Andrew
Film Review
Tinashe Kusema
THERE is an argument to be made that Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell could very well be two of the funniest people on God’s green earth!
Reynolds happens to be one of those actors who plays the same role in every movie he is in, and we somehow look at the other side because he does it well.
Ferrell is a “Saturday Night Live” legend.
One needs only to look at skits like his “Get off the shed”, “Celebrity Jeopardy”, “The Love-ahs with Clarissa and Dave” or “More Cowbell” for a sample of the comic genius that he is.
Ferrell’s “Inside the Actor’s Studio” interview with Drew Barrymore, and his George W Bush impressions are classic “Saturday Night Live”, not the mess the show has become these days.
But I digress.
For all the comic brilliance and talent, what the two achieve in the new Apple Studios production “Spirited” is nothing short of extraordinary.
The film is a retelling of the classic “A Christmas Carol” and sees Reynolds play Clint Briggs, the latest victim to be visited by the three Christmas ghosts – past, present and future.
Briggs, however, is an “unredeemable” person. He is so corrupt, selfish and arrogant that there is no redemption in future.
Fortunately, the Ghost of Christmas Present (Ferrell) sees a lot of himself in Briggs and sets about doing the impossible and changing this lost soul.
What it entails is 127 minutes of nothing fun, song and dance as these two characters bond, build a friendship and set about teaching the audience a thing or two about second chances.
Did I mention that this film is also a musical?
Under normal circumstances, I try my best to stay away from musicals, as they are not really my cup of tea. I loathe the genre.
However, this movie gets a pass in that, while it is a musical at its core, it is also a parody of the genre, and that is something I can get on board with.
Patrick Page plays Jacob Marley, the boss of the afterlife, and spends a huge chunk of his role in the movie lambasting the needless song and dance whenever a character wants to convey emotion.
It also helps that some of the songs are catchy, with special mention going to Reynolds and Ferrell’s singalong “Good Afternoon”.
As to be expected, Reynolds and Ferrell carry the movie, and their performances help improve the film.
The fact that it turns out Ferrell is Ebenezer Scrooge is quite a genius move.
Apparently, Scrooge died three weeks after the ghosts visited and has spent centuries moving up the chain to be the present “Ghost of Christmas Present”.
This adds a little extra layer to the character, as he struggles with his ability to have actually changed since he did not really get enough time to examine and experience his new lease of life.
This works well on two levels, the first being that, it adds something new to the film, and graduates it from your flash-in-the-pan modern remakes and reboots.
From a film perspective, it gives Ferrell’s character a new layer from which he is able to show some of his more dramatic talents. The 55-year-old handles those scenes well. I was also pleasantly surprised by just how good these two can actually sing. Given that the holidays are here and Christmas is just around the corner, why not add “Spirited” to your playlist?
Online Reporter