Spirited (2022)
Directed by Sean Anders
Each Christmas Eve, the Ghost of Christmas Present selects one dark soul to be reformed by a visit from three spirits. But this season, he picked the wrong Scrooge. Clint Briggs turns the tables on his ghostly host until Present finds himself reexamining his own past, present and future.
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What critics compared Spirited to
Spirited is ripe with contemporary references and smart-alecky lines, perfect for the screen persona of Reynolds, who knows how to deliver them, and for the Elf -like sweetness and confusion of Ferrell who is in his comfort zone here if not quite in the same classic mold of Buddy.
Featuring Christmas movie Easter Eggs, there’s even an “Elf” nod, of course.
The main selling point of Spirited is its cast (and the briefest of Elf references).
The exposition portion of “Spirited,” mostly consisting of banter between Ferrell and Reynolds, is pretty labored, not only because the latter’s characteristic rapid-fire smugness is getting old and Ferrell’s wide-eyed naiveté doesn’t work here as well as it did in “Elf,” but because the script is encumbered by a lot of contemporary references that aren’t terribly funny and are going to age quickly; there are also way too many wink-wink moments to signal to us that the makers are in on the joke (when one observer asks, “Why are they singing?” the answer is “Because it’s a musical”).
Will Ferrell is the star of one all-time classic Christmas movie, Elf, which remains a holiday staple to this day.
On one occasion, it even widens the scope for Ferrell to offer a very funny self-deprecating Elf gag.
The most memorable number is “Good Afternoon,” directed by Sean Anders as an old-school number in the snowy streets of London, in the style of “Consider Yourself” in Carol Reed’s Best Picture “Oliver!” (1968).
He even persuades his “Present” guide to go back to Dickensian English where the guide-ghost was last alive himself, producing an “Oliver!” styled number in an English eatery and pub that is the musical, costume and dancing highlight of the film.