sym watches: spirited (2022)
So I just finished watching the movie Spirited featuring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds, and I just have to say... My god!
Lemme set the scene.
Spirited is a comedy musical following the ghost of Christmas Present (Will Ferrell) who currently is a part of an organization that does the 'three ghosts' thing as a full time job— They pick a person every year and do The Christmas Carol bit, effectively changing that person. Present is long overdue for retirement, and this year, he witnesses a terrible person named Clint (Ryan Reynolds) and finds out he's labeled 'unredeemable', which makes him want to take on the case more, since he believes no person is truly unredeemable. Hijinks ensue as the entire story goes off the rails 😂
Sales pitch over!
I was so invested in this movie through and through that I just HAD to sit down and write about it, and start a 'series'1 so I could yap about it 😌
I try to avoid spoilers, but I might make a vague mention here and there, so be forewarned!
All in all, it was a great movie. It's definitely got a lot of weird plot points, the singing is kinda ehhhh, and it's super campy, but I was thoroughly enjoying it nonetheless.
Despite being able to catch what was going on very quickly, it was still entertaining seeing what was going to happen, and watching how the aftermath unfolded. The songs were still very fun! It's a comedy movie first and foremost, and there's NO mistaking it. I haven't seen a movie with Will Ferrell in it in a while, so it was a HUGE pleasure to see him again.
Him and Reynolds had such fun chemistry it was so fun and engaging watching them together.
The characters were also very self aware, but not in a bad way? It added to the humor, if anything. I think it definitely towed the line. It also heavily relies on suspension of disbelief, which, if you're just here for a good time, is perfect!
Going into this movie, I didn't know what to expect, like... at all. I expected an interesting take/variant on a timeless story, and I definitely got that, AND more. It was just so silly and fun. You can tell that the people working on it were having a fun time.2
As an aside, I love the themes of being able to be redeemed as an overarching theme of the story. Being able to change who you are, and make the choice to do the right thing, be a better person, etc etc. It's absolutely one of my favorite narratives/tropes/what-have-yous.
Rating:
Edit: Watching the movie again, I found a new appreciation for the narrative! So I've updated the star count :> There were some parts of Present's narrative, and didn't forget tightening up any loose ends. AND I appreciate the coreography. The dancers' rent was DUE
I think it had the potential to be better, but it was small things holding it back! I think Present's narrative wasn't strong enough, and I think the music held them back a bit. I loved them as a device, but sometimes the transitions felt a bit odd.
Also, the movie is a little over 2 hours! It's fun, but it's very long.
The movie is officially available on Apple TV+.3
Anyways, thank you for coming to my TEDtalk 😌 There Will be more.
Oh, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I guess you could call it that? I've wanted to write reviews for stuff but never really planned on when I'd actually... Do them.↩
I urge that you sit through the end credits, by the way. Not the black screen ones, but the ones where they're still playing footage. It'll be worth your while to see the final shot :)↩
Or the seven seas 🩷↩