A Little Self Esteem Can Do Miracles For Your Love Life

If you have not seen Penelope yet, stop reading this right now, and go see it. (I mean it, stop reading.) This gem of a movie should be on everyone's must-see list. It fits all the best criteria: quirky, heart warming, funny, clever, delightful, fun, entertaining, original. Plus it has Christina Ricci and James McAvoy (Where did he come from by the way? He's popping up all over the place in mega hits this year and setting the acting world on fire. And I love him in this!)

But I digress. Penelope tells the tale of a girl cursed with a pig's snout and hidden from the world by her self-involved mother. The only interaction she is entitled to is with the suitors who are brought into the mansion and forced to sign confidentially agreements to keep the family secret safe. But our little Penelope finally has enough and escapes her prision to have a beer (through a straw) and turns the world's prejudices on its head.

The rapid-fire dialogue between Penelope and Max/Johnnie and their fantastic kiss reminds me why I love well-written characters so much. Give me two people I can care about and it doesn't matter if one of them looks like a porker or not. I just want them to end up happily ever after ("at least so far anyway").