Film: Spirited

 

GENRE: Musical Comedy
RATING: PG-13 for language and some suggestive material
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 7 minutes
PLATFORM: Apple TV+
STARRING: Will Ferrell (Elf, Anchorman, Stranger than Fiction)
Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool, Free Guy); Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures)
DIRECTOR: Sean Anders (Daddy’s Home, Instant Family)
WRITERS: Anders & John Morris (We’re the Millers, Horrible Bosses 2)
PLOT: A Christmas Carol but modernized and musical and comedic.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Reynolds and Ferrell are enough of a draw.        

STORY STUFF: My one big beef about this film is that I have seen way too many Christmas Carol stories. I liked the modern take and the twists and turns of having the ‘Scrooge’ mess with the Christmas Present Ghost but it felt a little Bill Murray Scrooged at times. It also goes on for too long. Keep this at a cool 90 minutes and I would be more on board. With that all said and done, I was entertained due to the next two categories.

ACTING STUFF: Ferrell and Reynolds are a treat to watch. They play beautifully off each other. You can’t help but root for both of them for most of the film. They pour on the charm and keep you invested. Spencer is a nice add-on but the two leads are the reason to watch this film. Also enjoyed Tracey Morgan’s voice.  

ARTISTIC STUFF: The backgrounds did not do it for me. It looked too digital. It really felt like they were on a huge soundstage for 90% of the time. I guess they filmed during Co-vid, but I still didn’t like that part. Other than the two leads, the best part of this film are the songs. They are so unbelievably catchy with clever lines and great progression of storyline. At the end, I had to find out who wrote the songs. Of course, it was the genius duo of Benj Pasek & Justin Paul. These guys wrote the songs for Dear Evan Hansen, The Greatest Showman, and La La Land. They are amazing musical song writers. I might need to find this soundtrack in the near future.

VERDICT: Four stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You like Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell and awesome songs.
UPCOMING REVIEW:  Avatar 2, Glass Onion