Enchanted
Going into Enchanted, I was surrounded by the free screening unwashed at their most crass; my companion still had simmering road rage from her 12 mile, 1 hour commute to the theatre, and two people were on cell phones in the stalls in the bathroom. We came out glowing, humming the movie’s signature tune, and gloriously sated. Enchanted takes every old school Disney tradition, from the sweet innocence of Snow White to the feisty determination of Belle, and make it into a glittery, magical soup. Without a trace of irony or winking self-reference, Disney reminds us why it’s the romantic standard for generations of kids and adults – it reminds us why Shrek even has a schtick at all. They did NOT Shrek this movie up. It’s the movie Cool World could never dream of being.
Giselle (Amy Adams) gets shoved out of her beautiful, curlicued fantasy animated world (painstakingly drawn and filled in) into the grimy middle of Times Square. She’s followed by her prince, Edward (James Marsden) and more, and various hilarious degrees of fish out of water ensues. Adams (Junebug) is so genuine and sweet, without a wink or a flinch. She sings her own songs (as does Marsden) with beauty and charm. Her movements, voicem affect, is all 99.99% Disney in its best sense. She sees only simplicity and love, even in the face of practical New York cynicism. Enter the perfect foil of a New York cynic, a single dad divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey), left by his wife and in a relationship rut with brassy Idina Menzel (how do you cast her and not have her sing?!).
My companion and I were twitterpated with glee and clutched each other rapturously throughout. It both honors and adds to the classic Disney legacy resuscitated by Alan Menken with his old partner Howard Ashman; this time Menken works with Broadway stalwart Stephen Schwartz, no stranger to catchy, classic tunes. Menken borrows liberally and purposefully from himself and writer Bill Kelly borrows thusly from all of Disney’s 68 years of their particular brand of magic, but the ads are right – you’ve not seen anything like Enchanted.
Now I recognize that this movie isn’t for everybody, but my audience (surprisingly more diverse than little girls and lonely housewives) seemed to really dig it. My friend and I were transported by paroxysms of ecstasy at a few key moments (imagine Under the Sea, but in Central Park) and awriggle with delight at many others. The closest we came to being pulled out of the purity of the fantasy was when Susan Sarandon (Nerissa the evil stepmother-queen-witch) shows up in New York. Looking so much like to most awesome drag queen ever produced, Sarandon’s wicked queen persona was briefly eclipsed by real-world appreciation of her over-the-top fabulousness.
John O’Connell’s choreography and movement adds so much to this film: Adam’s movements are just as big and stylized as her cell and ink counterpart – her eyes are as big, hair as curly, arms as all-encompassing. O’Connell’ previous work includes Shall We Dance, Moulin Rouge, and Strictly Ballroom, so there. As an actor, Adams has to sell that exaggeration as totally real and normal, and she does it perfectly.
I wasn’t very far into the movie when I just had to write LOVE THIS into my notebook. It’s not just fluttery treacly fluff - I have no patience for that. Dempsey provides the same grounded incredulousness he did in Sweet Home Alabama, playing a sensible but not insensitive guy who just won’t be open to notions of hope or dreams anymore. Playing his 6 year old daughter Morgan is Rachel Covey, who is adorable, innocent, starved for fantasy and wonder, and the most basic human connection. Any time the film threatens to fly off the rails of truth, she’s right there to bring back the heart and reality. She’s so sweet.
I feel really defensive about how much I loved Enchanted, but the reality is that I walked in there all crabby, tired, bitter, and sad, and I walked out with a beatific smile on my face that not even Beowulf could remove entirely. It’s the cure for what ails ya. If you’re not interested in this movie, it may not be quite as blissfully awesome for you as it was for us, but I’d pay full price to see it two more times.
MPAA Rating PG
Release date 11/22/07
Time in minutes 107
Director Kevin Lima
Studio Walt Disney
