Movie Review: "Spirited"
Christmas movies are here, and Apple TV hopes "Spirited" will become a new holiday favorite. This movie is a fun but messy take on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," featuring two of the most charming actors around. "Spirited" is like a big, goofy puppy—its eagerness to entertain is both its best and worst quality. It’s packed with too much stuff, runs too long, and has some technical flaws, but it’s hard not to root for it because of its cheerful spirit.
Plot Overview
Directed by Sean Anders ("Daddy’s Home"), "Spirited" offers a fresh twist on the classic Scrooge story. Imagine if the ghosts who haunted Scrooge did the same thing every year to someone new. The movie envisions a whole ghostly organization dedicated to redeeming one bad person each year. This year, the team, led by Jacob Marley (Patrick Page), thinks they’ve found their perfect candidate in a mean hotel manager, but the Ghost of Christmas Present (Will Ferrell) sets his sights on Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds), a much bigger challenge.
Clint is a master manipulator on social media, introduced through a song about exploiting the war on Christmas for profit. He doesn’t see any moral lines as long as he wins. His assistant Kimberly (Octavia Spencer) seems worn down by his lack of ethics, but Clint just thinks striking first is the best strategy. Interestingly, the film doesn’t make Clint too bad, possibly to keep viewers from disliking him too much.
Ferrell’s character becomes determined to redeem Clint, even as other ghosts (played by Sunita Mani and voiced by Tracy Morgan) take a backseat. Surprisingly, the movie also explores Ferrell’s character’s desire to leave the ghost world and become human again.
Musical Fun and Visuals
"Spirited" is a full-on musical, with lively numbers that sometimes feel like they belong on a stage rather than a film set. The production design often looks like cheap sets or green screen backgrounds, which can be distracting. The writing repeats a few beats, especially in the final parts of the film, making it feel too long at over two hours.
Final Thoughts
Despite its flaws, "Spirited" is hard to dislike. Reynolds, Ferrell, and Spencer bring a lot of energy to their performances, making it enjoyable to watch. Holiday movies don’t have to be perfect; they just need to make you feel good. In that spirit, "Spirited" does the job.
Available on Apple TV Plus today.