Directed By Sean Anders

Starring – Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, Octavia Spencer

The Plot – A musical version of the classic Christmas story by Charles Dickens. A miserly man (Reynolds) who treats everyone around him with terrible selfishness finds himself on a fantastical adventure into the three phases of time: past, present, and future, in order to discover how he ended up so miserable and alone.

Rated PG-13 for adult language, some suggestive material and thematic elements.

Spirited — Official Trailer | Apple TV+ – YouTube

POSITIVES

Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” is decked and dashed with an assortment of adaptations that easily make it the quintessential story of Christmas’ past, present and future, but unlike a majority of those predecessors, “Spirited” provides emphasis for there still being some magic of originality to its story, all the while carving out some interesting elements in framing and storytelling that completely transform this often familiar story into a bright and shiny package all together, and one that mostly respects the source material that it springs from. For starters, the story mostly centers around the ghosts themselves, fleshing out with them a vast depth of world-building in the establishment of this spiritual outer world, but also a mostly respectful element of backstory in the exposition, which only remotely feels heavy-handed when it’s not materializing naturally in the context of the conversations. These are also complex characterizations put through the thematic conversation throughout the film of what makes a person truly irredeemable, with Ferrell and Reynolds taking turn on the focus of the narrative in ways that fleshes each of their lives out equally with insightful backstory that only adds further complexity to the topic. In addition to this, the humor, while garnering the typical Ferrell and Reynolds hijinks that have all but telegraphed their respective careers, does balance a pleasant effectiveness and ingenuity, despite the try-hard emphasis occasionally overwhelming the fresh appeal of the various deliveries. This affords Ferrell, but especially Reynolds confidence in their respective comfort zones, with the former being a gentle guidance on the way towards several hilarious mishaps in being constantly outwitted, and the latter exuding the same razor-sharp charisma and devilish demeanor that have made him an irreplaceable presence in the Deadpool franchise. Both of them donate infectious energy and charms to the occasion that tickle even the coldest of hearts, and with the addition of what feels like a cameo a minute to the fray of the dynamic, gives each of them something uniquely palpable to continuously bounce off of throughout the two-hour run time. It’s also a vast improvement for Anders, whose once dreadful directions in “That’s My Boy” and “Daddy’s Home” have succumbed to a sugar coated, exuberant aesthetic impulse, with all of the artificialities playing towards a dream like presentation. That may sound like a back-handed compliment in theory, but the green screen dominance of Anders’ command, as well as influential lighting conveys the context of a vivid fantasy brought to life, giving us continuous emphasis in the visuals that paint variation between reality and the simulations with conscientious artistry. Finally, while the ending for the film does feel a bit manipulative in the emotional grief that the climax smothers with suppression, the film is blessed with an emotional evolution throughout its three-act structure that might not force you to completely shed a tear, but one that you will admire nonetheless for the intention. In all honesty, there are truly dark moments in this film that even with the comedic context can’t allude the dark and devastating impact of the tragedy, relishing unapologetically in the perils of the original story, which for better or worse do enable the frailty and vulnerability of life’s blessings.

NEGATIVES

At 122 minutes, this film is far too long, with many examples rearing their ugly head in the saturation of the experience. Some of the scenes and sequences extend far too long, taking away too much time from the unraveling of the narrative for a stagnant stance on underwhelming improv, the acts of the ghost themselves are painfully uneven in time donation and importance, and the pacing grows arduous by the third act, where the film legitimately feels like it could’ve ended during as many as three or four effective endings. For my money, I would only really get rid of a couple of scenes all together, but I would definitely trim an abundance in repetitive futility to constantly keep the narrative moving, while also catering to the urgency of Dickens original novel, which goes AWOL from this particular adaptation. Another aspect that goes missing is the need to make this a musical in the first place, with a soundtrack that had me scratching my head more than tapping my toes. Part of the problem is certainly in the lack of inspiration in the tracks themselves, which with the exception of “Good Afternoon” or the curtain call number “That Christmas Morning Feelin” lacks catchy hooks or infectious instrumentals to attain the mental lasting power of contemporary musicals like “La La Land” or “In the Heights”. Even an hour after seeing this film, I can only remember the name to four songs featured throughout the film, and this lack of identity is reflected in the usage of its gimmick in the first place. For what starts heavily with five tracks during the opening half hour of the film, the next fifty minutes goes completely absent with musical influence, leaving me with the feeling of forgetting that this was a musical in the first place, and one that I wish would’ve been omitted all together from the gimmick of this adaptation, for being the weakest aspect of the film all together. Last but not least, while I appreciated the stakes and momentary peril of the character’s vulnerabilities, the script is not able to elude the predictability of its structure that showed its hand a bit too early to feel natural. One such scene involves us diving into the background of Ferrell’s ghost, where a bit of a twist is revealed, and once you interpret this aspect successfully, you kind of understand where the rest of the film is headed, especially with the aforementioned extent of its moral fiber being such a thoroughly dissected topic of discussion at the forefront of the engagement. It leads to a finale that on its own merits felt a bit deceiving and even manipulative for how actions are virtually ignored in the perspective of certain vital characters not receiving depiction to an earth-shattering reveal, but beyond that telegraphed, with tediousness that overcomes the occasion as I waited impatiently for the film to catch up to where I laid dormant for the past hour of my interpretation of the clues it laid clumsily at my feet.

OVERALL
“Spirited” won’t be joining your list of cherished holiday favorites, but for a one-time watch there’s enough clever gags, ensemble charms, and holiday radiance to giftwrap another Dickens adaptation with no shortage of creative originalities. Though the film is too long and not dedicated enough to its musical classification, the fact that it’s free on streaming makes me less of a Scrooge, and more of a sponge for seasonal splendor.

My Grade: 6/10 or C+