Does this new take on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol manage to distinguish itself from the countless adaptations of the legendary novel that have been made before it, or is it just a dull cash-grab trying to capitalize on the holiday season and the popularity of its lead actors? Let's find out the answer to this as we prepare to get:
Happy holidays, everyone! Although I'm familiar with 1843's A Christmas Carol, the main selling point of this movie for me was seeing comedic actors Will Ferrell (aka Buddy the elf in 2003's Elf (another classic Chistmas flick), the eponymous lead of the 2010 DreamWorks film Megamind, and Lord Business in 2014's The Lego Movie) and Ryan Reynolds (who's become beloved for his role as the title character in the Deadpool franchise) share the screen. I'm more than pleased to say Spirited is a heck of a good time and something I can definitely see myself and/or my family watching on future holiday occasions, so let's go into what gives this Christmas movie its 'soul'!
Spirited follows the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come, who, led by Jacob Marley, spend every year engaging in research and preparation to 'haunt' a human soul (which they refer to as 'perps') at Christmas-time, with the intent of making them better individuals. However, a media consultant by the name of Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds) ends up catching the attention of Present (Will Ferrell), who manages to convince a reluctant Marley to let him, and the other Ghosts make Clint their next 'haunt' target. Can Present succeed at redeeming Clint, who has been labeled by Marley as an 'unredeemable' soul?
What makes Spirited stand out from previous adaptations of A Christmas Carol is how it presents the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come's 'haunts' as their job (i.e., akin to how monsters scaring kids in Pixar's Monsters Inc. is depicted as their job in society) in a 'company' located in the afterlife, complete with support 'divisions' that specialize in providing for different facets of the Ghosts' 'haunts' (e.g., spirits who build recreations of various parts of the haunt 'victim's' lives, spirits who trigger flashbacks or visions of the present or future upon request from the Ghosts, etc.), among other things. In addition, the film asks the question, 'What if the Ghost of Christmas Present had more dimensions to him as a character (e.g., was more than just a one-dimensional plot device)?', and ties his growth to Clint's in a way that feels organic and compelling; Present sees Clint as not so different from how the former used to be (in a surprising way that's revealed in the second act), which makes Present more invested in seeing Clint redeemed. While Spirited may more-or-less follow the same plot beats as precursory A Christmas Carol adaptations, it can be argued that it adds enough new elements to distinguish itself from its predecessors!
Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds lead a very talented cast in this holiday flick, and after seeing them onscreen together, I'm surprised they haven't costarred in more films! With both of them being such scene-stealing presences in their respective individual movies, there's arguably a risk of one actor overshadowing the other, but thankfully, that isn't the case in Spirited! Ferrell and Reynolds bounce off each other impressively, which makes the moments of humor between them land even harder, and as enjoyable as they may be together, they also bring their respective characters to life (individually speaking) quite believably. While Ferrell does have his share of humorous moments throughout Spirited's runtime, it's interesting how in this movie, he acts as something of a 'straight-man' to Reynolds, with Present becoming increasingly frustrated by Clint's stubbornness and 'genre savviness', characteristics which Reynolds conveys onscreen with little discernible effort. What I was notably pleased by was how believable Ferrell was at depicting Present's insecurities regarding his deeds in his past life (which I'll leave at that, to avoid going into spoiler territory); it shows viewers that while Ferrell is in his element delivering laughs, he does have the range necessary to add emotional nuance to his characters, and as someone who's struggled with self-doubt, I found Present's moments of self-conflict compelling, which is testament to Ferrell's acting abilities. On the other hand, Reynolds owns his character's numerous comedic moments, which, combined with his natural charisma, help to prevent Clint from becoming an outright loathsome character, which is essential in a story about redemption. In addition, Reynolds manages to 'sell' Clint's more dramatic moments (e.g., what's depicted throughout the flick's third act) in a way that feels believable, which helps to convey to audiences what's at stake throughout the climax. While Ferrell and Reynolds are easily the highlights of the cast, Tracy Morgan deserves special mention as the voice of the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come; while the character merely plays a supporting role, Morgan's rather un-intimidating voice coming out of a figure as foreboding as the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come (who was portrayed on-set by former professional basketball player Loren Woods) is the perfect type of vocal dissonance for the kind of movie Spirited is! The rest of the cast, consisting of the likes of Octavia Spencer as Kimberly, Clint's assistant, Sunita Mani as the Ghost of Christmas Past (who goes by Bonnie), and Patrick Page (aka Norman Osborn/the Green Goblin in the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark) as Jacob Marley all manage to do a commendable job in their respective roles (though Kimberly arguably could have had more to 'do' as a character), though it's safe to say Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds are the leads for a darn good reason!
Songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who previously made a splash with their work on La La Land and The Greatest Showman, serve as the songwriters on Spirited, and suffice to say, they conjured up another banger of a soundtrack! While the songs admittedly may not be Encanto levels of memorable (then again, trying to outdo the musical wizardry of Lin-Manuel Miranda is a nearly impossible feat in itself), they are nonetheless still a highlight of the overall movie! From "That Christmas Morning Feelin" that the film both opens and ends with, to "Bringin' Back Christmas", which acts as one big 'establishing character moment' for Clint Briggs, to "Good Afternoon" (which unfolds in the backdrop of 1800s England, where the original A Christmas Carol novel took place), Spirited's compilation of songs are incredibly fun to listen to! This can be attributed to Pasek and Paul's engaging songwriting as well as entertaining dance choreography (which incorporates very impressive tap dancing courtesy of the film's choreographer, Chloe Arnold) that make the musical numbers that much more engrossing. However, the 'piece de resistance' has to be Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds making for terrific singers on top of their acting & comedic abilities, as when they perform the songs, there's little doubt that it's actually them singing (it helps that Reynolds in particular has prior experience performing musically, as seen here), which makes it easier to get enveloped in the spectacle unfolding in terms of visuals and audio. If you're the kind of person who watches musicals primarily for the songs sprinkled throughout, you're in luck, because Spirited certainly delivers in this 'department'!
I had a thoroughly great time watching Spirited, as it delivers a fun new take on the Christmas Carol narrative, topped off by enjoyable musical numbers, numerous laugh-out loud moments, and the comedic pairing we never knew we needed to see in the form of Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds, who play off each other especially well and make me want more movies with them co-starring! I wouldn't go so far as to say it's up there with Home Alone and Die Hard in terms of holiday flicks, but Spirited was the most unabashed fun I'd had with a movie (in 2022) since Bullet Train (which came out the same year, albeit released in theaters, unlike Spirited), and I strongly recommend giving it a watch (especially if you have an Apple TV+ account, which is where it's streaming on), even if it's not that 'time of year'; while it may be perfect for the Christmas season, I'd say you'll get a comparable amount of enjoyment out of watching it regardless of the time of year it is! Hope everyone reading this have very happy holidays, and here's to 2024!
