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Penelope

Play trailer Poster for Penelope PG Released Feb 29, 2008 1h 30m Kids & Family Fantasy Romance Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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53% Tomatometer 128 Reviews 73% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Born with the snout of a pig, young Penelope Wilhern (Christina Ricci) spends life a virtual prisoner in her home. Believing that the only way to break the curse is to marry one of her own kind, she meets a number of suitors, but all reject her. Two devious men, one with a grudge against the family, hire a man (James McAvoy) to pose as a suitor, but complications arise when he begins to fall in love with Penelope, and she makes a bid for freedom.
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Penelope

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Critics Consensus

Though Penelope has a charming cast and an appealing message, it ultimately suffers from faulty narrative and sloppy direction.

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Critics Reviews

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Peter Bradshaw Guardian I can truthfully say that watching this abysmal fantasy-comedy is less rewarding than being slapped across the face with a large wet fish. Rated: 1/5 Oct 18, 2008 Full Review Wendy Ide Times (UK) A modern-day fairytale, the film is tarted up like a hyperactive five-year-old's lurid fantasy of interior decor. Rated: 2/5 Oct 18, 2008 Full Review Anna Smith Film4 Is this meant to be dark comedy? It's hard to tell. Rated: 1.5/5 Jun 25, 2008 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Penelope is a delightful and imaginative little movie, adorned with plenty of good-intentioned morals. Rated: 3/4 Sep 6, 2023 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins A rather childish blend of comedy, romance, and the predictable unearthing of morals and prejudices. Rated: 3/10 Nov 28, 2020 Full Review Michael Dequina TheMovieReport.com This quirky, snarky contemporary fairy tale could have been a family blockbuster. Rated: 3/4 Aug 12, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Augusta D The kind of whimsical that gives you butterflies every time you watch it. If you like Amèlie or other similarly fairytale-esque films, you’ll enjoy this. Christina Ricci and James McAvoy have undeniable chemistry. It’s a movie I watch again and again! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/23/24 Full Review Victoria T Its fairly generic, I almost felt like I'd seen it before. The cast was good but overall it was just... fine. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 07/24/24 Full Review Dinos K A romantic modern fairy tale, good acting from McAvoy (he convinced me as a gambler). Little "Wednesday" was cute Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 12/30/23 Full Review Kalissa H It was silly and unrealistic--not just because of the snout--most of the time. Despite that, for some reason I enjoyed it. It does have a great message about loving yourself, so that is a positive. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/28/23 Full Review Emmy R Discovered this movie a few years ago…it's now one of my top favorite movies. It has a great message, phenomenal acting, and a unique story. Strongly recommend! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/25/23 Full Review Audience Member It satirises what ugliness is but feels unaware that Penelope isnt actually that ugly. Its kind of offensive because of that. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Penelope

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Cast & Crew

Penelope

Penelope: Official Clip - I Like Myself The Way I Am Penelope: Official Clip - I Like Myself The Way I Am 2:10 Penelope: Official Clip - I'm Being Her Mother! Penelope: Official Clip - I'm Being Her Mother! 2:12 Penelope: Official Clip - I'm Still Me Penelope: Official Clip - I'm Still Me 1:59 Penelope: Official Clip - Penelope Says 'Hi' Penelope: Official Clip - Penelope Says 'Hi' 2:15 Penelope: Official Clip - Photo Booth Pig Penelope: Official Clip - Photo Booth Pig 2:13 Penelope: Official Clip - The One That Got Away Penelope: Official Clip - The One That Got Away 2:09 Penelope: Official Clip - Penelope's Birth Penelope: Official Clip - Penelope's Birth 2:14 Penelope: Official Clip - Penelope's Funeral Penelope: Official Clip - Penelope's Funeral 2:05 Penelope: Official Clip - I'm A Monster Penelope: Official Clip - I'm A Monster 2:12 Penelope: Official Clip - One Man Who Didn't Run Away Penelope: Official Clip - One Man Who Didn't Run Away 2:12 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis Born with the snout of a pig, young Penelope Wilhern (Christina Ricci) spends life a virtual prisoner in her home. Believing that the only way to break the curse is to marry one of her own kind, she meets a number of suitors, but all reject her. Two devious men, one with a grudge against the family, hire a man (James McAvoy) to pose as a suitor, but complications arise when he begins to fall in love with Penelope, and she makes a bid for freedom.
Director
Mark Palansky
Producer
Jennifer Simpson, Scott Steindorff, Reese Witherspoon
Screenwriter
Leslie Caveny
Distributor
Summit Entertainment
Production Co
Tatira, Stone Village Productions, Summit Entertainment, Type A Films, Zephir Film
Rating
PG (Some Innuendo|Language|Thematic Elements)
Genre
Kids & Family, Fantasy, Romance, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 29, 2008, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 30, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA)
$10.0M
Runtime
1h 30m
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