Enchanted is a great, funny, even thought-provoking Disney movie for adults and children--but not for children who think love should happen along the lines of the 2-dimensional stories with stereotypical characters that are found in the usual Disney princess movies. Those movies are wonderful and have a place in our hearts. Enchanted is a partial send-up and partial homage to the fairy-tale princess genre. But it's a great story on its own for children and adults who suspect that the Disney formula may not play out in real life, whether you believe in "happily ever after" or just need a more robust version of it. Once upon a time in the animated kingdom of Andalasia, Giselle is the archetypal fairy-tale princess: beautiful, innocent, cheerful, and kind, waiting in her house with her woodland friends for her prince to show up and bestow True Love's Kiss. And he does! Prince Edward rides up on a white horse and the two sing love's duet, in which we are briefly and sincerely reminded that lips are the only things that ever touch. Giselle goes to the castle the next morning to marry Edward and live happily ever after. Of course there's a wicked queen and of course she's Edward's stepmother, who does not want a new queen to take her place. Dressed as an old hag, she pushes Giselle into a magic wishing well and Giselle falls down and down (this all happens in the first minutes of the movie)-- --and finds her no-longer-animated self climbing up through a manhole cover into Times Square in New York City. Giselle (Amy Adams) is still beautiful, innocent, kind, and mostly cheerful, although she notices that her voluminous bridal gown doesn't hold up in the rain and that not everyone is kindly interested in helping her search for the castle. Giselle is noticed (as she knocks on the door of a castle on a billboard) by Robert (Patrick Dempsey), a divorced divorce lawyer, and his daughter, Morgan (Rachel Covey). Robert is trying to prepare Morgan for the "real" world and doesn't want her distracted by fairy-tale dreams. But father and daughter are taken with Giselle and invite the obviously homeless and defenseless princess to spend the night at their apartment. Giselle, always grateful for any kindness and ready to believe the best about everyone and everything, accepts and spends the night on the sofa. The next morning, Giselle discovers the magic of the shower--and Robert discovers her there, while a pair of birds hold up a timely towel to shield Giselle's modesty. The two adults fall into the hallway just as Nancy, Robert's fiance, arrives to spend time with Morgan. Nancy (Idina Menzel) is angry, because she and Robert had decided that she would never "stay over" because of Morgan's presence and the need for "boundaries," and she assumes that Robert and Giselle are up to no good. Nancy leaves and Robert tries to explain that she is angry because she thinks Giselle and Robert--"Kissed!?" Giselle asks in horror. Robert says he can't help Giselle any more, although she tries to teach him how to make up with Nancy. The princess is also shocked to discover that a couple meeting in Robert's law office are going to be separated "for ever and ever," and wonders what is wrong with this place where true love doesn't conquer all. (Children of divorce, who often wish and hope their parents will get back together, may have their hopes reinforced, which is a Disney cruelty--see The Parent Trap--that needs to stop. But divorced or divorcing parents may be reminded that "falling out of love" may not be a good reason to get divorced.) All this leads to the greatest musical number of the movie (and of many other movies), where Giselle and a cast of thousands in Central Park ask "How Do You Know (He Loves You)?" The other great musical number of the movie occurs when Giselle notices that Robert's apartment needs some tidying up. When she calls for help as she would in Andalasia, she is joined, not by the charming woodland creatures she expects, but by the pigeons, rats, and cockroaches of New York City. Although they're "only vermin," they do a good job as Giselle sings her "Happy Working Song." Meanwhile, Prince Edward (James Marsden), who is somewhat self-centered but nevertheless charming, has followed Giselle down the magic well and has his own amusing adventures as he searches for Giselle so he can rescue her. Also traveling from Andalasia are Chip, a chipmunk who talks in Andalasia but loses his voice in New York (but is a fantastic mime, if only Prince Edward could get a clue), and Nathaniel (Timothy Spall), who is sent by evil Queen Narissa to kill Giselle. Eventually, Narissa (Susan Sarandon) follows to do the job herself. As she gains experience, Giselle becomes a 3-dimensional woman, although she never loses her sweetness and kindness. And things get complicated as the viewers realize what Giselle and Robert do not: that they are falling in love. When Giselle needs to prepare for The Ball (of course there's a ball), Morgan plays fairy godmother (with the help of her dad's credit card, which is for emergencies--but this is an emergency for Giselle and Morgan). As Morgan wonders what Nancy will be like as a stepmother, Giselle reassures her and Disney makes the first of many payments owed because of the bad rap stepmothers have gotten in the movies. The movie is chockfull of allusions to other movies, including The Sound of Music, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella as Giselle, Prince Edward, Robert, and Nancy end up at The Ball, Narissa arrives to do away with Giselle, people need rescuing, and True Love's kiss turns out to have a twist. The acting is terrific (Amy Adams especially deserves praise), the music, lyrics, and singing are perfect, the costumes and musical numbers are great, and the story ends delightfully if not quite as expected. Enchanted is funny, subtly introduces a discussion of what "happily ever after" may mean, and is downright enchanting--bravo, Disney!
|
Movie Search
|
|||||||||||||||
 | ||||||
