Penelope 2008

The Story

Poor Penelope. Born with a pig’s nose as the result of a curse, all of her family’s wealth can’t disguise the fact the first-born daughter of the upper-crust Wilhern clan resembles a pig. Mom Jessica (Catherine O’Hara) and dad Franklin (Richard E Grant) love their daughter but in order to shield her from the cruel taunts of children, have kept Penelope (Christina Ricci) pretty much a prisoner in their home. Penelope’s days are spent studying music and art, reading the classics, and dreaming of the world beyond the locked gates of the family’s estate.

Attempts at plastic surgery are unsuccessful; the only way to get rid of the porcine feature is to find true love with one of her own kind (someone from an equally well-off family, not someone with piggy qualities). Penelope’s mom, obsessed with the idea of getting her daughter married so that the horrible curse will be broken, invites every eligible bachelor around into their home to meet Penelope. But despite her sizable dowry, one look at Penelope’s most prominent feature sends potential suitors fleeing in panic.
But there is hope for our heroine. Max (James McAvoy) arrives at the Wilhern house along with a batch of guys better dressed and seemingly more suitable. Penelope enters the room, men fly out doors and windows, but Max – who was distracted when Penelope made her entrance – stays put. Retreating behind a one-way mirror before Max has another opportunity to see what caused everyone else to bolt from the premises, Penelope engages Max in a lengthy conversation believing he knows about her nose.

Penelope finds herself attracted to the disheveled, witty character and works up the courage, after a few more visits, to talk to him nose to snout. What Penelope doesn’t know is that Max isn’t who she thinks he is and instead is, reluctantly, working for a newspaper reporter (Peter Dinklage) and Edward Vanderman (Simon Woods) – the heir to a fortune who caused a stir by announcing to the public he’d seen a horrible beast.


Max is a decent guy, just down on his luck, and takes off not because of Penelope’s nose, but because he doesn’t want to hurt her. But Penelope, used to being treated like a pariah, believes he’s just another in the endless string of men who find her repulsive. Striking out on her own, Penelope sets out to discover the world and herself with the help of a new friend (played by Penelope’s producer Reese Witherspoon) and a very colorful scarf.