It isn’t even December yet but that hasn’t stopped me from reviewing the first Christmas film of the year! We are nearing the end of November so I am sure you can let me off and there is a good reason for reviewing this film, it is because Spirited is a genuinely fun festive film! We haven’t got many big films based around Christmas for a few years now, with the last decent Christmas film I watched in a cinema being Last Christmas with Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding. This brings us to today where Apple TV+ has crafted a new Christmas hit that will sit comfortably alongside Love, Actually and Elf as a new wintry classic with Spirited.
Spirited stars Will Ferrell, who is no stranger to the Christmas movie scene, and Ryan Reynolds as the characters of Ghost of Christmas Present and a modern day Scrooge-like character called Clint Briggs. You may have guessed already with Ferrell’s character’s name, but yes this is another re-telling of the classic story of A Christmas Carol. There have been many, many different iterations and versions of this adapted novel for the big screen with the likes of Jim Carrey and Michael Caine playing different Scrooge’s over the years. Spirited feels more in tone with Bill Murray’s Scrooged film, where it flips the structure of A Christmas Carol on its head.
Spirited begins as the Ghost of Christmas Present is picking a new person to redeem in a year’s time ready for the next Christmas season. He settles on the unredeemable Clint Briggs, which presents him a massive challenge. Clint refuses to let the Ghost’s of Christmas Past, Present and Future have their way with him. Clint is stubborn and Ryan Reynolds really plays into his archetype with this character. Yes, this is Ryan Reynolds acting like Ryan Reynolds with lots of fun quips and comedic comebacks up his sleeves like his many, many other roles. His charisma and chemistry with Will Ferrell is what sells this film. They both get on each other’s nerves and push each other’s buttons.
I should also say that this film is a musical too. The song and dance numbers are catchy but not very memorable when you leave the cinema, or turn off the app if you’re watching it on the streaming service, but the music does help bring the film alive. The New York aesthetic and dance numbers give the film a different Christmas-like feel, one which feels more animated than magical. There are a lot of surprises and nods in the film to the Christmas film industry too, with a little nod towards Dickensian England and also some slight hat tips to Will Ferrell’s other Christmas film, Elf.
Spirited is a fantastic Christmas film and it lives up to its title. The supporting characters such as Octavia Spencer’s assistant to Clint Briggs and Tracy Morgan as the voice of the Ghost of Christmas Future are both standouts and provide a lot of heart and humour within the film. The plot isn’t overly complicated and if you know the traditional story of A Christmas Carol then you will definitely know how the film will end, but trust me there are a few surprises along the way. It is really refreshing to get a Christmas film more aimed at adults than children, and I left the cinema feeling more than ready to celebrate the upcoming festive season than when I did when I entered the cinema to begin with.
★★★★☆
4/5
Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds are a great pair of comedians and actors who bring their characters to life in a whimsical and lyrical ode to A Christmas Carol. The film feels and looks different enough to other Christmas films to the point where it does stand out above the rest. The music is jingly and merry, and you will want to sing-a-long but unfortunately they don’t linger when the credits role. The comedy and humour is fantastic and you won’t be saying “Good Afternoon” the same way again either. Spirited is the perfect festive film to watch this year and I would highly recommend lifting your spirits up with this film.
Thanks for reading today’s blog!
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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