Penelope (2006)

Voti degli utenti:

7.2/10   

Regista:

Mark Palansky

Sceneggiatore (WGA):

Leslie Caveny (written by)

Data di uscita:

29 febbraio 2008 (USA)

Genere:

Commedia | Fantasy | Romantico

Slogan:

A fairytale like no other.

Plot:

A modern romantic tale about a young aristocratic heiress born under a curse that can only be broken when she finds true love with "one who will love her faithfully."

Plot Keywords:

Love | Curse | Pig | Friend | Witch

Recensioni degli utenti:

With Penelope it's great; without Disney its better.

Cast

Richard E. Grant	...	Franklin Wilhern
Catherine O'Hara	...	Jessica Wilhern
Nick Prideaux	...	Penelope's Great Grandfather (as Nicholas Prideaux)
Michael Feast	...	Jake / Witch
Christina Ricci	...	Penelope Wilhern
Ronni Ancona	...	Wanda
Simon Woods	...	Edward Vanderman
Paul Herbert	...	Leonard Wilhern
Simon Chandler	...	Doctor
Peter Dinklage	...	Lemon
Andi-Marie Townsend	...	Young Penelope
John Voce	...	Station Cop
Burn Gorman	...	Larry
Andrew Bailey	...	Floorman in Card Club
James McAvoy	...	Johnny / Max

Alias:

Penelope (Italy) (DVD title) [it]

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements, some innuendo and language. (foreign cut)

Durata:

104 min | Thailand:86 min (DVD)

Nazionalità:

UK | USA

Lingua:

Inglese

Colore:

Colore

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sonoro:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Divieti:

USA:PG (foreign cut) | Taiwan:GP | Ireland:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:I | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Finland:K-7 | Australia:PG | USA:PG

Luoghi riprese:

Hall Barn, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Compagnia:

Grosvenor Park Productions

Curiosità:

It took an hour and a half just to put the nose prosthetic on Ricci.

Errori:

Errori rivelatori: The wallpaper in Penelope's hotel room and the envelope she gives to Lemon with her pictures are made of the same material.

Citazioni:

[first lines]
Penelope: My parents were born into the good life. Old money, blue blooded, society sweethearts.

Collegamenti:

Fa riferimento a "Hallmark Hall of Fame: Beauty and the Beast" (1976)

Colonna sonora:

Give in

With Penelope it's great; without Disney its better.

Fairy tales are wide spread, with witches and curses they have, they are all too familiar with their poor damsel in need of rescue by the Charming Prince. The same can be said for poor Penelope, played by the essence of beauty and intelligence that is Christina Ricci. Famed for her roles as Wednesday Addams in the Addams Family movies, then "Kat" Harvey in Casper and during an Ice Strom she was Wendy Hood, hey, she's even dated a lesbian Monster and been chained up in Black Snake Moan. This, too, is the second in a row movie that consists of her taking a curse, the previous being John Carpenter's light horror werewolf flick Cursed (2005). You name it she has done it, and with perfection. Now all grown up she is playing the titular role of her 2006 movie Penelope.

Filmed in London, and with a high level of English actors too, and cast as an American fairy tale, this is the unlucky story of a witches curse on the first-born daughter of the Blue Blood (aristocrat) family, the Wilhern's. The only way to break said curse is to find her Charming Prince who shall love her for all her worth, pig nose and all. Yep, her curse is to be born with the nose and ears of a pig, poor girl. Kept away from others for all her childhood and youth by her grieving parents, played with relish by Richard E. Grant and the lovely Catherine O'Hara adding a touch of very hyper stressed and neurotic motherly love. Who could ask for more? Well, more is what we get here, more fun, more sad reflection and more diversity from the standard tale of woe. With its witty players from said Grant and O'Hara, we also get the very talented James McAvoy and the nemesis that is Lemon, the evil News Reporter, Peter Dinklage, hot on her tail for revenge. Having done "Lassie" (2005), "Death at a Funeral" (2007) and in the pipeline "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian". Excellent actor.

Funny in parts, and poignant in others, not an epic but not a waste of time either. A story of self believe and how one can learn to love oneself and then be loved in return, in any way, shape or form. Simple I know, but in this case, it works, with all the surrounding American accents sometimes rubbing the wrong way, we can easily dismiss the poor adaptations.

This ugly duckling fable will warm to your hearts and tingle you with delight, with a charming narrative and distinctive feel good factor, and if Disney had gotten their hands on the project, it just might have come across as over sappy, over benevolent and over too soon. And it's a good job they didn't, wasn't it?