Christina Ricci stars as a poor little rich girl born with a big heart and a snout for a nose. Penelope is more candy-colored cartoon fantasy than Elephant Man journey into darkness, but both are essentially ugly duckling fairy tales about uncovering the beautiful swan within.
There's much to enjoy here, but the problem with Penelope is that it can't quite seem to decide if it wants to be a lighthearted romance or something meatier and more disturbing. (It might have taken a lesson or two from Tim Burton.) Ricci actually looks weirdly fetching with her little pig snout (bringing to mind a cuter version of one of those creatures from the famous "Eye of the Beholder" episode of The Twilight Zone), and the film wraps itself in an actively quirky sensibility and a semi-edgy visual style that, appealing though they can be, are often at odds with the gentle romantic comedy Penelope seems to be on its most basic level.
Ricci's Prince Charming turns out to be a down-on-his-luck scoundrel (James McAvoy) and both are transformed by true love, but the movie's symmetry is upset by too many uneven scenes and a truly awful last act that seems to come out of nowhere. The performances are generally very good (bit parts by Peter Dinklage and producer Reese Witherspoon are particularly appealing), but the movie itself feels unfocused, often rambling so noticeably that it seems to rely on Ricci's voiceover narration to hold it all together.
Penelope (PG) Stars Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Catherine O'Hara, Simon Woods, Reese Witherspoon, Peter Dinklage and Richard E. Grant. Opens Feb. 29 at local theaters. 3 stars
This article appears in Feb 27 – Mar 4, 2008.
