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Movie Review - Enchanted (2007)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Kevin Lima |
| Starring: |
Julie Andrews, Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, and Susan Sarandon |
| Rated: |
PG (for some scary images and mild innuendo) |
| Length: |
107 minutes |
| Genre: |
Animation/Family/Fantasy |
| Tagline: |
The real world and the animated world collide. |
| Studio: |
Disney |
| Website: |
Enchanted |
| Release: |
November 21, 2007 |
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PLOT
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Once upon a time, in a magical kingdom known as Andalasia, there lived an evil queen. Selfish and cruel, she lived in fear that one day her stepson would marry and she would
lose her thrown forever. And so she did all in her power to prevent the prince from ever meeting the one special maiden with whom he would share true love's kiss.
Combining animated fairy tale antics with live-action comedy, Enchanted tells the story of princess Giselle and her banishment from Andalasia, a kingdom so magical and
beautiful that no one even knows what it's like to get angry. Imagine Giselle's shock when she's transported to the gritty environment of Manhattan, a city where a father like
Patrick Dempsey doesn't encourage fairy tales to his daughter because he doesn't believe dreams come true.
What will happen when Giselle begins to fall in love with a flawed divorce lawyer who isn't quite as storybook-perfect as her Prince Edward? Who will learn the most about the
true essence of love? A better-than-expected fairy tale ensues.
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STEPH'S TAKE
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She was beautiful; he was handsome. He was looking for the one to finish the ending of his love song; she was there just at the right moment, singing the verse that would then catch
his eye and forever his heart. Giselle and Prince Edward: to be married at once! Such a romantic story; and although not likely, it still brings that mushy, romantic side out of you
and you find yourself actually wishing, hoping, and believing in their happiness - even if they have only known each other a mere few hours. I guess when you know, you just know,
right? Or could there be other dreams written in the stars?
You see, Prince Edward's (James Marsden) wicked stepmother, evil Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon), has plans of her own to stop their wedding, and as Giselle (Amy Adams) giddily leaps
towards Prince Charming, her soon-to-be husband, Queen Narissa finds a way to sway Giselle's attention and pushes her down a deep well that opens up into New York City. Imagine
going from the sweet hummingbird life of Andalasia to the busy, rushing-on-by city of New York. I get scared going there and I've lived in Memphis my whole life. Oh well. Giselle,
although naïve in her ways and innocent to the rawness of what "real life" is, learns to step out of her shell and let go of her fairy tale life that was all she had really ever
known.
She climbs out of a sewer in New York City, has her princess crown robbed by an old man on the street, gets caught in a rainstorm, and climbs up a billboard that has a picture of
a castle on it, thinking if she knocks long enough someone will open the door and let her go back home. And to think this all happened in one night! Of course it ends on a good
note, because she falls into the arms of a man named Robert (McDreamy from Grey's Anatomy AKA Patrick Dempsey), who later becomes the third party in the love triangle that
inevitably comes to be.
Thanks to his daughter, Morgan, Robert is there just in the nick of time to catch her fall from the billboard and take her back to his house that night, where the daughter,
instantly melted by Giselle's child-like personality, persuades her dad to let the princess stay the night with them. Although Robert has a girlfriend and Giselle's heart is
set on Prince Edward coming to the big city and rescuing her at any time, the two begin an inevitable romance. It isn't love at first sight, but the more Robert is consumed with
Giselle's view of life and love and living so freely and innocently, he does the only thing his heart knows to do - he falls in love with her.
This is definitely a feel good movie; it would be pretty hard not to like it, unless not even a little part of you believes in the whole "happily ever after" idea. I found myself
longing for the innocence of Giselle's character; it was, in fact, what draws Robert to her. She cleans Robert's apartment with help from all of the birds and creatures as
they come to her beckoning whistled call. She sends flowers to Robert's girlfriend via the nearest bird, and she engages many people, even Robert himself, in singing a love
song and prancing through the streets of New York with a couple of Jamaican street singers she had just met.
While the prospect of "Robert and Giselle" comes into play as he continues to help her get back on her feet and figure out her way, lo and behold, Prince Charming comes to the
rescue, seeking his princess. What the viewer initially expects is sparks, uncontrollable excitement, love bursting from within when Giselle's eyes finally land upon her Prince
again, the one she had patiently waited for to come and take her back to Andalasia. Nevertheless, and not to my disappointment, her expression is not one of pure bliss and
she does not seem to fall back into his arms or tender care and rescue, as I assume she always imagined she would. Something is stopping her heart; something is telling her
that maybe Prince Charming isn't meant to be her "charming" anymore. But what will she do? This is her fiancé; Robert has his own soon-to-be fiancée. What is love trying
to tell her?
JB is always telling his "fans" whether or not he deems a movie to be good enough to fork out some money for at the theatre, or if perhaps you should just wait to watch this
via rental in the comfort of your own home. In this instance, I would probably lean towards the latter. JB and I saw this movie for free flying home from Jackson Hole, WY,
and although it was a bonus getting this movie along with cookies and a coke as my perks on our flight home, I wouldn't have minded paying money to rent this movie, or even
to own it one day, especially if I had any little girls in my life to enjoy it with me. It's a movie that will capture your heart; it will leave you longing to see how the
fairy tale is going to end when all the fun and games are over and it's time to face the truth. Will the sweet princess choose her original destiny or will fate take a
different spin and lead her into the arms of another man? Only time - and watching this movie - can tell...
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JOHNNY'S TWO CENTS
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I'm not sure why Steph referred to my "fans" in quotes. What's that supposed to mean? Anyway, my impression of Enchanted after I saw the first trailer? "Wow, that
looks like one of the worst movies ever." Seriously, the combination of animation, live-action, and James Marsden looking like a queen couldn't have appealed to me any less.
After a few of my female readers saw it and begged me to give it a chance I thought, "How cute. Of course they liked it - they're GIRLS! Hello! I'm Mr. Tombstone, Star
Wars, and Dumb & Dumber. Come on now."
Then things got really weird. Guys, whose wives forced them to go see it, would tell me how much they surprisingly enjoyed it. I'd simply point to myself, exclaim, "Heterosexual
male," and go about my day. But then one guy in particular - a real rugged, hunter type - finally convinced me that this might be one of those cheesy-lookin' movies that would
exceed my expectations. Still, being the macho man that I showcase myself to be, I wasn't about to go see this by myself.
Thankfully, Steph (for those of you who are wondering - this is a new Steph!) came into my life and gave me a good excuse to watch what most people can only describe as a fairy tale
chick flick. Once the movie finally hit the $2.50 theater, I was ready to treat my girl out to a hot night out on the town. Who knows, I might even get crazy and spring for some
half-priced popcorn and coke (I figured I'd wait a couple of months before forcing her to sneak in popcorn in her purse). But the Lord's grace shown brightly on us on that flight from
Jackson Hole to our stop-over in Cincinnati. And I have to admit, Enchanted was a cute, enjoyable way to spend half of our time in the air.
I wouldn't dare invite the guys over for a sleepover and pop this into the DVD player, but it's definitely one to watch with your sweetie or your daughters. My sister loves movies
like The Princess Bride and Ever After, so I highly recommended Enchanted to her. It's not as good as The Princess Bride, mainly because it doesn't
have quite the same level of testosterone, and I doubt I'll watch this a multitude of times, but it certainly made my plane flight a little cuter.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- Amy Adams was in Talladega Nights with John C. Reilly who was in Nightwatch with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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This one's safe for the whole family.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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The movie's MUCH better than I thought it would be after watching the trailer. I wouldn't even bother watching the trailer if I were for you. It makes the movie look unbearable.
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THE GIST
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Enchanted is perfect for girls who love fairy tale chick flicks, guys who want something sweet to watch with their gal, fathers who want something family-friendly to watch
with their daughter(s), and anybody who likes movies in the vein of The Princess Bride.
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