So….does anyone remember Penelope?

So….does anyone remember Penelope? The 2008 romantic-fantasy—comedy starring Christina Ricci as a young woman who has a pig nose and in order to get a normal nose, must marry someone who loves her for who she is. Along the way she finds love, makes friends, and breaks the curse all on her own. Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t. It came out in February, did…fine at the box office, and did…fine with critics. While I didn’t see it in the theaters, I did watch it a lot when it was available on DVD. I forgot about it for a few years and then out of the blue I saw it on youtube and I began to wonder, would still enjoy it, would I wonder what was wrong with young Dara thinking this was a good movie…or is movie just kind of meh. Let’s find out!

So in the beginning of the film, we learn about Penelope’s family. About 150 years before the film starts, one of the sons fell in love with a servant and when the family disapproves, he backs down and marries a rich woman, and the servant jumps off a cliff. Well, it turns out the servants mother was a witch and curses the first born daughter to have the face of a pig. It just so happens that after several generations of only having sons, Penelope is the first born daughter in the family and therefore pig face, or well, nose. The only way to break the curse is if someone of blue blood (rich) loves her for who she is. Now, the first thing we learn in this movie is that rich people are the worst. They are all repulsed by this beautiful woman with a snout and run away in fear. Fortunately they all sign NDA forms so no one ever finds out about Penelope. Except for Edward Humphrey Vanderman III, who ends up getting away before signing the NDA and describes her as a literal monster to the police and reporters. Even her mother can’t tell her she was beautiful, instead her mother says things like “you are not your nose.” It actually makes sense that Penelope thinks she ugly and she just need to break the curse for her life to begin. Anyway, no one believes Vanderman except for one-eyed Peter Dinklage, who has been trying to get a picture of Penelope since she was a baby (hence the one eye). They decide to team up and get proof to show they’re not  crazy (just dickheads). To do this they recruit “Max,” (James McAvoy), a rich guy who gambled away his fortune to pose as a suitor for Penelope and get a picture of her. So Penelope and “Max,” hang out for a few days (by the way I should mention she can see her suitors through a two-way mirror in her room). Throughout this the two start to bond After a few meetings Penelope decides he to show him her face. And he doesn’t run away in fear (aww he’s perfect). But he forgets about the camera that was in the jacket and would take a picture when he raises his arm. Thus, the whole scam is revealed. Penelope, having clearly developed feelings for him, begs him to marry her so she can finally start her life. “Max,” who has also developed feelings for her, claims he can’t help, due to reasons that will be revealed later. 

At this point, Penelope thinks this curse will never be broken and she will be stuck in this life with this nose forever. So she says screw it and runs away from home wearing a scarf to hide her nose and discover the world outside. She even makes some friends, including Reese Witherspoon, who is great all around. She also ends up giving Peter Dinklage her photo in order to claim the $5,000 reward (cause she’s broke by that point). The rich people bashing really becomes clear here when Peter Dinklage gets the photos and doesn’t see the monster Vanderman described, and later on when the photos are published and her friends find out who she is, they also…don’t see a monster. Man rich people are the worst. But wait, you ask, what about “Max,” he’s a wealthy man who didn’t run away in terror when he saw her. Well, TWIST, turns out Max is actually Nick Frost. James McAvoy is playing Johnny, a down on his luck musician with a gambling problem, who needed money and when Peter Dinklage came a calling assuming he was Max, he went along for the money. But what do you know he fell in love with her, realized he couldn’t break the curse because he wasn’t blue blood and didn’t want to hurt Penelope anymore than she already has been. But don’t worry after some bad press, Vanderman comes back and offers marriage too Penelope, who at this point is beginning to feel comfortable in her nose, and has a whole new life. But her mother comes in again saying that she is a freak to them. So Penelope decides to go along with the wedding. However, before she says I do she runs off knowing that she can’t marry a man who doesn’t care about her and through all this has learned that she likes herself the way she is. Thus, the power was in her all along, breaking the curse and giving her a normal nose. Penelope moves out, her mother apologizes for never saying that she was beautiful, which would have broken the curse. The butler quits, who it turns out was actually the witch all along, and, well, people kind of forget about Penelope (besides her friends). Anyway, she becomes a teacher, and finds out about Johnny and on Halloween, decides to see him. She shows him her new nose, they confess their love, and live happily ever after. 

So is this movie awful. No, in fact I don’t think anyone really thought it was when it was first released. It was just seen as a forgettable film that came and went. Is there something more to it..could this film actually be a masterpiece and deeper then we all thought? Well…no. The lesson in this movie is to like yourself the way you are, and the people that truly love you will be there for you no matter what. This is a lesson that was and still is in a lot of movies and Penelope doesn’t break any grounds. But in the end this is a really charming movie, with a great cast, great costumes, and a fun Sunday afternoon with a glass of wine watch.