Cool News
Massawyrm Desperately Tries To Avoid The Obvious Pun With ENCHANTED!!
Hola all. Massawyrm here.
At first glance, Enchanted looks like a by the numbers, lame re-do of the old Princess dropped into the real world shtick. We've seen that dozens of times – whether it be a rich bitch or actual royalty, this is a long running theme so beaten into the ground that Fox went so far as to squeeze three seasons of a reality series out of it. And Fox is like that ugly guy on the football team – once he gets himself a piece of something, you know his buddies have all had a go already. It's been done. Hell, if there were fairy tale jokes left, Shrek long since mined them out for their second film before they swept the floor for anything left to make the third. So why in God's name would somebody want to do it again?
And that's exactly how I felt for the first 10 minutes of this movie. There was nothing new. Nothing to smile or smirk at. Just all the usual set up. Adorable but naïve princess. A lovable dad without a wife. An adorable 6 year old girl who is never obnoxious and says the cutest things. Sigh. But then, out of NOWHERE, James Marsden gets shot out of a manhole and the whole movie changes. Because it is at this point that Enchanted begins to show its hand. How on earth could they make this film different than every other one before it? By making the poor little rich girl, this princess from a magical land, still magical – in defiance of the laws of nature.
You see, what works with Enchanted is the conceit that all of the princess's patented DISNEY ™ powers…still work. Everything she did off in her animated fantasy land, work just fine in New York City. With the occasional twist. And those twists take this from simply being a cute twist, to being downright funny as hell. There are a few sequences in here that are positively classic, a few jokes that really are their own thing and something this film will be known for for years to come.
But while this is busy being hilarious, it is also being as cute and cuddly as you'd expect from this kind of Disney film. It's wholesome, genuine entertainment that is meant for the whole family. It's romantic, fun, endearing and knows just when to exit as to never overstay its welcome. And at the same time there is a definite intelligence behind it, seeding a number of subtle jokes throughout, including a large number of Disney references. Yet they manage to avoid too many direct jokes. Not everything works, of course, and a few jokes failed to hit, but overall the audience, which included a number of usually stone faced critics were rolling, especially during a few key sequences.
Amy Adams is great. She plays the naivety to the hilt and always manages to win the audience back from her antics with an adorable look or reaction. Jokes that shouldn't work totally do coming out of her mouth. And when she isn't busy owning the film, James Marsden is. This guy never ceases to impress me. I've begun to see just how short end of the stick he was cast as Cyclops in a series of X-Men films that never really cared that much for Cyclops. The guy has an incredible amount of talent and is quickly becoming one of the most reliable supporting actors out there.
If you're spending time with family this week and need something solid and family friendly to take everyone to, there's really no reason not to see this. This is the single best live action movie Disney has put out since The Princess Diaries and is easily the best live action family film we've seen all year. If your daughter or kid sister is hassling you to see this, score a few points, take her and end up having an excuse to see something you are surprisingly going to enjoy. Recommended to anyone who can enjoy a family film and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to anyone looking for something to take the family to this week.
Until next time friends, smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em.
Massawyrm
Oh yeah, and Happy Thanksgiving. May you find yourself as stuffed as the turkey.
-
+ Expand All
-
Yeah, just kidding. My kids want to see this and I thought it looked good too, good to hear it is!
-
I would see this just for Amy Adams. She gave the best performance of the year in Junebug last year. It helps she's easy on the eyes too.
-
So what's the obvious pun mentioned in the article's title? Am I missing something?
-
Somebody's showing his softer side. Not that there's anythign wrong with that. Actually I'm glad to hear this flick turned out okay because my fiance wants to see it and I was afraid it'd be the same ol' pap.
-
is that he was "enchanted" by ...Enchanted.
-
Also, what was the movie where a film critic charged for different phrases relating to a reviewed film? Like, $500 gets you "charming" or "delightful"...$1000 gets you "splendid". Anyone?
-
RIDE THE SNAKE!
-
Did they show the Goofy short? Was everyone who saw this film thus far screwed out of the opening short? I want to know.
-
I really don't get why people who visit a film site like this aren't open to all kinds of films. I am firnly with Massawyrm in the praise of Hairspray. I had been hearing for weeks that Enchanted was really good. I just want to see good films, I don't care about the genre.
-
I saw the trailer for this about a month and a half ago, and I must say it was one of the best trailers around. James Marsden doing the funny? Sold.
-
I. Was. Fucking. Robbed.
-
Thanks for reviewing a family film just before the long weekend. We Dads tip or hat to ya.
-
Disney will take my $$$ this weekend.
-
Looks like BAY-Oh-Wulf will have to wait again. The trailer had me groaning...this had better work!
-
Looks like a modern, Hannah Montanah-ized Princess Bride. Taking my kids to this instead of Bee Movie, thank god.
-
Might have been to much to lump Enchanted in with that classic. "You keeled muy fatha, ppprepare to die."
-
big difference.
-
I made a mistake and said I was wrong. Egads, it's no Princess Bride. Not by a F***ing mile.
-
If you're enchanted by "Enchanted," that's not a pun. That's just repeating the same word with the same definition. "I was spellbound by Enchanted" or "I was bewitched by Enchanted" are a bit better, but still not puns.
-
It was much better than the much more honest 'Massawyrm tries to write a headline at 4 in the morning before staggering off to bed for an embargoed review he wrote like a week ago and almost forgot to submit." =P
-
I'm actually really, really looking forward to this movie.
-
Call your theater and ask if it is running with this film. Then DEMAND that they allow you to see the short.
-
You were screwed... completely screwed.
Apparently reviews and screenings of Enchanted are not being accompanied by the Goofy short How to Hookup Your Home Theater. I was very concerned about this given how great the short is and how much I want others to see it too. So I did some digging.
According to Disney the short will now debut with National Treasure: Book of Secrets on December 21. This is apparently being done to get Disney's new cartoon shorts program more exposure among general moviegoing audiences, rather than just animated film audiences. Something of a mistake in my opinion given that Enchanted is a better family film vehicle.
Again, I am truly sorry for you all who will be robbed of seeing Goofy for another month. -
Nov 21, 2007 2:39:17 PM CST
do you know why mickey divorced Minnie?
by lloyd bonafide the korean war veteran
Because she was F-ing Goofy.
-
Jesus Christ, I thought this was about "cool" news. Enchanted might have appealed to me when I was 8-years old. Then again, I'm a guy so probably not. Seriously, why waste one single second on this? What's next, a review of High School Musical?
-
And I liked Kate and Leopold. Sue me and I dobnt this will be as good.
-
Little seen film starring Anne Hathaway. Very funny stuff there also involving fairy tale humour.
And that Princess Diaries comment offended me. What fucking shite that was. -
It did remind me of KATE AND LEOPOLD. A lot.
-
If only they would make feature length animated movies again...
-
This is going to be odd to say, but this movie is probably the Terminator 2 of chick flicks.
I was shocked at how much I liked this movie. I shouldn't have liked it. No grown man should like a cutesy, sappy, movie like this.
But this movie is just infectious, and it never lets up. Even the musical numbers (and there are like, three of them) are funny and cute in their own way.
My fiancee came out of this movie grinning from ear to ear and I was almost the same. You'll be very suprised at how much fun this movie was.
Just don't tell any of your guy friends you saw it. -
= COMEDY GOLD.
-
Marsden: "Thank you for taking care of my bride, pesants."
-
Nice to see Disney 2D animation again. Disney live-action trailers have a way of making movies look really bad, even when they're not. But holy crap, that was some fluid cel animation. Well done on that.
-
You're an asshole. You did make me laugh, though, so kudos.
-
I would model myself on nonsensical. Just check out how good that set-up is to get someone into NatTreas2.
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Whitney Houston 1963 - 2012 -- 325 total posts 322 posts
- New JUDGE DREDD post production footage pops up -- 106 total posts 106 posts
- HANNA's Saoirse Ronan to boss around seven little people -- 63 total posts 60 posts
- Does ‘SNL’ Rhyme With ‘Deschanel’?? Learn Which SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Vet Hosts After Sexy Zooey!! -- 74 total posts 58 posts
- There's a STAR TREK video game that is going to lead into JJ's STAR TREK 2 apparently... -- 159 total posts 51 posts
- If the Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day drops her pen, pick it up, but don’t look at her legs or else it will be on your record. -- 47 total posts 41 posts
- AVENGERS enemy revealed as pink boardgame pieces... You might suffer some form of elation... SPOILERS!!! -- 161 total posts 34 posts
- To Commemorate The 3D Release Of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, George Lucas Wants You To Know...Greedo Shoots First!! -- 488 total posts 33 posts
- Friday Brings SWEEPS DAY NINE!! Gab Here About Tonight’s FRINGE!! Plus Einstein on TIM, Wiig On PORTLANDIA, MAHER, CLONE, GIFTED, GRIMM, SPARTACUS, SUPERNATURAL, GOLD RUSH And More!! -- 121 total posts 23 posts
- Here's The Red Band Trailer For Drafthouse Films' THE FP! -- 70 total posts 20 posts