If this were a potion, it would be as simple as throwing in a little more energy with those pig parts.
There's a little "Roman Holiday" in here too, as Penelope decides to cover her face and check out the real world, where she meets the bike-riding Annie (Reese Witherspoon). The trajectory is pretty straight with this plot, and surprisingly even-keeled once we get past the clever, humorous opening. When you compare this one to "Enchanted" or "Edward Scissorhands," you may not be able to explain what's causing it, but you realize it's missing oomph, pizzaz snap crackle and pop, and as a result, magic. Even the London and Buckinghamshire backdrops aren't enough to generate the jolts that this one needs. Villains have always been more interesting than nice people, and maybe Ricci plays Penelope a little too even-tempered. There are also plenty of scenes where you wonder why Palansky keeps the cameras running, rather than going for quicker cuts to move the story along. Even Witherspoon, who's normally a sparkplug, isn't able to rise above the material and the pacing.
And yet, as I said, there's something likeable about this film. It's heart is in the right place, even if it's not pumping furiously enough. The concept is fun, the make-up job on Ricci's schnoz looks convincing enough, and McAvoy tries to make their "romance" sizzle. Trouble is, there's not much chemistry evident between the two co-stars, and Witherspoon seems wasted in bit part that maybe puts her in unfamiliar territory as "the friend." In the end, choosing to make a fairytale film and having viewers expect it to be "magical" ends up being more of a burden than those pig features on Penelope.
Video:
Viewers can choose to watch in full screen (1.33:1) or widescreen (2.35:1). Production values are quite good, with bright, bold colors and surprising sharpness for a DVD-- though the level of detail does vary, with darker scenes a little fuzzier.
Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack does a good job of filling the viewing space, and the low-frequency tones are picked up as nicely as the mid-range tones are spread nice and wide across the front mains. The dialogue sounds natural, and there's nothing in the way of distortion to mar it or the FX or ambient sound. Overall, it's a stronger presentation than the video.
Extras:
The default bonus feature is a sneak peak for "Twilight," the studio's forthcoming film about a good girl who falls for the ultimate bad boy . . . a vampire. Once you get past that, which plays automatically before the main feature, the only other extra is a pretty standard six-minute making-of feature that combines cast/filmmaker interviews with clips and a few behind-the-scenes shots.
Bottom Line:
Think fairy tale, and you think magic. But as entertaining as "Penelope" is, there just isn't that spark that makes you think, "wow" or "how fun." If this were a potion, it would be as simple as throwing in a little more energy with those pig parts, along with a few more zinger lines, and bam, you'd have a great film.
And yet, as I said, there's something likeable about this film. It's heart is in the right place, even if it's not pumping furiously enough. The concept is fun, the make-up job on Ricci's schnoz looks convincing enough, and McAvoy tries to make their "romance" sizzle. Trouble is, there's not much chemistry evident between the two co-stars, and Witherspoon seems wasted in bit part that maybe puts her in unfamiliar territory as "the friend." In the end, choosing to make a fairytale film and having viewers expect it to be "magical" ends up being more of a burden than those pig features on Penelope.
Video:
Viewers can choose to watch in full screen (1.33:1) or widescreen (2.35:1). Production values are quite good, with bright, bold colors and surprising sharpness for a DVD-- though the level of detail does vary, with darker scenes a little fuzzier.
Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack does a good job of filling the viewing space, and the low-frequency tones are picked up as nicely as the mid-range tones are spread nice and wide across the front mains. The dialogue sounds natural, and there's nothing in the way of distortion to mar it or the FX or ambient sound. Overall, it's a stronger presentation than the video.
Extras:
The default bonus feature is a sneak peak for "Twilight," the studio's forthcoming film about a good girl who falls for the ultimate bad boy . . . a vampire. Once you get past that, which plays automatically before the main feature, the only other extra is a pretty standard six-minute making-of feature that combines cast/filmmaker interviews with clips and a few behind-the-scenes shots.
Bottom Line:
Think fairy tale, and you think magic. But as entertaining as "Penelope" is, there just isn't that spark that makes you think, "wow" or "how fun." If this were a potion, it would be as simple as throwing in a little more energy with those pig parts, along with a few more zinger lines, and bam, you'd have a great film.
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[release]24252[/release]