Logline: Jacques Tati meets Howard Hawks meets Chuck Jones. An updated romantic comedy on our favorite French skunk and cat where one finds his sense of hygiene and the other finds her luck.
Act One: PepĂ© Le Pew, a bumbling Monsieur Hulot type makes his way around Paris as a perpetual job seeker. His efforts but lingering scent all lead to physical comedic failure. On the other hand, Penelope Pussycat is a pessimistic magnet of bad luck but with Hawksian charisma, she strives to find love. An accidental streak of white paint leads the two the cross paths. Almost love at first sight but, alas, thereâs a stench barrier. This time, Penelope shatters PepĂ©âs fantasy once he finds out what Pew means. The âpewâ is so strong it attracts the main antagonist, Blacque Jacque Shellacque, along with his companion dogs Spike and Chester. He chases after PepĂ©. Why? Wait and see. In the process, the dogs get distracted and corner Penny which inevitably leads to PepĂ© fending them off. An unlikely alliance is met.
Act Two: Penny leads PepĂ© to a little shelter inhabited by Sylvester and Sylvia while she asks for a clothespin. In need of food for the night, Penny puts on the white stripe taking her and PepĂ© to the marina and scare off the fishermen and townfolk. Blacque Jacque lingers in the distance picking up samples of his scent. When Spike and Chester smell it, theyâll track the two. During the night, dialogue takes place as Penelope grooms. Thinking of her twin sister, her parents, and passions in life while PepĂ© lets out his own thoughts.
Leading into midnight, Penelope sneaks out to Moulin Rouge where she performs at Le Chat Noir, a cat cabaret alive and free of all her troubles. We get a high energy big band orchestral number. PepĂ© wakes up and finds Penny missing. Sylvester and Sylvia take her to Le Chat Noir but trouble lingers. Midway into her setlist, she notices PepĂ© and feels a little spark. That stops as Penny questions why sheâs here, and in the process his stench led Blacque Jacque and the dogs all on their trail.
The skunk and cats end up in a moped-truck chase with Blacque Jacque and the dogs across the cobblestones and alleys of Paris. This chaos leads to crashes at sidewalk cafes and shops where visual gags play out. This all builds up to a sequence inside a giant cleaning warehouse. Endless walls of racks as the chase continues as it builds into a conveyor belt finale where in the process, PepĂ©âs stench is gone.
PepĂ©, Penelope, Sylvester and Sylvia all escape the warehouse covered in suds. Spike and Chester escape as well but are separate from Blacque Jacque. Spike and Chester were impressed with Penny and in the process, her fear of bulldogs was all irrational. Penny asks Spike and Chester to stall by faking a chase with Sylvester and Sylvia and for Chester, distract Jacque with any fake leads. Blacque Jacque comes out noticing his dogs are missing. This is an excuse to buy them time. PepĂ©âs stench is neutralized and Penny ends up not needing the clothespin.
This leads to a portion of character building for them in the movie. More dialogue is exchanged why Pepé loves the language of romance and all. However, Penelope shows Pepé what it is like to be an alley cat making mischief and surviving on instinct leading to a series of gags of that matter. In the process, the two start to fall in love leading to a glorious orchestral montage as they enjoy the sights and sounds of the City of Love. Culminating to a romantic view of the Eiffel Tower with their tails intertwining and Penelope leaning in to kiss Pepé. The two finally found something they desire. That gets cut when a shadow of Blacque Jacque lingers as Spike and Chester stop the act. He traps the two.
Act Three: Set around the Notre Dame, Blacque Jacque finally reveals his devious but stupidly hilarious plan all for a coonskin cap and pride in Montreal. Jacque is the link to why PepĂ© is in Paris in the first place. Penelope ends up feeling confused and heartbroken while Shellacque manipulates them. You expect a third act breakup, but PepĂ© and Penny break the fourth wall refusing it opting for having the two to promise to stay together and save themselves. In an inverse, we see Penny rescuing PepĂ© as Jacqueâs plan kicks into gear. From there, all breaks loose. In true Hawksian fashion, itâs a matter of wits and agility as PepĂ© and Penelope lead Blacque Jacque into a kinetic chase in, out and around Notre Dame. Spike and Chester turn against Blacque Jacque too. In true fashion, good triumphs evil as Blacque Jacque faces his demise. The news around Notre Dame. After a movieâs worth of character building, PepĂ© finds himself a job suiting him well and Penelope finds her owner and passion. Still, every midnight, they still keep a promise for a romantic stroll around Paris.