The one thing every good fairy tale has taught us is that nothing is as it seems. A frog is a prince. A cat can talk. Living with seven vertically challenged men can be dangerous. "Penelope" does not break with that tradition.
At face value -- and what a face -- this is the story of a young woman (Christina Ricci) who is the victim of a family curse. Because of an indiscretion by one of her blueblood relatives, Penelope's nose looks like a pig's snout. Only the love of "one of her kind" will reverse this condition.
Her parents (Catherine O'Hara, Richard E. Grant) have built a sanctuary for Penelope full of everything but human contact. If she ever hopes to end the curse, Penelope will have to find a suitor. That is easier said than done: One glimpse of Penelope sends potential husbands running.
They all bolt, except for Max (James McAvoy). His gambling debts have put him a financial bind. He agrees to pretend to be a potential hubby to help a bitter newspaper writer (Peter Dinklage) get a photo of Penelope.
Even pretend love comes with complications. And that sends Penelope, her face half hidden by a giant scarf, into the world to find her freedom.
Director Mark Palansky finds a quiet tone to present this engaging script by Leslie Caveny. That means the moral of this story (and all good fairy tales have a moral) is delivered with a light embrace instead of an emotional slap.
The real credit goes to Ricci. Whether it is the pig snout or the scarf, a large part of her face is hidden throughout most of the movie. Ricci manages to show with just her eyes the emotional pain, the joyful awakening of her senses and the innocent hope that exists inside this character.
"Penelope" deals with a host of issues, such as learning to deal with something that might set a person apart from the crowd. It is the kind of movie that should stimulate conversations. When a movie does that, then everyone lives happily ever after.
