It's Nice to See That Disney Can Make Fun of Itself

Rating: 7/10 (14 December 2007)

A cute and diverting Disney film that pokes fun at other Disney films.
Amy Adams does fine work as a cartoon princess named Giselle who is banished to that frightening, sinister world otherwise known as New York City by an evil queen (Susan Sarandon) who doesn't want her marrying her dashing stepson, Prince Edward (James Marsden), and stealing her crown away from her. Giselle winds up in the care of Patrick Dempsey (who's come a long way since his days as a gigolo pizza delivery guy in "Loverboy"), an uptight divorce attorney who doesn't believe in true love. Giselle of course, in true Disney princess fashion, believes in nothing else, and the two fall predictably in love, much to the dismay of Edward, who has followed Giselle to New York.
Much of the humor in "Enchanted" revolves around contrasting fairytale mannerisms and beliefs to the, shall we say slightly more jaded, attitudes of modern-day New York. Giselle and Edward are both completely lacking in irony or sarcasm, and don't understand feelings like anger or scorn. They both also have a habit of breaking out into big production numbers at the most inopportune times, which provides the film with its highlights. When Giselle wants to clean up a messy apartment, she enlists the help of God's creatures, just like Snow White did so many years ago, but the ones that show up here are pigeons, rats, roaches and an army of flies. It would be easy to dismiss Adams' performance as unchallenging, but I think it would take a lot of skill to carry a movie like this, and she does it well. Marsden is also quite funny as the pompous prince with gleaming white teeth. Demspey is kind of droopy, while Susan Sarandon hams things up as the wicked stepmother. The film grows rather tiresome by its conclusion; the filmmakers can't resist a CGI showdown between the queen (in the guise of a giant purple dragon) and our lovers. But overall it left me entertained.
Grade: B+