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July 24, 2008 11:14:32 PM CDT

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Penelope: Charmingly Imperfect

Posted Feb 29, 08 1:55 PM CST in Gossip,  Arts & Living 

(Newser) – Penelope, a romantic fantasy that casts Christina Ricci as a socialite "princess" cursed with a pig's nose, draws mixed reviews. "First-time director Mark Palansky is trying for a deft, hip, modern fairy-tale feel, but the odd material, sprawling story, and complicated tonal balancing act get away from him," writes Tasha Robinson for the Onion A.V. Club.

The film draws praise for being sweet and for worthy performances by co-stars James McAvoy and Reese Witherspoon, but it "becomes more uneven as it proceeds, straining too hard to manufacture its quirky charms," David Rooney writes in Variety. "It's not the best of modern fairy tales, but it's sincere," writes James Berardinelli of Reelviews. "Penelope is flawed but not irredeemably so."

Sources Metacritic, The Onion (A.V. Club), Variety, ReelViews

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From left to right, James McAvoy, Reese Witherspoon and Christina Ricci arrive at the premiere for "Penelope."   (IFC; The Weinstein Company)
Christina Ricci is the recipient of an old hag's curse in 2008's "Penelope."   (IFC Films; The Weinstein Company)
James McAvoy is an unrepentant gambler with an ulterior motive in 2008's "Penelope."   (IFC Films; The Weinstein Company)
In this image released by Summit Entertainment, Christina Ricci, right, who portrays the title role of Penelope, is shown in a scene with James McAvoy in the film, "Penelope" (AP Photo/Summit Entertainment)   (Associated Press)
Christina Ricci arrives at the premiere of "Penelope" in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)   (Associated Press)
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Penelope: Reese Witherspoon Interview.   (tvguide (YouTube))
Penelope Trailer   (JudeaRose (YouTube))

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movie review  • Reese Witherspoon  • James McAvoy  • Christina Ricci


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