Enchanted by Enchanted

At Shannon's suggestion, the family went to the movies to see Enchanted on Friday night. It was a great suggestion on her part, because the movie was utterly enjoyable. It's perfect for both kids and adults who are in a whimsical mood, and makes great use of Amy Adams, James Marsden, and its New York City location. Adams is perfect as Giselle, a would-be princess thrust into NYC by, of course, some one's wicked stepmother. Wide eyed and innocent, she plays Giselle with the right amount of earnestness and excitement. Marsden, as the Prince who vows to rescue and marry her, shows a great comic timing and is funnier than his previous roles have allowed him to be. The cast is rounded out by Patrick Dempsey, Susan Sarandon, Idina Menzel, and Timothy Spall (Harry Potter's Wormatail).

As a spoof of and homage to classic Disney movies, Enchanted includes a few perfect musical numbers led by Adams (who did her own singing) and Dempsey's cynical New Yorker plays her foil well. Sarandon was the one downer for me, through no fault of her own. I simply found that her plot-important character, who provided the motivation and circumstances for absolutely everything that happens in the movie, wasn't what I wanted to see. I was looking for more singing, dancing, cooing at small animals, and sugary-sweet romance.

That said, I still had a wonderful time, and Enchanted offered the perfect happy ending to our holiday weekend.