Film Gecko

Review & Trailer: "Enchanted"

by Jane Boursaw on March 17th, 2008

Not too many movies come along that are sweet, funny, romantic, AND feature a rousing musical number. Well, not many GOOD movies, that is. But after seeing “Enchanted,” you’ll wonder why.

This movie has all of those elements, as well as good writing and believable characters — even if one of them happens to be an innocent maiden looking for her prince charming.

The tale begins in animated form, with sweet Giselle (Amy Adams) surrounded by the forest friends she loves so well in the fairytale land of Andalasia. When she topples into the arms of Prince Edward (James Marsden) — frolicking through the woods battling large green trolls — he asks her to marry him the very next day (things move fast in the forest).

More after the jump, including a trailer!

But on their wedding day, Edward’s jealous mother, Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon), tosses Giselle down a wishing well, which leads straight through a manhole cover into the manic streets of New York City. Here’s where Giselle and everything around her goes from animated to real-life, complete with hurried New Yorkers who won’t give her the time of day.

When she meets and explains her plight to Robert Philip (Patrick Dempsey), he gives her a sarcastic “Welcome to New York,” to which she replies innocently, “Thank you!” Thus sets the tone of this movie – his world-weary cynicism vs. her wide-eyed optimism. They’re both completely believable, especially Adams, who makes it seem cool to be nice. Sometimes we forget that it IS cool to be nice.

Robert thinks this oddball girl in the princess gown has clearly escaped from a mental facility, but he can’t leave her alone in the streets. So he and daughter Morgan (Rachel Covey) – he’s a single dad — take her home. Once there, Giselle proceeds to do princess things, like cutting dresses out of curtains and calling in NYC wildlife (birds, bugs, critters) to tidy up the unkempt apartment.

She tells Robert she’s waiting for Prince Edward to come fetch her. Not happenin’, he says. Her prince isn’t coming. Imagine Robert’s shock when the prince indeed shows up at his apartment door. Edward has managed to come through the manhole cover, along with chipmunk Pip and servant Nathaniel, and track the princess through the city.

By now, however, Giselle and Robert clearly have feelings for each other. This complicates everything, including Robert’s relationship with Nancy, to whom he’d been planning to propose. Things come to a boil when they all show up at a New York ball, including the Queen herself, whose poison apple plans for Giselle haven’t materialized, forcing her to take more drastic measures.

Blending fantasy, music, CG effects, hand-drawn animation, and live-action, this feel-good flick is fun for both kids and adults. A high point is Giselle’s lift-your-spirits musical number where she brings a crowd of New Yorkers together in harmony. It’s a miracle!

Note to Parents:

Profanity: None.

Sex/Nudity: One modest shower scene where real-life Giselle is wrapped in a towel (by birds, no less). A few kisses, including the powerful “true love’s kiss.” Mild flirting and dating innuendoes.

Violence/Gore: Edward darts around NYC with his sword, stabbing a bus, at one point. Companion Pip (a chipmunk) gets into all sorts of scrapes, all played for laughs. The queen tries to kill Giselle with poison apples. When that fails, she morphs into a menacing dragon, putting two characters in dire peril.

DVD Bonus Features: Deleted Scenes; Bloopers; Fantasy Comes to Life: Discover Enchanted’s cinematic wizardry in behind-the-scenes featurettes; Pip’s Predicament: A Pop-Up Adventure: After Giselle lands in New York, Pip goes on a daring mission to rescue Prince Edward in Andalasia.

Trailer: