Spirited - Magia di Natale

Spirited is literally everything I wanted from a Christmas musical and so much more, it is so, so good, I truly adored this Apple TV+ original and anyone who is a fan of musicals should check it out, you'll be treating yourself to an amazing time.

Wow, Ryan Reynolds, I truly cannot get enough of that man, I will watch anything and everything he is in, he puts on a truly brilliant performance in this and his chemistry with Will Ferrell is absolutely unmatched, this film truly takes the viewer on a beautiful journey about redeeming yourself that made me cry inside.

The musical numbers were absolutely spectacular, they were both marvelously choreographed and truly brilliantly hilarious, even though this movie was 2+ hours it somehow managed to just keep me wanting more the entire time.

Spirited gets an A.

I don't like Christmas movies, I don't like musicals, and guess what was the Monday mystery movie... yup, a Christmas musical. So clearly I'm not the target audience, but I try to watch everything so here we are. So many people walked out as this was the Monday mystery movie, it was actually disrespectful. I saw a leak post earlier saying it was going to be spirited so I was a little mentally prepared and actually tried to enjoy it.

Pretty upbeat just like any other Christmas movie. It starts out as a kid's movie, guess most musicals are, but still has some 'dirty' jokes as it goes on. Runtime's way longer than the actual plot was due to the singing. It got a couple good laughs; at times felt more of a comedy than musical. A good blend of Reynolds and Farrells humor, if you're a fan of either you might enjoy it.

Actually could have been more bearable for me if it wasn't a musical, every time I was about to forget it is someone started singing; after a while there's longer periods between the songs, and other moments when songs are squeezed together, mostly at the beginning of the movie and at the end. So there actually wasn't as much singing, you almost forget it's a musical in the middle.

I think the camerawork and production set felt like it was set up on stage so it felt like a theatre play. Songs aren't as catchy, I only recall if two that had me.

The story is pretty predictable on how it's going to end, it's just the journey of getting there. My favorite parts were when the singing was abruptly cut, singing aside its a decent movie. I just want to say you don't have to make a Christmas movie every year, it's almost impressive how they keep churning them out. I don't think this is a terrible addition, but Love, Actually is still the only Christmas movie I actually love.

The script was actually a clever take on the Scrooge story, and Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell both did a good job. Sunita Mani was probably the best supporting character (very funny). However, the musical numbers were really difficult to watch. Something about the music and lyrics was really off. In parts where they tried to sound sincere, it sounded corny; in parts where they tried to sound funny, it wasn't working. At just over 2 hours, it felt like an eternity. This shouldn't have been a musical. It would have worked better as a comedy. I recommend you skip it. Or just re-watch any of the great Christmas comedies already out there.

I was a little skeptical of it being a musical, but I'm going to say after watching "Spirited" (and I thought that required watching it with spirits, so in full disclosure, I obliged), Will Ferrell is the king of Christmas movies. I dare say I wouldn't need the alcohol to enjoy it, the best thing about the movie is that it knows what it is and actively makes fun of it. Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds are both very charismatic and have the ability to carry a movie on its own, and together their magic is additive. And while I expected this to simply be a retelling of "A Christmas Carol", it's actually much more, more of an extension of the story. Is it perfect or without flaws? Of course not, it could have been half an hour shorter, easily, as most movies these days. But it's an enjoyable watch.

Spirited is one of my favorite Christmas movies. I can watch it multiple times a year and still not get bored of it. I think it would get much more attention if it wasn't on an unpopular streaming service.

The film is a take on The Christmas Carol. There's already many adaptations of this story, but it's not as overdone as the typical Santa Claus movie, and Spirited distinguishes itself by following a new, modern protagonist, in a world where Scrooge's story was just one of many redemptions by the Christmas ghosts.

The story is gripping, and sends a realistic message about what it really means to be a good person. The characters are fleshed out and develop throughout the movie. Some of the jokes are cringy, but the ones that land are often hilarious. The plot manages to be unexpected despite its inspiration, and contains a few twists that help to further the story and don't feel like cheap shock value.

The movie is a musical, and the songs are a highlight. Neither of the leads are skilled singers, and this is noticeable at times (more so with Will), but the movie makes it work, and the rest of the cast does a stellar job. The set design and choreography is what makes the songs really incredible. Each one goes all-out visually, with spectacle rivaling that of stage musicals. At times, the talent of the dancers left me speechless.

If you don't like musicals, you won't like this movie, but if you are a fan of musicals, you'll be sure to love it. I recommend giving it a watch if you're interested and have access to Apple TV+. The cast and crew went to great efforts to make this movie great, and it deserves some recognition.