ONCE upon a time, Reese Wither spoon produced a movie called “Penelope,” starring Christina Ricci as a wealthy young woman who bears a pig-like snout because of an old family curse.
Basically a female version of “Edward Scissorhands,” the film premiered at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival and was unceremoniously dumped by its original distributors before its planned release last year.
The film itself seemed cursed. Ricci was charming and was backed by a strong cast including James McAvoy (pre-“Atonement”) as a potential Prince Charming, Catherine O’Hara and Richard E. Grant as Penelope’s parents, and Peter Dinklage (“The Station Agent”) as a tabloid reporter. Even Witherspoon took a small role as Penelope’s working-class friend.
But under Mark Palansky’s uninspired direction, magic eludes “Penelope” in scene after scene.
Running time: 90 minutes. Rated PG (sexual innuendo, swearing). At the Empire, the Orpheum, others.