Loved it!! (and not just because I grew up on a hog farm either, for those of you in the know.) This movie is a fairy tale of sorts with Christina Ricci, James McAvoy and Reese Witherspoon. A wonderful story of a girl from a wealthy family who has been born under a curse. The sign of which shows itself in the form of a pig nose upon her face. (She also has pig ears at birth but we never see those again, so they were either removed or she hides them under her hair for the whole movie.) Her parents are as normal as two overbearing, image obsessed people can be and her life and living space seem pretty amazing considering that she has been held under lock and key for the past twenty-five years. She's never been out into the world and after seven years of rejection from possible suitors, decides to see what it is all about on her own. This is the story of her adventures out into the world.
The sets, costumes and scenic mood all help to transport you to this city of two continents. Half the cast have English accents and the other have are obviously American. The setting is New York/London/Moulin Rouge. It is a perfect fantasy land and I want her freaking wardrobe (nevermind the fact that Christina is probably a size 0). Everything has a touch of whimsy about it when viewed from Penelope's eyes. Max is a different story, coming from the proverbial school of hard knocks. His life is shown though dirty, dinghy glass but there is a glimmer of hope just around the corner of the hard, rough edges of his brick walled life. He spends his time in bars and at poker tables and views the world through a veil of sleep-deprivation. That is enough to make anyone crazy, without the gambling problems.
Anyway, this is a fanciful story that keeps a person engaged throughout and holds many other wonderful characters to explore, eg. those played by Catherine O'Hara and Peter Dinklage. Take the time to view this film. You won't regret it!!
