but the journey is what it's all about and the cast is what makes it such a fun one to take. Take it for yourself and you'll also fall in love with the film and its titular character.
[4 out of 5 stars]
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