If you want an all-singing, all-dancing Christmas movie, then you've got it in bucket loads with Spirited on Apple TV+.
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell and Octavia Spencer, this is a modern re-telling of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
What Is Spirited About?
For centuries, Will Ferrell has been Roberto, the Ghost of Christmas Present. Each year, the team successfully redeems one lost soul and this year, it's supposed to be a cranky hotel manager.
But when Roberto encounters Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds), he wants him to be the project. The problem is that Clint is an ‘unredeemable', meaning that there is nothing the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present or Future can do to change him.
Undeterred, Roberto embarks on a mission to change Clint. What follows is two hours of really good fun as Clint refuses to acknowledge that anything is wrong with him or his life.
So can the ghosts redeem him? Or is he destined to be a selfish, cynical media consultant forever?
Spirited Official Trailer
Is Spirited Worth Watching?
First off, this is a musical comedy, so if that's not your thing, you won't enjoy Spirited.
The movie features original songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who also wrote for The Greatest Showman, so what you get is a mixture of upbeat, catchy numbers as well as a few more heartfelt songs.
The performances are brilliantly funny, with great comedic chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell. And the script is tongue-in-cheek enough to keep the adults chuckling with more modern societal references.
Spirited is a family film. It has all the fun that kids are after, a great twist on the original story and plenty to keep the parents entertained.
If there was a small complaint, it would be that at 2 hours run time, it's tricky to keep the kids watching and engaged. It definitely could have used a tad more editing.
Spirited tries to pack absolutely everything into this movie. It's an overwhelming hodgepodge of musical numbers, jokes, slapstick comedy, heartfelt nostalgia, romance, tap dancing, and singing and all with a few sideswipes on today's social media culture.
The one thing it is not is boring! So is Spirited worth watching? I think so, but then again, I love the cast, I love the story, I love a great family flick (they don't make enough of them), and it left me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.
What's not to love?
Spirited Release Date
Directed by Sean Anders, who co-wrote it with John Morris, Spirited is an Apple TV+ original movie.
It was filmed in 2021, and after all the post-production bells and whistles were completed, was given a release date of November 18th 2022.
You can only watch it on Apple TV.
Spirited Movie Cast
Filling the roles in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol are…
Will Ferrell (Elf) as the current Ghost of Christmas Present, known as Roberto
Ryan Reynolds as Clint Briggs, who is visited by the ghosts on Christmas eve
Octavia Spencer as Kimberly, Clint's right-hand woman
Sunita Mani as Bonnie, the Ghost of Christmas Past
Patrick Page as Jacob Marley
Marlow Barkley as Clint's niece Wren
Loren G. Woods as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
Tracy Morgan as the voice of Yet to Come
Aimee Carrero as Nora
Joe Tippett as Owen, Clint's brother
Andrea Anders as Carrie
Jen Tullock as Wendy
P.J. Byrne as Mr. Alteli
Rose Byrne as Karen
Gavin Maddox Bergman as Oliver Twist
Judi Dench as herself
Jimmy Fallon as himself
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