Anything but cursed

You see, you can make children’s movies which don’t pander to the kiddie set.

“Penelope,” opening tomorrow (Feb. 29), will charm audiences of all ages, even if its message about accepting one’s shortcomings will hit home hardest among the ‘tween set.

It starts with the title card “Once Upon a Time,” and the convoluted setup could only come from the land of make believe. The film stars Christina Ricci as a young woman with a pig’s snout for a nose. It’s a long story -- all based on a generational curse which caught up with poor Penelope. She’s kept hidden from public view by her upper-crust parents (Catherine O’Hara and Richard E. Grant) who see her deformity as a stain on their character.

But all isn’t lost. Should Penelope marry the proper blue-blooded gent, the curse will be lifted. Or so we’re told.

But every suitor who sees her runs away as fast as his legs will carry him. Enter Max (James McAvoy) a fallen rich kid who needs a quick buck. A devious reporter (Peter Dinklage) and one of the aforementioned suitors exploit his financial bind for their own separate needs.

The film’s themes of acceptance are as plain as the snout on Penelope’s face, but the story also takes time for less obvious lessons. Simply casting Dinklage in a role which in no way alludes to his height is but one of many reasons to savor the movie.

The cast lives up to the execution, from the excellent McAvoy to Reese Witherspoon (who co-produced the film) as Penelope's pal. But Witherspoon has nothing on Ricci. The petite actress was a naked, writhing sexaholic in last year’s “Black Snake Moan.” Now, she’s starring as a pig-faced girl wrestling with identity issues. Talk about range.

"Penelope's" sense of time and place is purposely blurred, all the better to heighten the sense of whimsy. But the woes facing Penelope are very real, and most audiences will relate to them in some fashion. I know the film struck a chord with me.

The real McAvoy

Movie stars aren't a dime a dozen, even if dozens of actors work 'round the clock in Hollywood. Kevin Kline? Movie star. Keanu Reeves? Not quite. Jodie Foster? Yup. Add James McAvoy to this exclusive club.

McAvoy is the real deal, a versatile performer whose expressive face makes him fascinating to watch even in thinly realized roles, like the one he has in the new film "Penelope."

He first caught my attention in the flawed but fascinating "The Last King of Scotland," and he was just as terrific in the overrated "Atonement." But watching "Penelope," which opens tomorrow, confirmed my early assessments. He's a bona fide star.

(Photo: James McAvoy co-stars in the new comic fable "Penelope" - pic by Nick Wall)