Penelope was truly a pleasant surprise. I was a little hesitant entering the baron theatre with my 12 year old niece at my side. I thought, ”Man, no one wants to see this movie, it must really suck”. But all I can say now is the people that weren’t filling those seats were truly missing out.

Not only does Penelope have an all star cast, including Christina Ricci, Catherine O’Hara, Richard E. Grant and Reese Witherspoon, but it also has a pretty good storyline. My first impression when I saw the trailers for Penelope, I thought that it was just going to be a fairytale that stuck big stars in to make it seem appealing, like 1999’s Alice in Wonderland. But I was mistaken.

Synopsis: A family with a curse spawns a pig-faced girl, Penelope, that the media can’t get enough of. Her parents fake her death to get some peace for themselves and for their new baby girl. They build her a little wonderland inside the house for her to hermit herself in. Then it cuts to her being a young woman while her mother actively tries to find a blue-blooded suitor for her to break the family curse. One of these suitors inspires Penelope to experience all that she has been missing and in turn she inspires him to be a better man.

Yes, the plot is very whimsical, I must admit. But it’s not so much the story as how it was presented on screen. Penelope covers her face with a scarf and runs out into the night armed with her mother’s credit card. Her adventures show the things we take for granted. Penelope was extremely educated, but that didn’t help her with the day to day tasks that normal folk do without thinking about it.

Literary Geek’s Perspective: Penelope finally discovered who she was by covering her face. This is a great concept because in society, we all put on masks to hide our flaws and step outside ourselves when in public. I found this to be beautiful imagery.

The whole movie is base on the premise that Penelope must find a Blue-blooded suitor to marry and have a child with to break the curse. In the end, the curse was broken simply through her acceptance of herself. This is a lesson anyone can relate to, because truly that is everyone’s obstacle.

There are many twists and quirky moments in the movie. It is definitely for an audience of all ages, and can be appreciated by everyone in a different way. I give it 3.5 stars.

Posted in Comedy, Movies, Romance |