Penelope

Who: Rochelle
What: Penelope
Where: At Home via Movie on Demand
Why: Nothing good on TV

I was searching for a good story that wasn't too mushy. This stars Christina Ricci plays a girl, Penelope who was born with a curse from her dad's family. The first born girl would be born looking like a pig. Sounds way out there I know! The only way to break the curse is for her to find one like her and marry him. So her mother protects her from the outside by keeping her in the house her whole childhood. Her whole goal in life was to prepare to marry so the curse could be broke.

Her mother, played by Catherine O'Hara from Home Alone, is a complete basket-case. She tries everything to find a man for her daughter so that she can be normal. While it sounds like she wants the best for her daughter she really just wants her own life to be normal. Through a series of events she meets a boy and he is the only one so far that doesn't run away once he sees what she looks like. He likes her but won't marry her but it isn't because of her looks. That is what she thinks so she runs away to the city. It is her first time outside her house and there are reporters trying to get a picture of her. She goes public with her picture and the whole city falls in love with her. There are many little things that happen along the way but so I don't give everything away I'll just say it has a very happy ending!

I remember seeing the previews for this but I never heard anything about it. It seemed like a child's storybook that had been turned into a teen/adult movie. It was interesting but at times seemed childish. The time frame of the movie was set in today but the story seemed very make-believe like; kind of like a darker version of Enchanted. The lead boy was played by James McVoy--not my type but beautiful eyes. Reese Witherspoon also makes an appearance in this one! I would classify this movie as a good rainy day flick!