Christina Ricci Fascinates In Penelope

Movie Reviews
Christina Ricci Fascinates In Penelope
By Henry Chamberlain
July 21, 2008 - 09:31

Writer(s): Leslie Caveny
Starring: Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Catherine O'Hara, Richard E. Grant, Reese Witherspoon
Directed by: Mark Palansky
Rating: PG

We've seen Christina Ricci in the oddest and most whimsical poses, whether her own or in the paintings of her most celebrated fan, Mark Ryden. She's made a ton of movies and she's had a few missteps. But now she can do no wrong. If there was anything wrong about her role in Speed Racer it was that there wasn't more of it. In Penelope, we get a lot of screen time with Christina although she has to share it with a pig snout instead of her nose and that she manages quite well.

An intense actress and person, Ricci has said that she's always known how to act wild but had to learn how to act normal. She is very normal and very relaxed in Penelope despite the fact her face could stop a truck in the state its in. If only her prince charming would come along and break the spell but how's that going to happen when no guy can stand to look at her once introduced? Enter James McAvoy, in a far more relaxed role than he played in Wanted. He would be the perfect match if not for some compromising facts that need to be worked out. And so you have all you need for a delightful fairy tale with a twist.

Penelope has just been released on DVD and is surely a more engrossing film to view than either Speed Racer or Wanted. There is something truly fascinating about Ricci and to have her in an equally fascinating film is perfect. This is a film about little details and character development and story. Playing with a fine cast made up of Catherine O'Hara, Richard E. Grant and Reese Witherspoon, you have Christina Ricci making us believe she has been born with the snout of a pig and wishes for nothing more than something resembling a normal life.

Torn between pleasing her parents by remaining sheltered and agonizing over the realization that she may never know about the outside world, Ricci commands the screen with every sigh and feigned smile. Her character remains in control by not giving up. When the time comes to simply leave the house, Ricci is quite believable as a vulnerable yet not entirely helpless ingenue. As a fairy tale, the story remains slightly off-kilter, a little more color and coincidence than in real life, and Ricci fits right in with all that. You begin to see that she'll prosper wether or not she has to remain with a pig's snout and that's the point of this enchanting tale.