Penelope

2006

Director: Mark Palansky

Distributor: Summit Entertainment 

Key Elements: Concept – Music – Message

Review:

This is sort of Beauty and the Beast in reverse - the girl in the fable has a physical affliction that can only be removed by receiving true love.  There's a bit of a twist on where that love comes from though.

The message is simple and pretty obvious - It's inner beauty that counts, so don't waste your time on people who don't see yours.  In our image-obsessed culture, that's an important thing to be reminded of.

But the message is not heavy handed. The film makers seem to be aware that they shouldn't take themselves too seriously, and that makes for a fun, lighthearted show.

Plus... I've had a crush on Christina Ricci for years.

[Spoiler]

If there's one drawback to this story, it's the suggestion that loving ourselves is enough to save us. The Bible - and life in general - make it pretty clear we cannot save ourselves.

But Self-worth is a positive thing. To Jesus we are worth dying for, so we shouldn't let anyone else tell us differently.

Self-esteem, however, ventures beyond self-worth and into the realm of narcissism. And our society has wrongly been stressing self-esteem as something healthy.

Maybe that's semantics, but it's important to distinguish the difference. So let that reality balance your viewing of the film.


Trailer:

Quotes:

• I felt the rush of a thousand heartbreaks.
• I like myself the way I am!
• Y'know you inspired me, doing what you did, going off on your own like that.
• It's not the power of the curse - it's the power you give the curse.

Stills: