A Surprisingly Effective Comic Fantasy for Grownups...

Rating: 7/10 (19 December 2009)

The 2007 film ENCHANTED is a deft and imaginative musical/comedy/fantasy that breaks several cinematic rules in its execution of a richly entertaining story that intrigues and delights the viewer. The film opens as an animated fairy tale where we meet Giselle, a princess who, shortly before her marriage to Prince Edward, is magically transported to modern day Manhattan, thanks to Edward's mother, the requisite Evil Queen, where she is befriended by an attractive attorney and single dad. Giselle's fish out of water experiences in Manhattan blend seamlessly with the arrival of Prince Edward, the queen's henchmen, and the Evil Queen herself, who also arrive in New York to return Giselle to the kingdom of Andulasia. The story takes most of the turns it's expected to, but the journey there is the fun here, as the the old cinematic chestnut of the fish out of water, is dusted off and refashioned into a contemporary fantasy filled with child-like imagination and adult sensibility. Amy Adams is perfection as Giselle, the princess transported to modern times who believes that love is everything, animals clean house, and pigeons deliver flowers. Adams' wide eyed sincerity and clear as a bell singing voice help to make this performance the flawless marriage of actress and character. Patrick Dempsey and James Marsden are attractive as the single dad who Giselle falls for and her fairy tale prince who want her back. Timothy Spall provides some funny moments as the Queen's henchman and there is a brief, but fabulous scenery-chewing turn by Susan Sarandon as the Evil Queen. Tony winner Idina Menzel (WICKED) also scores as Dempsey's girlfriend (BTW, note to continuity dept: during the course of the film, we see advertisements for WICKED and for RENT, two Broadway shows supposedly running at the same time, that both starred Menzel, but I digress). The film is energetically directed by Kevin Lima and the surprisingly clever song score is provided by Alan Mencken (THE LITTLE MERMAID) and Stephen Schwartz (PIPPIN; GODSPELL). Top it off with some top-notch visual effects and cinema's most durable sidekick, Pip the Chipmunk and you have all the ingredients for a first-rate adult fairy tale that provides some big laughs in addition to the expected warm-fuzzy feelings.