#42 "Enchanted"

Stats: 2007. Starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Susan Sarandon. PG.

Background: I waited for Enchanted with baited breath. Not only was is a musical, but it featured James Marsden (whom I’ve previously mentioned a fondness for)! My mom, sisters, and I saw it together over Thanksgiving break. Mom doesn't go to many movies, but we got her to the theater for this one.  I loved it (mostly … see “Reactions”) and bought it soon after it came out on dvd. (I still remember—I got it on a $10 sale!)

Plot: In this mash-up of various Disney films, Giselle (Adams) waits for her Prince (Marsden) to find her and give her “True Love’s Kiss.” Prince Edward does find her (they’re singing the same song—it must be kismet!), but before they can wed and share that kiss, Edward’s stepmother (Sarandon), disguised as an old woman (a la Snow White), pushes Giselle down a well … and she ends up in New York City! There she meets divorce lawyer Robert (Dempsey) and his daughter, who take her in and try to help her get home. Prince Edward also travels to New York, looking for Giselle. Of course, as this is a twist on the classic tales, Giselle is actually meant for Robert, not Edward.

Reactions: This is probably the only love story I own that I don’t watch for the romance. Honestly, Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey have little chemistry. But everything else in this movie works, allowing me to overlook the weak romantic plot. The songs are infectious. James Marsden as Edward is hilarious. The dialogue is witty. And the movie pokes fun at typical musical oddities. (When Giselle breaks into “How Does She Know?” Robert is perplexed that everyone around them seems to know the song, and he tells her she doesn’t need to sing in place of speaking.) This is an incredibly fun film that kids—and adults who grew up watching Disney films—will enjoy.

Verdict: Keep

Fun Facts: Not only are there visual shout-outs to other movies (like when Giselle runs up a hill singing with arms spread wide, like in The Sound of Music), but several actresses who provided the voices and/or singing voices for Disney princesses have bit parts in the film. Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel, plays Robert’s secretary; in one of her scenes, “Part of Your World” is playing in the background. Paige O’Hara, a.k.a. Belle, is the actress on the soap opera Edward watches in his hotel room … and “Beauty and the Beast” is playing in the background. Judy Kuhn, Pocahontas’s singing voice, also makes a cameo as the pregnant woman who informs Edward he’s “too late” when he knocks on her door.