Overall Thoughts: Creative and modern Christmas Carol adaptation is a little crass and jarring at times, but undeniably sweet and fun.
For a streaming project, Spirited is another project I feel could have easily been a big-screen movie. I have to say, streaming services are really starting to amp up their game with their content. To get Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds to do a movie like this for AppleTV+ is a huge, huge win for the creators' part.
As a Christmas movie, Spirited is mostly very successful. It's a story we all know (A Christmas Carol), but its shown from a different perspective here. In some ways, its a sequel to the classic Charles Dickens story. In others, its a complete re-imagining. Those are both good things. Because I was concerned that Spirited would feel too much like a retread to really work.
And, thankfully, it doesn't. That being said, considering its stars, it does tread edgier waters that it didn't necessarily need to go into. I didn't think hearing about the Ghost of Christmas Past having an affair with her client was necessary here. And a long musical number about swearing (in British 1890's) seemed more to insert Ryan Reynolds' sense of humor rather than advance the story in a meaningful way.
However, the film never quite loses its heart either, which develops its two leads and gives them a strong sense of redemption. It's a great surprise when we find out that Reynolds' character isn't the only one that needs to be redeemed. And, the amount of diversions the script takes us to help solidify both characters' growth is all mostly welcome and entertaining.
I'm also pleasantly surprised to say that (save for a couple of numbers), Spirited works very well as a musical. And that's without a doubt due to the always fairly reliable Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land, The Greatest Showman). Their slightly pop-driven sound works well here, and it leads to some really solid numbers. "Do a Little Good" is a great closer, while "Unredeemable" successfully pulls at the heartstrings.
"The View from Here" works as a solid love song, while Reynolds' opening song "Bringing Back Christmas", helps establish his character nicely too. The only ones that don't quite work are the opening number (too over the top) and of course, "Good Afternoon" (which is a little much and takes too much time away from the story).
The cast proves more than able to take on their roles. Reynolds brings his signature sass and charisma to Clint, while Ferrell brings a heart of gold and humble spirit to a Ghost of Christmas Present with quite a backstory. Octavia Spencer plays a supporting role and brings kindness and a warm spirit to her character. I'm also pleased that all three impressed me with their singing ability (even though they might have a little auto-tune in there). I'll also admit that it was nice to see Broadway star Patrick Page as Marley, a really good casting choice.
The story also is fairly unpredictable, which kept me in suspense. And just when you might think it's over, it threw a couple of other major curveballs that worked wonders from an emotional standpoint. Yes, maybe it feels like it has a little much going on in its final act (no spoilers), but I thought it mostly worked well. There is a twist with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come that I thought was taken a little too far, but this was graciously brief.
For me, I found this as entertaining and fun as Reynolds' last major hit, Free Guy. But, ultimately, Spirited gets bonus points for fairly successfully updating A Christmas Carol for modern audiences. And while it's hurt a bit by some edginess and a few jarring choices, it's a worthy watch for the Christmas season.
Grade: B
Is this movie family-friendly? Spirited is rated PG-13 for "some language and suggestive material". There's quite a bit of salty language here, including a half-dozen uses of the s-word, one crude hand gesture, and some uses of "a**", "h***", "d***", "oh my g**, "b****rd", "d**k", and one or two each of "b**ch", "bloody" and "J***s". Other than that, there are a few mild sexual jokes in the mix, including a "humpy start", "clearing your browser before you die", and an allusion to a sexual encounter involving Clint and the Ghost of Christmas Past. Someone is told to have committed suicide by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Some slapstick violence. Clint is absolutely a jerk, and acts selfish and deceitful almost the whole film. A character is shown drunk. A man wears makeup to a Christmas party. Overall, this is not appropriate for younger kids. But, for ages 13 or 14 and up with some pre-movie discussions, some families may find this movie a fun time.
