Penelope | Rotten Tomatoes

Penelope

PG

Released Feb 29, 2008

1h 30m

Kids & Family

Fantasy

Romance

Comedy

List

53%

129 Reviews

Tomatometer

73%

100,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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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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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

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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

Angie C

Great movie! I love watching while I eat bacon!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/27/22

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

Audience Member

Christina Ricci is born with a pig nose due to a family curse in this romantic comedy told almost as a fairy tale. I liked this movie. It was sweet and told in an engaging way and filled with an impressive cast including Catherine O'Hara and Richard E Grant as her parents, James McAvoy, Reese Witherspoon, Peter Dinklage and many more. Nice feel good movie.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

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Mark Palansky

Director

Christina Ricci

Penelope Wilhern

James McAvoy

Johnny

Catherine O'Hara

Jessica Wilhern

Peter Dinklage

Lemon

Richard E. Grant

Franklin Wilhern

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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: Robin Greenspun, Danny Greenspun, Andrew Molasky, Chris Curling, Christian Arnold-Beutel, Dylan Russell, Michael Roban
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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