Must See Movie Monday - Penelope

Film: Penelope
Released: 2006
Rated: PG
Director: Mark Palansky
Starring: Christina Ricci, James McAvoy
Short Summary:  A modern fairy tale in which a young heiress is born under a curse that can only be broken by the discovery of true love.

Why It's A Must See Movie

Since Valentine's Day is this Saturday I thought I would pick a movie that is one of my favorite love stories, Penelope. You all know I love a quirky romance and this one definitely is that. It is also a modern fairy tale which is an extra plus. However, the awesomeness that is Penelope done not only revolve around those two factors.

What I enjoy about Penelope's story is that it studies the idea that you have to learn to love yourself before you can love someone else. Of course that means that the two love interests in the film have to spend a great deal of time apart to find themselves before they can even think about getting together. I like that about the movie. It makes the tale different from the traditional boy meets girl story that everybody and the mother has already seen. I also like that the movie not only depicts different thoughts on true love, but depicts the meaning of true friendship.

I love how the movie approaches the fairy tale elements. They used things like set, costumes, and a general tone in the writing, to create a world that is an excellent mixture of the "real" world and modern "fairy tale" world. It's quite brilliant. For the duration of the film you truly believe that all the out there things that happen could actually happen. A feeling that all people who watch fantasy films want to feel. Am I right?

I love what the actors do with their characters. First of all the movie has a very specific tone which they played excellently. Plus, I feel like most of this movie isn't about what is said in the dialogue but what is in the subtext of the scene. The actors captured all the underlining emotions, and the camera work  and lighting showed all that lovely expressiveness off.

So if you are looking to put some heart warming fiction into your life Penelope is the movie for you. It is just so cute and fantastical it make me happy.