Penelope
Summit Entertainment | Release Date: February 29, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
48
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
9
Negative:
6
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Film ThreatJamie Tipps
An extraordinarily charming movie. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
There are some flat moments, to be sure, and Palansky's direction can be a bit unsteady and awkward, but he doesn't wallow in the eccentricities or the modestly self-empowering moral. This fairy tale feels pleasantly down-to-earth. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
A sweet, unassuming surprise. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
This half-baked fairy tale always seems to be on the verge of becoming charming but despite a good cast it never quite succeeds. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Aimed at tweenage girls and mushy romantics of all age and stripe, Penelope has a quick gait and a nice comic tone. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
The result is an entertaining comedy for young girls and older girls who still like a good romantic fable. Read full review
70
Washington PostJohn Anderson
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 full review
70
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
More tart than sweet, this contemporary fairy tale provides a worthy vehicle for the fearless Christina Ricci. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
Reese Witherspoon, whose production company made Penelope, contributes an inflated cameo that feels forced. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
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 full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
I wish it were truly special instead of an interesting near-miss. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Though the film has a strong cast, humor and a satirical take on celebrity culture, the story is spotty. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
A first film from director Mark Palansky, written by sitcom veteran Leslie Caveny (Everybody Loves Raymond, Mad About You), and the two are obviously indebted to the fanciful imagination of Tim Burton. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
An endearing premise and fanciful spirit aren't quite enough to rescue a film that has more heart than smarts. Read full review
60
Village VoiceNick Pinkerton
Ricci is appealingly human, and some acknowledgement of the importance of female friendship, in addition to romance, is faintly touching. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubTasha Robinson
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 full review
50
VarietyDavid Rooney
The whimsical ugly-duckling fable becomes more uneven as it proceeds, straining too hard to manufacture its quirky charms. Read full review
50
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
There are usually good reasons why a movie gets shelved for more than a year, however well-acted it may be and however well-meaning its message. Many are on view in Penelope. Read full review
50
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
I found the sight of McAvoy as a piano player in jazzy-seedy duds a lot more disconcerting than Ricci's porcine prosthesis. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesGene Seymour
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 full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleWalter Addiego
Surprisingly pedestrian. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleJosh Rosenblatt
It’s as if Caveny had so many ideas that she simply couldn’t bear to leave any of them crumpled up on her office floor. Read full review
40
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Too heavy on applied charm and too flimsy when it comes to plot. The picture has a hapless, meandering quality that's tolerable at first but ultimately becomes maddening, as if it were a cartoon narrative recounted by a distracted 4-year-old. Read full review
38
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Penelope is dead on arrival. Read full review
38
New York PostLou Lumenick
Under Mark Palansky's uninspired direction, magic eludes Penelope in scene after scene. Read full review
38
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
This story could have gone in a number of more inspiring allegorical directions but winds up your average bedtime story instead. Read full review
30
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Penelope was in a trough of trouble before the oink on the script was dry. Read full review
30
The New York TimesStephen Holden
A hopeless jumble of visual and linguistic styles. Read full review
0
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Is there anything more dull than an ineptly cynical fairy tale? Read full review
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