Amy Adams stars
as Giselle – a beautiful maiden in the fairy tale land
of Andalusia
who sings and hopes for the Prince of her dreams to come sweep her off
her
feet. One fateful
day, that’s what
happens when Prince Edward (James Marsden) saves her from a
Shrek-looking
troll, and the man and woman fall in love at first sight. However, the
Prince’s evil stepmother, Queen
Narissa (Susan Sarandon), doesn’t want to yield any of her
power to the young
lady and daughter-in-law-to-be, so she works her black magic to send
Giselle to
a place not full of as much love, singing and kindness.
She sends Giselle to Manhattan (may
God have mercy on the woman’s
soul).
Will Prince
Edward be able to find his true love?
Will Giselle be able to survive the big city?
Enchanted is a
rare, fun, loving lampoon of what made Disney great, and one of those special
treats you look forward to at holiday time.
Director Kevin Lima and writer Bill Kelly capture the essence of a
traditional Disney tale like Cinderella or Snow White (complete with characters
who look quite familiar to anyone who has seen either), but they know just the
right aspects to poke fun at, so the audience is laughing along with the joke
rather than feeling like what they love is under attack from two Hollywood wise
guys with a mean attitude. Then, Lima and Kelly do the
unthinkable – they infuse a modern movie with those fairy tale elements that
seem so hokey when you think about, but make perfect sense after you have given
your heart to Enchanted. You don’t roll
your eyes when the plot starts making its twists and turns. You start rooting for the heroes.
Best of all, Lima and Kelly do a great job comparing the fairy tale
world (in cartoon form) and the gritty reality of New
York City. Enchanted is full of sight gags, dirty city vermin instead of furry
woodland creatures, and characters that have reactions to our fairy tale heroes
that make you laugh long after you have left the theater. Then, when the drama is introduced, we
actually care about Giselle as she starts to question her choices and future,
even though you kind of felt that twist coming all the way throughout the
movie, which brings us to Enchanted’s amazing star.
Adams (the kind of woman you dreamt of marrying back when you had hopes
and dreams) is inspiring with her approach to Giselle’s wonder and naiveté. She gives Giselle a spirit full of love,
strength and hope that beautifully contrasts with the jaded, cold, cynical
personalities she encounters throughout the city, but never gets annoying. She gives the lady a pureness that is
admirable and heroic. If Oscar voters
are feeling daring enough, she could surprise everyone with a nomination for
Best Actress, and be worthy of every bit of praise and adulation.
If you are
looking for a movie everyone can enjoy, look no further than Enchanted.
4 Waffles (Out of 4)
Enchanted is
rated PG for some scary images and mild innuendo
Copyright
2007 - WaffleMovies.com
