Penelope (2008 film)
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| Penelope | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Mark Palansky |
| Produced by | Reese Witherspoon |
| Written by | Leslie Caveny |
| Starring | Christina Ricci James McAvoy Catherine O'Hara Richard E. Grant Reese Witherspoon |
| Music by | Joby Talbot |
| Distributed by | Summit Entertainment Stone Village Pictures IFC Films |
| Release date(s) | September 8, 2006 (premiered) February 1, 2008 (wide) February 29, 2008 (US) |
| Running time | 93 min. |
| Country | UK USA |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15,000,000[1] |
| Official website | |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Penelope is a 2008 comedy-fantasy film from Summit Entertainment and Stone Village Pictures directed by Mark Palansky. It stars Christina Ricci as Penelope and James McAvoy as Max.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Generations ago, a witch placed a curse on the Wilhern family that would result in the next girl being born into the clan having the face of a pig. For generations, only sons were born into the family, until approximately twenty-five years ago, when Penelope was born, stricken with the curse. It is said that the curse can only be lifted if one of her own learns to love her, which is interpreted by her parents to mean a blueblood. When a tabloid reporter named Lemon (Peter Dinklage) begins stalking the family to get a photograph of the infant Penelope, her parents, Jessica (Catherine O'Hara) and Franklin (Richard E. Grant), cloister their daughter away in their mansion, where Penelope spends her life immersing herself in intellectual pursuits such as literature, horticulture and music. Now an adult, Penelope (Christina Ricci)'s parents attempt to introduce her to possible rich suitors, hoping that one of them will fall in love with her and break the curse. Unfortunately, every man who lays eyes on the girl takes flight at first sight, never to return, including Edward Humphrey Vanderman III, a spoiled, cruel-hearted snob who finds her repulsive.
Vanderman teams up with Lemon and the team goes out to find someone who can get into the house for a picture. They mistakenly take Johnny (James McAvoy), an unrepentant gambler with a heavy heart, for Max (Nick Frost), who agrees to help Lemon and Vanderman snatch a photograph of her for money. When "Max" meets Penelope, however, he is unexpectedly caught off guard by her disarming charm, and decides to renege on his agreement with Lemon and Vanderman, realizing that their attempt to exploit Penelope is repugnant, but Penelope interprets "Max's" ambivalence to mean that he too finds her monstrous. She decides to flee the protection of her parents' home, and journeys out into the city, naive and ignorant of the world from which she has been sequestered her entire life. Having no money, and seeing that Lemon and Vanderman are publicly offering a reward to anyone who can produce a photograph of her, she decides to collect on the reward by producing a photo of herself, essentially coming out of hiding to the public.
Vanderman's father, seeing the public's fondness for Penelope and embarrassed by his son's vocal cruelty toward her, coerces Edward into proposing to her. Penelope nearly marries him, but backs out of the wedding at the last minute. When her mother urges her to marry him, lest she be forced spend the rest of her life with her current appearance, Penelope exasperatedly tells her mother that she likes herself the way she is. At that moment, she is enveloped by magical energy, and when it dissipates, her pig snout and ears are gone.
Penelope moves on with her life, becoming a horticulturist and teacher, the spectacle of her former appearance forgotten by the public. At a costume party at which she wears a porcine mask, she meets Max, who, unaware of her transformation, apologizes for not being able to break her curse, although it is obvious he is still in love with her. Removing her mask, she reciprocates his feelings, and the two begin a romance.
[edit] Cast
- Christina Ricci as Penelope Wilhern
- James McAvoy as Max/Johnny
- Catherine O'Hara as Jessica Wilhern
- Richard E. Grant as Franklin Wilhern
- Reese Witherspoon as Annie
- Peter Dinklage as Lemon
- Simon Woods as Edward Vanderman III
- Ronni Ancona as Wanda
- Nick Frost as Max Campion
- Lenny Henry as Krull
[edit] Background and production
The production of the film started in 2006 in London. According to Internet Movie Database, the whole movie was filmed in the UK.[2] It premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival.[3]
The film's screenplay was written by Leslie Caveny. A novelization of the film was written by Marilyn Kaye.[4]
The finished film was caught in limbo for over a year. Originally purchased by The Weinstein Company and IFC Films, it was removed from the release date schedule and eventually dropped by the two studios. Summit Entertainment eventually picked up U.S. distribution rights.
[edit] Critical reception
The film received mixed reviews from critics. As of February 29, 2008, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 53% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 108 reviews.[5] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 48 out of 100, based on 29 reviews — indicating mixed or average reviews.[6]
[edit] DVD release
Penelope will be on DVD July 15, 2008 in the United States.
Specifications:
2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen
English Dolby digital 5.1 Surround track
Extras:
Behind the scenes Featurette
Sneak peek at Twilight (2008 film) which opens in theaters December 12, 2008 in the United States.
[edit] Box office performance
The film premiered September 8, 2006 at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was also shown at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2007. The film opened in Russia and Ukraine in August 2007. Penelope was released in the United Kingdom on February 1, 2008. It opened in wide release in the United States and Canada on February 29, 2008.[7]
As of April 27, 2008, the film has grossed $18.5 million worldwide — with $6.5 million in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Malta.[8]
The movie opened in 8th place and earned $4 Million on its opening weekend in the US.[9]
[edit] References
- ^ Penelope-Budget IMDB
- ^ Penelope Filming Location-IMDB
- ^ 2006 TIFF Film list
- ^ Penelope Cast and Crew
- ^ Penelope - Movie Reviews, Trailers, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes. [[Rotten Towrew sexxxyy matoes]]. Retrieved on 2008-02-29.
- ^ Penelope (2008): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2008-02-29.
- ^ Penelope (2006) - Release dates. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2008-02-29.
- ^ Penelope (2008) - International Box Office Results. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2008-04-27.
- ^ 'Semi-Pro' Scores $15M, Tops Box Office
