I ended up enjoying Spirited far more than I expected. Is it a little heavy on the wink-wink-aren't-we-being-clever schtick that its two stars are famous for? Yes it is. Are the songs from Academy Award winning it-boys Pasek and Paul a little on the catchy but forgettable side? Yes they certainly are. Do we need another take on Dickens' A Christmas Carol? No we don... well, maybe?
Spirited is Farrell and Reynolds playing to their strengths. Easily the two could have phoned this in but they don't. They commit to it and are clearly having a great time, meaning no matter how formula or schmaltzy it gets it's hard not to have a good time.
The twist here is that after Scrooge dies, he takes over for the Ghost of Christmas Present and does that for hundreds of years. But he's getting tired and needs a change. But when he finds a human as "unredeemable" as he was he gets inspired again. It is a clever little idea that is generally well executed. But the real pleasure is in watching everyone have so much fun. I laughed out loud a number of times (Sunita Mani is hilarious BTW) and all the cameos are so much fun. And, yes, Spencer should be cast as the love interest more often! Why isn't this a thing??
But I have one word for what makes Spirited so enjoyable: Choreography! Seriously. As tongue in cheek as this film presents itself as, the film makers are clearly fans of old Hollywood musicals and this is a love letter to them. The dance numbers are grand (go big or go home!) and spectacular. These guys watched Spielberg's West Side Story remake and said "hold my beer!"
So I could nit pick this thing to death but in the end it was a lot of fun. It isn't anything revolutionary or even that moving. But I'll likely watch it again most holiday seasons.
Spirited
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Will Farrell, Octavia Spencer, Sunita Mani, Patrick Page, Tracey Morgan, Rose Byrne, Judi Dench, Jimmy Fallon
Director: Sean Anders
Writers: John Morris, Sean Anders
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