Loyola Greyhound

Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: Arts & Society

Media Credit: MCT campus Christina Ricci stars as the title role in "Penelope" as a girl who is cursed with a pig nose.

I am very rarely shocked when I go to watch movies. Scared, bored or tearful? Definitely. Shocked, no. It is getting harder and harder to find originality in today's theaters. This is why, when I went to see "Penelope," I was expecting a typical, cute romantic comedy with maybe some goofy antics thrown in. After all, the plot summary mentioned a girl who had a dreadful family "curse." Usually, I gauge this to mean some sort of quirk for a love story. However, in a rare instance, I was confusingly surprised by the way this movie turned out.

"Penelope" is about a privileged, blue-blood (aristocratic) girl (Christina Ricci) who is cursed with having a snout for a nose. This happened because her ancestor decided not to marry the house cleaner he knocked up and instead married another from his social class, another blue blood. Unfortunately, the house cleaner's mother was the town witch, and cursed the family, saying that the next daughter born would have features of a pig. Enter Penelope Wilhern, the first daughter, generations later. To break the curse, she has to be loved by "one of her own," assumed another blue blood. When she becomes of marrying age, her mother struggles to find her a suitable man to marry. The problem is, most of the men run when they see Penelope's face.

What interested me the most about this movie was the fact that it is a cross-genre film. It is like all the quirks and cute dialogue of a romantic comedy meets the weird, but original plots of a Disney movie. I have never seen a movie quite like it.

Starring alongside Ricci is James McAvoy, as Max Cambell, the man who is able to steal Penelope's heart in the end…and not run away. After seeing McAvoy in "The Last King of Scotland" and Ricci in "Monster," both serious roles, I was interested to observe their acting versatility. They were cute and compatible, but obviously acting in new territory. It was like what the comedy "Life or Something Like it" did for Angelina Jolie after a string of serious movies.

Nevertheless, the movie fared well in my eyes. One of my favorite scenes is when Penelope first decides to venture out in the world, away from men constantly rejecting her in her home (where her mother keeps her for her entire life for fear of losing social status because of her daughter's deformity) and away from her controlling parents. Her first destination is a bar where she sips her beer out of a straw. An added bonus is the role of Reese Witherspoon as a biker chick who takes Penelope on as a friend in the real world. Penelope is able to disguise her nose by wearing a scarf for almost a month, before she passes out and has to have it removed. Why her new friend does not wonder earlier as to why Penelope keeps the scarf on 24/7 is beyond me, but it was a nice, recognizable accessory for Ricci throughout the movie.

Another nice pick, actor wise, was Catherine O'Hara as Penelope's mother, Jessica Wilhern. Since I am a huge fan of Christopher Guest movies (A Mighty Wind, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show), seeing this star from his films was a pleasant surprise. She did not disappoint, with her over-the-top paranoia and stress molding to her typical style.

Eventually, Penelope's curse is broken and she ends up with the man she loves, and the movie ends in a cliché kissing scene. I was hoping for something more original than this given the premise of the movie, but it was sweet nonetheless.

Overall, "Penelope" was original, surprising and somewhat witty. I would probably not pick it as one of my top 10 favorite comedies, but I could have sat through a movie that was a lot worse. "Penelope" hits theatres this Friday.

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