Brings Peter Rabbit to life

"Miss Potter" was everything I didn't expect -- including imaginary animals, child-like themes and 1920s settings. But the movie takes an old-fashioned fairy tale, quirks it around a bit and even fits in the traditional chick flick components of love, silliness and heartbreak. It does this all the while telling a historical story and using typical story lines from modern-day movies to tell them in a new way -- which is exactly why it worked.

The film tells the story of Beatrix Potter (Renee Zellweger), who wrote "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" and numerous other children's books. Set in London in the early 1900s, Miss Potter is unmarried, 32 and somewhat crazy. She spends her time painting and writing stories and finally lands a publisher in Norman (Ewan McGregor). Potter's craziness comes not only from being single but from the characters she creates. She lives with her mother (yes, at 32), who says she has no friends. Miss Potter's response is "Yes I do, Mother. Every time I draw."

Her "friends" come to life right on the very pages she paints -- yet only Miss Potter can see this. At first, this whole idea seems extremely weird. I found myself quickly realizing why this movie was rated PG and questioning if I should deem this a poor attempt at a children's movie.

Luckily, the cartoons never talk (there is some movement, however) and only serve as a small thread throughout the movie. Soon, the traditional fairy tale sets in. Potter falls in love with someone whom (surprise, surprise) her parents hate. As they move toward engagement and soon expect to spend a summer apart, Miss Potter's stories and paintings serve as a refuge when everything else falls apart.

The movie kind of has something for everyone. For children, it has animated Disney-like sequences. For the romantic comedy fans, it has a train pulling out of the station with a sad goodbye. And for any type of history buff, it tells the story of someone who wrote what are considered some of the best children's stories of all times.

Simply put, "Miss Potter" simply had an ability to mesh a fairy tale with history. It included romance and comedy but still remained peculiar without getting too out there.

Though childish at parts, "Miss Potter" has an old-fashioned sweetness that is charming. Zellweger's whimsical and quirky performance works for this movie. It's the type of movie an 11-year-old would love, Dad would hate, and everyone else would find a way to appreciate the story's distinct niche in historical chick flicks.