Penelope

The Tim Burton inspiration is evident, but still Penelope is much more appealing. It’s more down to earth and the bizarreness is "within the norm." Plus, Christina Ricci is really awesome. A great film that literally engulfs you with its charming atmosphere for less than two hours. If you let it. (08.07.2007)

I don't feel like writing much about this movie. When you find out who the main heroine is, you'll understand what it's all about. It's nothing more than a fairytale about "The Ugly Duckling". It's terribly predictable, terribly sentimental, and it plays with emotions, but in the end, it's a fairly well-done work. There is an effort for humor, some effort for a relatively interesting story, but you will still feel like it's just something you've already read somewhere or seen somewhere. The only thing that gives it a soul are the actors, who are simply pleasant. Christina Ricci is simply a nice girl, even though "Monster" portrayed her a little differently, she is princess-like pretty and nothing changes that, not even the fact that she has a snout instead of a nose. Such a minor flaw in beauty seems worse than the disability that John Merrick suffered from. In reality, Penelope is quite adorable, and the hunt for the witch, which is organized here, is a bit exaggerated. But a film must have something other than just a love story. In order for romance to be romance, one of the couple, usually the girl, or both, must be disappointed in their more masculine counterpart in American films. The masculine counterpart is James McAvoy, who is a pleasant actor that never disappoints, and I will look forward to seeing him again as Professor Xavier. He has space here mainly at the beginning, then everything revolves around "Penelope", who is the main character, the duckling that must become a swan. This happens and the story concludes. The romance seems quite unnecessary in the end, but it couldn't be missing, could it? There are definitely rules for that, and there could even be a fine if the audience didn't get what they desired. Anything is possible in America. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/11/deja-vu-fred-claus-oko-dravce-penelope.html (02.03.2013)