Penelope (2006)
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A young heiress born with a pig's snout must find true love to break a family curse.
The story
Decades ago, a woman's suicide led a witch to curse the Wilhern bloodline, ensuring the next daughter would be born with a pig's face. This curse is eventually broken by the birth of Penelope, who is hidden away in a London mansion by her mother to avoid scandal. After her 18th birthday, her mother seeks a suitable suitor to lift the curse. However, after several suitors flee in terror, Penelope begins to explore the city in secret. She befriends a delivery girl and eventually becomes an overnight celebrity, navigating the complexities of her public identity and her desire for genuine connection.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Decades earlier, a servant woman named Clara falls in love with Ralph Wilhern. When Ralph marries another woman, a heartbroken Clara commits suicide. Her mother, a town witch, curses the Wilhern bloodline so that the next daughter will be born with a pig's face, only becoming human when 'one of her own kind' learns to love her. Generations later, Penelope is born. Her mother, Jessica, hides her in their London mansion, claiming she died as an infant. At 18, Jessica seeks suitors to break the curse. After many flee, Edward Humphrey Vanderman III conspires with a reporter to photograph Penelope, hiring Max Campion to pose as a suitor. Penelope and Max develop feelings, but Max refuses to marry her to break the curse. Penelope escapes into the city, befriends Annie, and becomes a celebrity after her face is revealed. On her wedding day, she realizes she doesn't want to marry for the curse and flees the altar, declaring she likes herself as she is. This self-love lifts the curse, and her snout and ears vanish. Later, she becomes a horticulture teacher and eventually finds happiness with a man named Johnny, while the butler Jake (the witch) renders Jessica mute before quitting.
- First release year
- 2006
- Runtime (minutes)
- 104
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Mark Palansky
- Writers
- Leslie Caveny · writer
- Cast and characters
- Christina Ricci; James McAvoy; Catherine O'Hara; Peter Dinklage; Richard E. Grant; Reese Witherspoon
- Genres
- fantasy; romantic comedy
- Themes
- Self-love; Identity; Family secrets; Beauty standards
- Tone and mood
- Whimsical; Romantic; Fantasy
- Setting
- London, United Kingdom during the modern era
- Premise and plot tags
- Curse; Dysfunctional family; Hidden identity; Magical realism
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, with a 53% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 48 out of 100 on Metacritic.
- Production trivia
- Reese Witherspoon served as a producer and had a small acting role.; The film's screenplay was written by Leslie Caveny.; A novelization of the film was written by Marilyn Kaye.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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