Penelope 3 stars
Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Catherine O’Hara, Richard E. Grant, Peter Dinklage, Simon Woods
Directed by Mark Palansky
Shows again June 16 at 4 p.m.
Like Shrek (the first installment, anyway), Penelope gives the tried-and-true fairy-tale structure a good roughing up. Her blue-blood family having been struck with an unfortunate curse, the titular heroine (Ricci) was born sporting a prominent snout, one that keeps the well-heeled boys at bay and her mother (O’Hara) in a perpetual state of maternal hysteria (and no, plastic surgery is not a viable option). Bacon is banished; “This Little Piggy” rhymes are forbidden. Only once she is loved by “one of her own kind” can Penelope break the curse, regain her proper human schnoz and presumably live happily ever after.
A “magic mirror” of sorts is implemented for Penelope’s courtships/interrogations, and the big city stands in for an impenetrable story-book forest. The archetypal handsome prince (McAvoy), comic voice of ever-increasing reason (Dinklage) and loyal best friend (producer Reese Witherspoon, playing a Vespa-riding hard-ass) also make appearances, but so do beer, gambling addiction, suicide jokes and serious commentary on celebrity culture. After all, all ages can stand to relearn the value of self-acceptance, independence and listening to “the real me waiting to be let out.” As festival artistic director Trevor Groth promised in his introduction of this U.S. premiere, it’s pleasantly entertaining for both adults and kids, particularly those who like their traditional plotlines to veer unexpectedly and their quirky protagonists to care more about horticulture than ball gowns.
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Sure, parts are weighed down by earnest cutesiness, and it’s not going to be hurting for distribution deals. What Penelope is lacking in indie cred, however, it makes up for with its vibrant sets, costumes and special effects (the scene in which Penelope first takes in the world outside the prison bars of her mansion is particularly eye-popping). And though a certain franchised ogre delivered the same lessons first and a bit funnier, sometimes after a week immersed in grand statements and deep meanings, it’s nice to just kick back and watch a confident young actress better known for her darkly serious turns traipse happily about in green shoes, purple coat and a prosthetic pig nose.