At this season every year, I re-read Charles Dickens’ holiday classic “A Christmas Carol.” So as a devotee, I was hesitant about “Spirited,” Apple-TV’s wild, woolly, wise-cracking new musical based on that beloved book.
But actually, I really enjoyed it. And despite a few missteps, I think Dickens would like it too.
Starring Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds and Octavia Spencer, “Spirited” is not an attempt to add yet another new version to the literally dozens that already exist (just try googling this sometime). It is instead a modern-day sequel — and a pretty clever one at that.
Ferrell plays the Ghost of Christmas Present in a thriving spirit-world, which — under the direction of a distinctly chainless Jacob Marley — annually chooses one influential new “Scrooge” to haunt in the usual three-part fashion, hoping to redeem the targeted misanthrope and go on making the world a better place.
This particular year, Ferrell’s spirit convinces his crew to go after a guy whom Marley insists is “irredeemable.” That would be PR man Cliff Briggs (Reynolds), who is every bit as selfish and ruthless as old Ebenezer himself — except that he’s got social media to spread his misery throughout the whole world. As one character puts it, Briggs “creates division for a living,” and he’s devilishly good at it.
On this relatively simple framework — which does involve visits to the past, present and future — the script builds a story of keen emotional resonance and moral complexity (not to mention plenty of laughs, plus a lot of song-and-dance). With a mid-film twist that isn’t hard to foresee, the tale soon becomes as much about Ferrell’s spirit as it is about Briggs; and it also layers in some effective romance, along with clever tributes to Dickens and his “ghostly little book.”
In a recent interview, the three stars admitted they had no experience with singing and dancing — but you wouldn’t know that to watch them here. The hoofing is solid, the singing excellent — especially Spencer’s — though her and Ferrell’s ability to hold perfect pitch over long, sustained notes made me wonder if the vocals had been doctored in post-production. The choreography — including hordes of tap-dancers — is nothing short of sensational; and the many tunes are catchy and fitting, with delightful rhymes in the lyrics.
As for Reynolds and Ferrell, this is some of their best work. In particular, Reynolds must occasionally show just enough emotion to make us think he’s capable of change, but might be faking it to pull Ferrell’s chain (as he keeps insisting). And then as things proceed toward his inevitable redemption, these glimpses of humanity must become broader, deeper and more convincing; it’s an extremely sophisticated piece of acting.
Another strength is the film’s very modern — and very persuasive — insistence that a sudden change of heart (like Scrooge’s) would not be magically pervasive and permanent; rather, it would require persistence and commitment, needing to be renewed every morning, as it were.
Unfortunately, this cool idea requires the writers to alter (or perhaps just ignore) Dickens’ final paragraphs, and I for one detest this modern tendency to treat classic texts as conveniently fluid and malleable.
The film also fumbles by occasionally reveling in mean-spiritedness (e.g., the “good afternoon” number) and with a hefty dose of crude language that makes it unsuitable for families.
In every other way, “Spirited” is a smart, joyous and hopeful addition to the vast body of work that now revolves around this 179-year-old book. I suspect only the Grinch, or Mr. Potter, or — dare I say it — good old Ebenezer Scrooge would respond with “Bah, humbug!” to this one.
