Spirited

It's been a shame in the current stages of Will Ferrell's career that I have almost started to write off his comedies. Far from his strong track record of memorable classics like Elf, The Other Guys, Anchormans, and Step Brothers, my once-favorite comedian has been quite hit or miss over the last several years. And, to be fair, Eurovision was quite funny/silly. 

Ryan Reynolds on the other hand has been on a high. Both Deadpool films were a blast, while ventures with new material like Free Guy have also proven his skill as a leading man. Throw in his wickedly funny advertising for various companies and he's a "comedian" with a string of consistent hits and likely more (Deadpool 3) on the way. 

Combining the two could have been a risky bet, and in a Christmas musical no less. Ferrell is still funny as hell and there's no one really like him, but script choice has been lacking on some of the aforementioned slump projects of the past. Reynolds is similarly highly unique as there's no one who can really match his level of delivery and wit. 

Luckily, I'm excited to report that Spirited is an absolute delight and Will Ferrell's best leading (co-leading) film in years. Time will tell if it ever reaches the Christmas highs of Elf, but my wife and I were both completely entertained and commented almost immediately that this was something we could see ourselves watching annually during the holiday season. 

First things first, Spirited is a musical, so mileage can vary for those that are dead-set against them. Luckily, it's not a singing-every-second musical (thank God!), but there are quite a few songs. As someone who enjoys a great musical now and again, not to mention the holiday festivity fits perfectly, I was more than impressed with the musicality within Spirited. They don't ever reach the highs of say The Greatest Showman or La La Land, but there's plenty of wonderful segments to enjoy. Both Reynolds and Ferrell have more musical capability than you might assume (Ferrell's voice is like some combination of Fergie and Jesus) while the dancing choreography and amount of extras in the background level everything up to be more "extra" in a very good, Christmasy way. Certain songs are stand outs and catchy as hell - "Good Afternoon" and the finale come to mind - while all others are at least "good", if not great. As a viewer slightly concerned about the musical aspects, it actually ended up being one of the movie's strongest assets. 

A simple still image of Will Ferrell that's likely to make you laugh

But why can they both sing and
dance better than I expected?

From a comedy perspective, it's impact is a little weaker, but this is still a very funny film. It gives Reynolds plenty of room to breathe within the script and "do his thing" while making sure that Ferrell has good writing for once, giving him equal measure to be his classic silly self without going down a path that's too stupid. Its humor is often worth a chuckle or two while never being so funny you may pee your pants, yet I found the hit-rate to be much stronger than some of Ferrell's previous films. 

Perhaps most surprising though was the plot within. No, this isn't anything that will blow your mind, but it's a surprisingly deeper story than I anticipated, and our two main characters are more complex than I would have given credit to based on the trailer alone. Yes, the Ghost of Christmas Present (Ferrell) is haunting our a-hole marketing executive (Reynolds), but there's a lot about both men we don't know and it's not just a growing experience for Reynolds, but also for Ferrell. Throw in a fun supporting cast and just-enough world-building around the Christmas Haunters that you've got a film that has really no right to be this interesting or compelling. 

As I mentioned earlier, time will really tell what impact Spirited has on the Christmas movie scene, but I suspect it could be a large one. It's a delightful musical with two huge stars, has enough laughs to make it a comedy, while also being a solid Christmas story with ties to classic tales of Scrooge. I know my wife and I will probably watch it again before the year is up and who knows? Maybe it will become a tradition. 

And with that, I say, GOOD AFTERNOON TO YOU!

CONS

• Could have been slightly funnier without sacrificing any tone or time
• Some truly horrendous green-screen and special effects when they are used
• Plot feels rushed at times, pacing is off here and there

PROS

• Songs are at the very least "good" with many being better than that. Several are very catchy
• Big spectacle with lots of extras, Broadway-esque vibes, and fantastic choreography
• Ferrell and Reynolds make an excellent duo. Hollywood, lets not let this be their only venture together, please?
• Surprisingly better and deeper plot than I expected. I was inexplicably engrossed in both men's journey's
• Has plenty of laughs thanks to a decent script and "controlled chaos" mad-libbing by Reynolds and Ferrell
• Entertaining from start to finish, just the right amount of music, and full of Christmas cheer!

Rath's Review Score | 8/10