All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and
Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in
What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. In addition to the titles below you can also rent the complete
fifth season of Reno 911 as well as the Raven-Symoné comedy (and
that's being generous)
College Road Trip.
Despite earning the top spot at the box office, the
predictable laughs in Will Ferrell's
Semi-Pro only earned $15.3 million over the weekend. This is considered a disappointing sum, especially compared to opening weekends of other Ferrell films like
Talladega Nights and
Blades of Glory. Variety reports that
this underwhelming performance by the basketball comedy may have been due to mediocre reviews and an R-rating.
There are some intriguing issues buried within the story of
Penelope: what it means for a woman to love and accept herself the way she is, the way beauty ideals are — sometimes cruelly — passed down from mother to daughter, society's eagerness to vilify those who are different and then, just as quickly, to embrace them as "cute" upon discovering that they're harmless. These things are touched on, but mostly with a glazing brush, leaving the pretty film with adorable people lacking anything resembling "oomph."
The story follows Penelope Wilhern who, due to a curse put on her wealthy socialite family long ago, was born with a pig nose.
Despite the star power of Reese Witherspoon (and James McAvoy for that matter), it seems like
Penelope has been extremely reluctant to come out in theaters, though it has made the festival rounds since the fall of 2006. Even the newest trailer recently came online with as little fanfare as possible. Why, you ask?
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