Movie Review: Enchanted (2007)


With time to spare and the need for something lighthearted and cutesy being introduced into my system (I had just reviewed Jack Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door), Enchanted seemed like the perfect choice. And let’s be realistic, has Disney ever led anyone astray when they needed this kind of infusion?

The answer is yes, they have produced some very questionable films throughout the years. But thankfully, Enchanted delivered exactly what I needed – a mindless, lovey-dovey fantasy served with a small sliver of reality. It also cleverly mixes real, flesh-and-bones actors with the old-school animation style that Disney is known for, which for me was an added bonus since I identified with those animated features so well when I was child.

There are three main reasons, Enchanted is successful. First, it follows in the footsteps of the other great hand-drawn classics like Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. Why change the formula when it has and continues to work so well? It has a Prince Charming, or should I say a Prince Edward (James Marsden) searching for his princess, who in this particular case is the fair maiden, Giselle (Amy Adams). And how can a movie like this be considered complete without the requisite evil sorceress/queen who seeks to maintain control at all costs? It can’t be, so Susan Sarandon is cast as Queen Narissa. The twist can be found in the addition of Robert Philip (Patrick Dempsey) – he’s the unassuming guy who inadvertently falls in love with Giselle and causes her to “think” (something unheard of in fairy tale land).

This leads to the second strength of the movie – the actors. I’ve always liked Patrick Dempsey. Not because he is a fantastic actor (he isn’t) but because he starred in Can’t Buy Me Love, which is one of my favorite teen angst movies ever made. For whatever reason, he has just kind of stuck with me through the years. And through those years he’s managed to play the quiet, subdued character very well, a particular talent that lends itself perfectly to the role of Robert. Susan Sarandon plays an evil bitch extremely well too. Also, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, for an old lady Ms. Sarandon still carries herself like a champion race horse. Kudos to her personal trainer and the rest of her support staff for keeping her in tip-top shape and ready for action. But the icing on the cake has to go to Amy Adams, whom I initially thought was Isla Fisher. She was so bubbly and exuberant that I’d swear she wasn’t acting. It seemed so natural for her to see things around her with a child-like mentality. A very convincing performance and to top it off, she is a very good looking girl too.

Lastly, as anyone who has read some of my previous movie reviews would know, I am a big proponent of good moral values (even though I don’t always follow them) and empowering people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps to make something of their lives. Enchanted, as most Disney movies, has oodles of these kinds of messages scattered about. And even though it could be said that Giselle gets her innocence corrupted by the real world, I’d argue that it simply opened the doors for more lessons to be learned.

And as much as I’d love to argue the fact that I’m not getting soft in my old age, I can’t. Yet, even if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be able to find many flaws in Enchanted. It is very good movie – good for both boys and girls (although girls will like it more), and their rapidly aging parents. I can see why it has firmly planted itself at the top of the box office receipts list for the past few weeks. Check it out for yourself if you haven’t already and I’ll think you’ll agree with my assessment.

Critical Movie Critic Rating:
5 Star Rating: Fantastic

5

Movie Review: American Pie Presents: Beta House (2007)
Movie Review: Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door (2007)

The Critical Movie Critics

I'm an old, miserable fart set in his ways. Some of the things that bring a smile to my face are (in no particular order): Teenage back acne, the rain on my face, long walks on the beach and redneck women named Francis. Oh yeah, I like to watch and criticize movies.


'Movie Review: Enchanted (2007)' have 8 comments

  1. The Critical Movie Critics

    December 11, 2007 @ 8:52 pm Jerri-Ann

    Amy Adams is adorable!

    I’d recommend this movie to anyone with children. They’ll love it!

  2. The Critical Movie Critics

    December 29, 2007 @ 9:26 am Cindy

    I loved this movie, and yes, I’m a chick. Seriously though, I found myself smiling throughout the entire movie, especially when Giselle sang her clean-up song at Robert’s apartment – summoning all the animals of New York to his place. Definitely one to see!

  3. The Critical Movie Critics

    February 20, 2008 @ 8:51 pm iPod Gamer

    Enchanted was far more interesting that I thought it would be. The trailers really did not do it justice, and I left the theatre in an excellent mood. Your review here convinced me to go see it, and I thank you for pointing me in the direction of an excellent movie.

  4. The Critical Movie Critics

    April 4, 2008 @ 3:45 am Ojay

    I just watched this movie on DVD and as much as I hate to admit it, I loved this movie. I found myself laughing condescendingly at first, but as the movie moved along, I found myself getting into it. Enchanted is enchanting and charming!

  5. The Critical Movie Critics

    July 24, 2008 @ 9:44 am rugs

    I rented the DVD version of this movie and watched the animated cartoons in the bonus section.
    Let me just say that those animated cartoons totally disturbed me. They got worse and worse – starting off with a girl who commits suicide, to a girl who eats her entire family. The last one was the most disturbing for me. I still have horrible feelings when I think about it. It takes a lot to disturb me, but something about that really disturbed me.

  6. The Critical Movie Critics

    July 24, 2008 @ 9:43 am Deluge

    I saw the trailer and totally avoided it. Seriously. I’m sure that my girlfriend will make me watch it soon enough, though. Although, she often jokes when we go to the video store about it. One day she’ll probably get her way. Otherwise, I enjoyed the mix of animation and real characters. It’s been a while since we’ve seen something like that. I still think Who Framed Roger Rabbitt did the best job in that.

  7. The Critical Movie Critics

    September 1, 2008 @ 12:56 am art oil

    I’m someone who is never fascinated with fairy tales. But because the leading man is Patrick Dempsey I had to watch it. The combination of usual delivery of dialogues and musical delivery is perfect! All of the songs for the movie were catchy and I love them. It’s like I went back to being a child and this time I’m starting to love fairy tales.

  8. The Critical Movie Critics

    November 22, 2009 @ 3:19 am Grassy Head

    I saw this movie. Very interesting to see. Animation (special effect) is very good.

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