Enchanted
Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden; Directed by Kevin Lima
Beautiful princess. Handsome prince. Wicked stepmother. Cute and friendly forest critters. Magic. Music. True love. It's a recipe for a fairytale in a land far, far away. We've seen it a hundred times. We've read about it a hundred times. From Hans Christian Anderson to Neil Gaiman and onward, we never seem to tire of it. Maybe it's because the story is something we all secretly long to be a part of at one time or another. In reality, we know that there are brambles and thorns lying in wait around every corner, and we all have wicked witches and malevolent wizards of our own to deal with. But if we can get through the trials with someone fighting by us, and someone to fight for, we know that a prize as imperfect but fulfilling as real love would be worth it all. And who in their life has never broken into an impromptu song in the middle of things - whether in the shower or on the long commute to work. This is, in short, what Enchanted is all about.
This film probably hit home for my generation more effectively than any other. I was growing up right in the middle of the Golden Age of Disney hand-drawn animation (and made it into the world in time to see the birth of the VHS revolution). The very first film my dad ever took me to was Beauty and the Beast. I practically memorized The Little Mermaid, The Jungle Book, and Aladdin by the time I was ten. I knew all the songs, recognized all the sound effects, and was the only girl to show up to kindergarten class on Halloween dressed as Peter Pan. The Lion King was probably at the tail end of my decade-long courtship with Disney movies.
So, predictably enough, this movie nailed it on the head in all of the right places for me. The songs, the characters, the humor - it was all there. I almost instantly recognized Jodi Benson (who played secretary to Patrick Dempsey's character) as the actress who had provided Ariel with her voice in The Little Mermaid. There were also appearances from other Disney veterans, short snippets of classic Disney tunes (played in elevators, in lobbies, etc.), and various inside references to other Disney features that nodded and winked at each other. Nothing was lost on me.
I liked this movie more than I was expecting to, but I have to warn that I have an obvious partiality to the whole game going on. You may not be so lucky. Not to worry, however, since there is so much for a 'commoner' to enjoy here. Firstly, Amy Adams as perfect princess Giselle is so fantastic that I will be sorely annoyed if she doesn't get some kind of award for her work here. She was so amazingly perky and so innocent that I felt myself genuinely fearing for her safety after the wicked Queen Narcissa threw her into New York City. She made the film. Without her, it would have fallen flat onto its face.
James Marsden is amusing as the sweet but vain Prince Edward. Susan Sarandon fit pretty snugly into the role of 'wicked stepmother'. Timothy Spall's talents, however, were somewhat wasted, unfortunately. His two-faced sidekick role didn't seem to have been given a whole lot of thought. And as for Patrick Dempsey, I dearly wish he hadn't been cast (sorry, but that guy has never done it for me). He didn't seem to have bought the whole premise, and he didn't make me believe in anything he was saying or doing. He was like a dry carrot in a box of gummy bears. (Did you like that analogy?) I had a big problem with how the climax was resolved, and the dialogue also got sloppy now and then, but there was so much more that made up for the faults, not the least of which was the spot on score by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, - you'll go home either humming the songs in your head, or blasting your car stereo trying to get them out.
The slew of films that 2007 has offered us have never hesitated to remind us what kind of world we are all living in. War, poverty, terrorism, and scandal are just a few of the ugly diseases that are continuing to infect humankind. But though the world has always had these things occurring, it's still easy to get disillusioned, and to scoff at things that try to remind us about seemingly old-fashioned ideals (that still work) and silly dreams (that keep our sanity intact).
With Enchanted, Disney has sought to prove that one of the oldest ideals and silliest of dreams is still something worth waiting and hoping for. It is near impossible to avoid sounding sentimental and saccharine when it comes to talking about the subject of True Love, so a new tactic must be tried; irony and satire. And so, Enchanted throws its heroine smack dab into the middle of the largest and most cutthroat city in America, and then begs us to keep believing that the truth and beauty of fairy tales have followed us into the twenty-first century. They are still so important, in fact, that this has not been our first reminder. Remember Pan’s Labyrinth? Here’s hoping that there are more to come.
Grading:
Story = B+
Originality = A-
DVD Features = N/A
Acting = A-
Enjoyability = B+
Visuals = A-
Overall = B+
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