Spirited

Wow, but this is all over the place. Based very loosely on the Dickens' character from his "A Christmas Carol" story, Will Ferrell is the Ghost of Christmas Present who now works for "Jacob Marley" (Patrick Page) trying to save irredeemable souls from purgatory. This is where Ryan Reynolds comes in. He is "Clint" - a successful influencer who is about as ruthless for his clients as it possible to be. "Present" concludes that if he can save him, then he can make a real difference to the future (despite the fact that he appears, already, to have rescued Dolly Parton!). Anyway, this is where the story gets a little more interesting. Rather than cowering in fear at his apparitions, "Clint" decides to turn the tables a bit and before we know it,...

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"Spirited efficiently applies a Christmas formula. Harnessing the undeniable, palpable chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell, along with original holiday tunes filled with the typical humor from the actors, Sean Anders delivers a musical entertaining enough to entertain the average spectator.

Not all the songs succeed, nor their timing in the story is always the right one, and the generic narrative doesn't exactly help with the surprise factor. Still, I'm happy enough with the essential message that people can, in fact, change for the better."

Rating: B-