Spirited

 4/4

Starring: Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, Octavia Spencer, Patrick Page, Sunita Mani, Joe Tippett, Marlow Barkley, Tracy Morgan

Rated PG-13 for Language, Some Suggestive Material and Thematic Elements

Being a film critic is rough.  You get into it because you love movies, yet most of the time the movies are dull and by the numbers (most superhero movies), retreads of things you've sat through countless times before (franchises to anything that makes a buck) and occasionally wretched (ego trips from self-important auteurs).  Yet, as tough as things can be, a movie comes along to remind you of what a movie can be when no one phones it in.  "Spirited" is one of those movies.  It's a movie that's so deliriously delightful that it wipes away all the cynicism of the world and just entertains you.  This is what happens when a group of people believe in a project and work as hard as they can to make it work.

Will Ferrell plays the Ghost of Christmas Present.  Actually, he is the current one.  The ghosts from Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" are not only real, they're part of a team run by Marley himself (Page).  Each year, they select a miserable humbug and spend 12 months researching his or her past and present for information with the goal of reforming their lives.  Only on Christmas Eve do the Ghosts of Christmas Past (Mani), Present, and Future (Morgan) take him through the ultimate guilt trip.  Present believes in this process so much that, for two centuries, he has turned down the opportunity to live out the rest of his natural life.  This year, that will change.  His choice for reform is a master spin doctor named Clint Briggs (Reynolds), a man Marley insists is "irredeemable."  Present believes otherwise, and sets out to do his magic.  But Clint won't go along with the flow.  He's a true bastard...and knows it.  In fact, he relishes being an asshole.  If Present wants to redeem this misanthrope, he's going to have to answer questions about himself that he has been avoiding for two hundred years, and maybe get on with his own life.

The risk of a turning a story like this into a song and dance comedy is to go over-the-top.  The actors have to believe in it instead of chewing the scenery, something that both Ferrell and Reynolds are guilty of.  "Spirited" is funny, don't get me wrong.  But the manic energy is effectively channeled.  Will Ferrell doesn't scream at the top of his lungs or become a gross parody.  Ryan Reynolds doesn't just play a smart-ass.  Present and Clint feel like real people, and that's what makes the film work.  We like them and care about them.  They never go for the quick, easy laugh or phone it in.  They're working as hard as they can, and it shows.  They've got a gifted supporting cast, including the always welcome Octavia Spencer and Patrick Page, a British actor who is as joyfully quirky as the late great Pete Postlethwaite.  Marlow Barkley is never too cute as Clint's niece, who is risking the conscience Clint lost long ago.

This is a musical, and as such is wall to wall song and dance.  The musical numbers, and there are a lot of them, are fantastic.  Benj and Pasek, the two minds behind "La La Land," "The Greatest Showman" and others, have really outdone themselves.  The energy level is off the charts and there isn't a dull moment.  Who knew that Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds could sing and dance?  Not only them, but Octavia Spencer belts out a few tunes as well (she isn't as good at singing, but it hardly matters).

What's great about this movie is that it takes chances.  "Spirited" can at best be described as part sequel/part parody to the Christmas classic.  It honors the plot of the original, but it isn't afraid of parody or going in new directions.  Director Sean Anders remains in total control of his film and never lets any of the plates drop.  He knows exactly what he wants his film to be and so do his stars.  He gets the recipe right, never straying too far into parody or pathos.  Yet he also throws in little asides and in-jokes, including a cameo appearance by a legendary actress I wouldn't dare reveal.

When it comes to Christmas musicals, there haven't been any since the days of Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.  When it comes to Christmas comedies, there are only three that are worth sitting through: the nostalgia fueled "A Christmas Story," the black comedy "Christmas Vacation," and the slapstick-fueled "Home Alone."  Finally, we get another.  This is a Christmas movie that should be remembered for ages to come.

Note: The film was produced by Apple TV, and as they'll get most of their revenue from the streaming service, the marketing for the film has been abysmal.  They're releasing it in theaters to qualify Benj and Pasek for the Oscars they will win, but this is a movie that demands to be seen on as big of a screen as possible.  Don't wait for streaming, because seeing it in theater is where it's going to really pay off.