Penelope: A lot of heart, not enough edge
Release date: 29 Feb 2008
By Jerilyn Covert
Once upon a time is a loaded phrase. Pregnant with the expectations that have become embedded in our consciousness with all the force of a thousand bedtime stories–that there will be a love story, a lesson learned and a happy ending. But within the first few minutes of Penelope, we the viewers are forced to renegotiate these terms. The birth of a bastard, a physical anomaly and the feigned death of a child occur all within the opening sequence. Then we meet our stars–the exquisitely tragic Christina Ricci, the endearingly kooky Catherine O’Hara, the charmingly rogue James McAvoy. Then there’s the look of the movie. The particular camera angles and stylized dress make it clear early on why the director, Mark Palansky, has drawn comparisons to Tim Burton.