Penelope (2008) Critic Reviews

Anyone willing to tolerate the tortured premise of the story will be paid off handsomely by several winning performances and a moral that makes most of the absurdity worthwhile.Read the full review

The result is an entertaining comedy for young girls and older girls who still like a good romantic fable.Read the full review

Though the film has a strong cast, humor and a satirical take on celebrity culture, the story is spotty.Read the full review

It's not the best of modern fairy tales but it's sincere and Christina Ricci's earnest and vulnerable performance touches the heart. Penelope is flawed but not irredeemably so.Read the full review

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, and the film winds up as a poorly paced tug-of-war between sweet quirk and sloppy camp.Read the full review

The whimsical ugly-duckling fable becomes more uneven as it proceeds, straining too hard to manufacture its quirky charms.Read the full review

There's no real rigor or craft applied to this story -- just mood, tone, neo-gothic imagery and frantic attitude. If only Penelope knew what it truly wished to be and how to go about it. Which is probably what this overly coy fantasy's modestly appealing title character wishes as well.Read the full review

Surprisingly pedestrian.Read the full review

Penelope is dead on arrival.Read the full review