Christina Ricci hides Penelope’s porcine proboscis in ''Penelope.'' (Courtesy photo)

By Bob Polunsky
Movie Critic

“Penelope” updates “Sleeping Beauty” and spoofs it at the same time. It’s a clever film that might start a whole new cycle of fairy tale movies to involve a new generation.

Penelope Wilhern (Christina Ricci) is the victim of a family curse. She must find true love with one of her own kind in order to break that curse, and it won’t be easy. Penelope, you see, is cursed with a big nose. Well, make that a pig’s snout instead of a nose – so not many handsome, well-meaning males are likely to romance her.  As a result, Penelope spends most of her time with her nose, mouth and chin covered.

The curse originated because of a witch’s grudge against her.  It was magnified when a scandal-type magazine runs a photograph of her, causing her wealthy parents (Catherine O’Hara and Richard E. Grant) to lock her up so no one can see her. This also means no possible suitor will see her and, hopefully, marry her in order to break that vengeful curse.

Enter Max (James McEvoy), a gambler with a yen for money who wants to meet Penelope and, possibly, make her his wife. Predictably, even an opportunist like Max is turned off when he can’t help but notice her ugly snout.

The clash between Max and Penelope turn into a blessing in disguise. Penelope decides to muster all her courage and expose her unusual face to the world while she explores the opportunities available in life. It will take guts, and she has them. She also has friend named Annie (Reese Witherspoon) who is willing to join her and help her conquer her world and live a normal life.

The plot sounds as goody-goody as a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, but it’s done with more charm than you might expect. The two leading ladies have personality to spare and easily out-act their male co-stars, even though Peter Dinklage’s performance as the scandal magazine reporter aptly named “Lemon” is delightful. Dinklage has unusual looks and attitudes himself, and they fit well into the picture.

“Penelope” could have been an old-fashioned fairy tale that essentially reminded us that beauty is skin-deep and that’s enough for a budding romance. Instead, this modern day film puts character above beauty, making the movie beautiful to watch. It’s a daring venture for a movie studio to likening a girl’s ugliness face as “a pig,” then turning it into a thing of beauty.

Catherine O’Hara and Richard E. Grant use their familiar facial expressions to express various degrees of horror and delight. Both are ideal character comedians so they fit the format of the movie and add to the comedy effect.

“Penelope” is a rare jewel that can be enjoyed and appreciated for the way it puts down superficiality while maintaining humanity. Love and romance are important, but character always shows through, and that’s the moral of this entertaining fairy tale.

Studio rating: PG
Bob says: “You’re going to fall in love with the pig” 
3 Stars