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Penelope |
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A sweet fable that's, at
times, hindered by sloppy direction. |
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Christina Ricci plays Penelope Wilhern,
a wealthy and engaging young lady cursed
with a pig's snout for a nose. The only
way she can break the curse is for her
to marry someone who loves her for what
she is. Hidden away from the world,
Penelope endures many painful
matchmaking sessions, arranged by her
snotty mother (Catherine O'Hara) in an
attempt to bring order to her "chaotic"
life. Unfortunately, Penelope's
potential suitors all flee at the sight
of her. |
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One such horrified suitor is Edward
(Simon Woods), who engages journalist
Lemon (Peter Dinklage) to out Penelope.
They enlist the poker-loving Max (James
McAvoy) to get photos of Penelope. No
prizes for guessing what happens next. |
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Act Two sees Penelope running away from
home to experience the real world. She
befriends the free-spirited Annie (Reese
Witherspoon, who's also the film's
producer), and later chooses to expose
herself to the public, which sees her
becoming a tabloid celebrity in the
process. |
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It's easy to see where first-time
director Mark Palansky got his
inspiration for this modern-day fairy
tale. Set in a make-believ hybrid world
of London and New York, Penelope is
littered with Tim Burton influences,
from Beetlejuice to Edward Scissorhands
and Big Fish. |
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Where the movie went wrong was in its
portrayal of Penelope as hideous - so
much so that suitors would dive out of
the window of the mansion in fear - when
she is, in actuality, pretty adorable
with her upturned nose; she's so cute
Miss Piggy would likely go green with
envy. |
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Ricci is fabulous as Penelope. You can't
help but fall in love with this strong
and confident girl who has embraced the
fact that she is destined to be a
"freak". Even with half her face covered
by a scarf, her expressive saucer eyes
never fail to light up the screen.
McAvoy is, as always, dashing and
faultless. The strong chemistry between
him and Ricci saves this otherwise
sloppy, uneven film, transforming it
into a charming Beauty and the Beast
meets Cinderella meets Ugly Duckling
fairy tale |
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One question : where are the extras? |
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For Further
Information, please buy a copy of FIRST @ myNEWS.com
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