Spirited

Back in 2003 Will Ferrell was firmly of the belief that he had signed his career death wish by throwing himself around New York dressed in yellow tights, spreading Christmas cheer and singing loud for all to hear. Despite his doubts however, the reception for Elf was quite the adverse, and has over time become one of the most popular Christmas cinema classics ever created. Since then, the multi-award winning actor has appeared in other seasonal movies like the Daddy’s Home 2, and is now working again alongside director Sean Anders on the full-blown Christmas adventure movie Spirited.

Anders also reunites once again with Octavia Spencer for this festival number, adding Ryan Reynolds for a good level of festive cheer. A modern musical play on Dickensian classic A Christmas Carol, Spirited features Clint (Reynolds) as the latest perp to have his life changed by the three ghosts of Christmas. For the Ghost of Christmas Present (Ferrell), this will prove to be a mighty task as Clint is labelled “unredeemable”. What unfolds is a journey of discovery and rediscovery for the duo, this time telling the classic tale from the perspective of the ghosts with, of course, a little bit of singing and dancing along the way.

Spirited has its flaws, mostly in its overextended narrative, but they are accompanied by the unassailable charm that flows from every cast member. The musical numbers aren’t particularly necessary for the film to work – in fact it would be just fine without any at all – but the songs and sequences are in fact of impeccable quality and a surprisingly welcome element. The choreography of each is particularly excellent, making for some of the most enthralling viewing throughout the movie’s two-hour plus duration, which helps unpack an at times stretched storyline into something more digestible.  

That said, the earlier scenes are so saturated with songs that the movie becomes self-aware of the fact and begins to cut them short in order to bring its viewer up to speed with the actual premise. The singing from Ferrell, Reynolds and Spencer is just about acceptable (despite heavy use of autotune), and instead it is their straight acting performances that prove more effective, silencing any warm laughter that might echo from their vocal ranges.  

It’s fun, nonetheless, easily passing the laugh test in spite of being far too long. Thanks to the intelligence of the writing there are a couple of delightful cameos throughout that undoubtably catch viewers off guard. It may not go down in legend as a Christmas classic, but Dominic Lewis’s catchy musical numbers might stay in the memory a little while longer and – hell, who knows – maybe this movie could hit the stage.

Guy Lambert

Spirited is released on Apple TV+ on 18^th November 2022.

Watch the trailer for Spirited here: