Penelope, Not Your Average Fairytale

By Broadside Staff Reporter Emily Sharrer
Photo courtesy of Type A Films

On a sheet of paper, Penelope looks like the newest idea hatched by someone at Disney. If the movie were put into a Google search, some of its key identifiers would be pig snout, love story, castle and magical curse. Not to mention the plot. A girl, dissatisfied with her looks, must find a boy to break a curse that has been cast on her.

But it is difficult to cast off Penelope as just another predictable ugly duckling love story. While at first you may have your doubts, director Mark Palansky takes all those stereotypical fantasy elements and molds them into something more imaginative in his first full length feature, Penelope, a twist on the traditional fairytale.

The story is about a girl named Penelope Wilhern, played by Christina Ricci, who has been locked in her house her entire life because of her pig snout and ears, a curse placed on her from the day she was born.

In order to break the curse, she must make a man fall in love with her, yet all the men who do fall in love with her are repulsed when they discover her secret.

James McAvoy plays Max, a man hired to retrieve pictures of Penelope for a tabloid magazine, yet he ends up falling for her. Max is hiding his own secret, however, and rather than disappointing Penelope, he disappears, causing Penelope, fed up with being hidden away, to head out to live on her own in the city.

Reese Witherspoon, who also produced the movie, plays the role of Annie, Penelope’s first real friend she meets upon entering life on her own.

Emmy Award-winner Catherine O’Hara and Richard E. Grant also star in the heartwarming modern day fairytale as Penelope’s parents.

While the plot and the main role of Penelope in the movie had the chance to be a big flop, Ricci filled the shoes of Penelope perfectly and is possibly the only person who could look decent with a snout.

With a penchant for picking offbeat roles in films such as Casper and The Addams Family, Ricci is well equipped to bringing odd characters to life, and in this particular instance, she does it very well.

McAvoy didn’t have to stray from his charm and good looks to bring his big-hearted and broodingly sexy character to life, while Witherspoon, on the other hand, played a very uncharacteristic role, proving her versatility. As the tough talking, leather jacket-wearing vespa rider Annie, Witherspoon was pretty believable.

To compliment the grade A performances by the list of big name actors were amazing set designs. The movie takes all the typical fairytale elements and brings them into the modern day, complete with up-to-date wardrobe and sets which still manage to incorporate a little bit of traditional appeal (think Baz Luhrman’s Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo Dicaprio and Claire Danes).

The sets for the city where Penelope takes refuge with little specialty shops and narrow streets are reminiscent of an old town from yesteryear. The same goes for the castle-like Wilhern house and the hotel where Penelope lives after leaving home. The backdrops of the shining lights of the city also help to set that fairytale mood and look like something straight out of Moulin Rogue.

At first I had my doubts, but I’m glad I did not give up on Penelope after the first five minutes, which were cheesy to say the least.

The film proved to be more than a stereotypical story with a love yourself message. It is a heartwarming tale appropriate for all ages and one that was easy to enjoy.