Saw it. Thought it was adorable. Saw it with the teenage daughters and husband. We all loved it. The only criticism I have was that the ending was a little forced.
I couldn’t help thinking that “Princess as hero” is getting a bit cliché in of itself. It’s to where I expect that the princess will wind up saving the prince in these things. That’s the kind of ‘twist’ that really works once.
That explains the Little Mermaid “muzak” in that scene.
But…
Why is “Princess as hero” only good once, but “Prince as hero” good the thousand other times it’s used?
Though, with that question, I should say that I’ve hardly seen any of the other Disney films. I’ve never seen Beauty and the Beast or Little Mermaid or Cinderella or The Lion King or Aladdin or Snow White or, well, it’d probably be easier to list the iconic Disney movies I have seen: thinks…Fantasia (the first one), Old Yeller, Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, and then most recently, Tarzan…I can’t think of any more, though there might be a few (especially some live action films from the '60’s…like That Darn Cat which just popped into my head). In any case, I can’t think of one Disney movie with a Princess that I’ve seen, other than Enchanted. The plot device you mention is not a problem for me.
Because the traditional ‘Prince as hero’ isn’t supposed to be clever. ‘Princess as hero’ is. In fact, the movie made sure you knew how non-traditional and clever they were being with what the Queen said about lawyer-guy being the ‘damsel’, etc. Only problem is that it’s been done before.Anyway, I’m not ripping on the film and don’t want to start doing so just to prove my point because I do believe that it was a great movie… It was just my opinion on the scene.
What a great movie this was. I thought what Amy Adams did as an actress was absolutely extraordinary, and more difficult than it seems. When she’s first introduced, she is a cartoon character - there’s not a thing about her acting that is naturalistic, and she sells it completely and unreservedly.
Then the movie happens. And Giselle changes - becomes more human, more real, more open. But here’s the thing - you don’t really notice, because Adams makes the transition so carefully and gradually and honestly that it’s not jarring or sudden. And then, when three quarters of the way in she’s reunited with Marsden’s Edward - who is still a cartoon character all the way - it’s only by contrast that you realize Giselle has been evolving all along. Great acting.
And the sight gag that ending the “Working Song” number was one of the funnier things I’ve seen in a while.
Jodi Benson, by the way, wasn’t the only Disney princess. Paige O’Hara (the film Belle) and Judy Kuhn (singing voice of Disney’s Pocahontas) also had bit parts.
I just loved this movie; I hope it wins something, somewhere, somehow.
What wonderful observations! Thank you for sharing them.
First up will almost certainly be some Golden Globe nominations (December 13). Since they have a Musical/Comedy category, and a Drama category, there are more open nomination slots. Amy and the movie are sure to get nominations, along with at least one song, I would imagine. The Golden Globes are handed out on January 13. I don’t know what to predict for the win. Adams, probably not, since Marion Cotillard (La vie en rose), Laura Linney (The Savages) and Nicole Kidman (Margot At The Wedding) are likely to be her main competition (even though all three of those movies seem like they should be in Drama, not Musical/Comedy). Other possible nominees are Helena Bohnam Carter (Sweeney Todd) and Ellen Page (Juno). The film itself will be up against some of those movies (probably) and others like perhaps Hairspray, Across The Universe (I hope), maybe Knocked Up or Once. The song(s) will be competing with songs from, probably, Hairspray and perhaps, Once. Whether it wins anything at the Golden Globes is a big question mark, but any nominations are very cool. (btw, unlike many people, I love the Golden Globes. They’re fun, can be riskier in their nominees and winners, and very often the voters have really good taste).
After that, on December 20, the Screen Actors Guild will probably nominate Amy for their Best Actress. They announce their winners January 27.
Oscar nominations are January 22. I’ve been following some of the buzz and I don’t think it’s out of the question that Amy and one or two of the songs could be nominated. The film? Probably not. This has been a GREAT year for films and that category is very crowded. However, there always seems to be this one oddball nominee that leaves people scratching their heads. It’s usually a lightweight, quirky film that otherwise might not seem like Oscar material, but it makes people feel so good, they nominate it (think Little Miss Sunshine, Chocolat, The Full Monty) and Enchanted could, you never know, fill that feel-good slot.
And then there’s critics’ awards. I’ll bet Amy will get some.
I know all this is way shallow, but I’m an awards geek, so I’ll be posting when I hear about these things.
And the bit with the fish in the coffee cup.
WhyNot just an FYI, the movie is mostly live action, so it may not appeal to your almost-3-year old. Then again, my 5 year old was enthralled through the whole thing, and she’s usually antsy after the first hour of an animated movie, so take that for what it’s worth.
ETA: Amy Adams is all kinds of hot in this. If I found her wandering the streets in a wedding dress, I’d take her home too.
I assume the first one is the live-action Pip.
Can someone identify the three princesses listed? Jodi Benson is mentioned before as the receptionist. Judy Kuhn is credited as “Pregnant Woman with Kids” and Paige O’Hara is credited as “Angela”. Can anyone help me remember where these characters appeared in the movie? And also, who was Mary Ilene Caselotti?
I’m not sure where Paige O’Hara appeared, but Judy Kuhn appeared during the sequence in which Edward knocks on every door in the apartment building looking for Giselle. One of the doors opens on a dour looking pregnant woman with a bunch of kids, who looks at Edward dryly and announces: “You’re too late.”
Yep, that was her. There have been some publicity stills of her on the web.
Supposedly, Paige O’Hara and Judy Kuhn also made appearances. Ms. Benson is probably the most widely recognized of these Disney vocalists though, and I suspect that she has the most rabid fanbase.
(Re)read post #49
Took my lady to see it tonight, and we both loved it. She was wide-eyed and beaming and laughing the entire time, and I thought it was charming and good-natured. I’m not a huge fan of classic Disney fairy tales, so I was hoping for a bit of a deconstruction without all the fart jokes and pop culture references of the Shrek films, which I hate. This was more of a loving tribute than a deconstruction, but I enjoyed the nods to all the obvious genre cliches. The musical numbers were lots of fun and the songs were very good, but when Alan Menken is involved, you expect that.
We both enjoy Patrick Dempsey as the “good guy” Dr. McDreamy on Grey’s Anatomy, and he pretty much played the same role here. As someone said earlier, lots of actors could have done it, but he is charismatic and it’s good to see him beyond the confines of that show. James Marsden had a tougher part to pull off, but he was great as the conceited but well-intentioned prince. Of course, I knew him best as Cyclops in the *X-Men * trilogy and Richard White in Superman Returns, where he was much more heroic and likeable than Superman himself.
I’ve had a crush on Idina Menzel ever since I saw her in RENT and heard her on the Wicked soundtrack, and I was really happy to see her in another role. I think she is gorgeous, sexy, and incredibly talented, and I wish she was in more movies. While it was obvious her character wasn’t going to end up with Robert McDreamy, she wasn’t shown as a bad or undeserving person in any way, and I was relieved that she got a fairytale-perfect happy ending too. In fact, I believe she is Disney’s first Jewish princess! (Thank you, thank you, I’m here all week! Try the veal!)
And Amy Adams… yeah. Echoing what everybody else said. I actually love *The Office * and Buffy, but didn’t recognize her from her small roles on those shows. She took a really difficult part here and completely and utterly sold it. Masterful performance, and she has a helluva voice, too. A star is born! (Was she really a Hooters waitress before?)
You know, I might just take the kids again this weekend. Depending on what kind of hell they raise between then and now.
I will either try this or Hitman tomorrow. It will depend on my mood in the morning.
Kudos to Susan Sarandon for being willing to film scenes without wearing makeup.
I liked how they didn’t show Giselle and Robert actually getting married (though it’s implied they did). It was really funny when the little girl said
“Boys are only after one thing…nobody will tell me what it is”.
I took our boys to see it this afternoon, not expecting much, and was… well, just swept away. Wow - what a fun, upbeat, clever movie! Took all of the Disney princess-movie cliches and poked good-natured fun at them. The whole cast was great, but Amy Adams obviously was a standout. Dr., er, I mean Atty., McDreamy was very funny and a great counterpoint to her bubbly good cheer. My favorite part was when she’s singing her way across Central Park, sweeping everyone else up with her enthusiasm, and he’s kind of sulking along in his dark suit (“I don’t really sing… I don’t dance”), rolling his eyes just a little, and at the end of her showstopper, he half-exasperatedly throws his hands in the air, too. LOL. The roaches, rats and pigeons coming to help clean (she says uncertainly, “Well… it’s always good to make new friends!”) was also a lot of fun. The songs were pleasant but mostly forgettable.
Still, I’d give this flick a solid “A.” Much much much better than Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, the boys and I agreed (they also liked it much better than Bee Movie, which I haven’t seen).
Dude, that was harsh.
Cute film. Always nice to see Timothy Spall work, and the all leads were well-cast. Loved the cleaning up the apartment scene - it was the highlight of the film for me. Didn’t care for the ending much, but the friend I saw it with loved it.
All in all, a good example of this type of movie, with an A-list cast on a B-list script. IMHO, of course. Nothing I’d run out to see again, but a pleasant way to pass an afternoon.
Let me guess. Republican, right?