A new spin on the Charles Dickens’ classic story
Directed by: Sean Anders
Written by: Sean Anders & John Morris
Starring: Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, Octavia Spencer
Rated PG-13 for language, some suggestive material, and thematic elements
Release Date: November 18, 2022
Runtime: 2:07
This review may contain spoilers
The A Christmas Carol business pitch
A Christmas Carol is revived once again – now as a musical comedy for Apple TV.
Jacob Marley (played by theatre actor Patrick Page) runs an afterlife business that helps lost souls redeem themselves for centuries. The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet-To-Come (played by Sunita Mani, Netflix’s GLOW, Will Ferrell, Elf, and Tracey Morgan, NBC’s 30 Rock, respectively) reenact the same night that started with Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol.
Christmas Present has chosen this year’s “perp” as Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool), a deceptive media consultant who prefers stirring controversies to win his clients over. However, Marley sees Briggs as “unredeemable” for their program yet Present needs Briggs to change to restore his faith in the system. Briggs begins derailing the spirits’ plan as soon as it starts, driving Present to break protocol if he’s going to save Brigg’s future.
An Adaptation with a new angle
I’ll admit, I thought this was going to be yet another retelling of the classic A Christmas Carol. It has been retold multiple times, with faithful adaptations to modern adaptations. There’s also the excellent Muppets version with Michael Caine as Scrooge. I believe there’s been A Christmas Carol musical done before. It’s a story that’s been done so many times, it’s hard to think of any angle that hasn’t been used.
While heavily based on A Christmas Carol, Spirited goes in a very different direction. I thought this was going to be a modern adaptation with singing and dance numbers; this movie reinvents the story into the Ghosts running a supernatural business that spends all year preparing for the one-night haunting. Everything works through magical technology, like in The Santa Clause or Elf. It’s a fun and imaginative way of showing how Marley, the Ghosts, and the workers set up the flashbacks.
Oh yes, and everyone working there are spirits of people who died. Apparently, in the afterlife, you can choose to go to “the light” or take a job working for Marley.
Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell
Admittedly, I wasn’t sure about a musical with Deadpool and Ricky Bobby singing, dancing, and tap dancing. Yes, that might be unfair since Reynolds and Ferrell have proved to be versatile. It’s just a weird knee-jerk reaction seeing the two of them front-lining a big singing and dancing number. But both pull it off by bouncing comedy off each other, singing duets, and dancing in big choreographed groups.
The comedy is hilarious and goes meta a few times, much like Reynold’s Deadpool character. In one scene, Ferrell’s Present character is helped by a guest wearing the Buddy Elf costume from Ferrell’s own Elf movie. Present’s open disgust at the costume had me dying.
I also loved how Briggs spends most of his Christmas Eve night in a red suit, and Present’s outfit is mostly green. Christmas colors!
Octavia Spencer
Octavia Spencer (Big Help) also has her own singing scenes, and she’s great. Her character, Kimberly, is also the trigger that destabilizes Marley’s operation. Her interactions with Present makes him begin to question things about his afterlife. Present and Kimberly form a bond that helps him decide to finally retire from the “Christmas haunting business” (they never had a name for it, so I’m improvising here).
Not enough Patrick Page
It’s a shame that Patrick Page didn’t get more singing or dancing parts as Marley, considering he’s an actual theatre actor. However, Page’s talent really shows when Marley is acting his part in haunting Briggs with his chains and song. His annoyance from Briggs interrupting is priceless as he attempts to stay in character. His character is often aware that Present is about to sing a song, trying to stop him before it starts (much like Monty Python and the Holy Grail).
A very entertaining Christmas musical
Overall, Spirited is a high-energy Christmas/holiday musical, showing off Reynolds and Ferrell’s ability to dance and sing. It’s cheerful and has the feel and looks of watching a televised musical play. The film’s a lot of fun and has a lot of laughs. It’s not The Muppet Christmas Carol, but it’s definitely a good holiday viewing. It’s still PG-13, though, so maybe not for the little kids.
Spirited is streaming on Apple TV Plus.
