Enchanted

Now its time for the sequel to No Country for Old Men, Enchanted. There are many of the same themes on display, mainly violence and talking hamsters. The fact that Enchanted received such good reviews gave me some comfort when I walked into a movie that is obviously for children. And in the end this wasn’t a wasted trip, Enchanted was a fun time.

I have to marvel at the skill of Amy Adams. This was a completely ridiculous proposition. She needed to act like a Disney cartoon character walking around in the modern world. This could have easily flown off the rails and crashed in a spectacular fashion but she somehow made it work. The fun that she was having was clear and it carried her through the whole movie. The way she moved, talked, looked, was exactly how somebody would act if they stepped through the screen of Cinderella or whatever other Disney movie that featured a Princess … which is pretty much all of them. This was an honest to god great performance. You cannot help but smile while she is bouncing around the room calling in bugs to clean an apartment or dealing with being angry for the first time in her life.

Everyone else is just playing the standard roles for this movie. Susan Sarandon is the evil witch. James Marsden is the empty-headed Prince. Patrick Dempsey is Mr. Right. And Timothy Spall is the manservant. None of them reach the level that Adams did but on the other hand no one ruins the movie.

Of course, the story is obvious. But it’s a Disney cartoon made with live bodies, what else could it have been? It’s the same jokes, twists and turns, and happy ending that has been done in every other one of these movies. That being said, the jumping from cartoon to live action switch is strong enough to make it stand out from the crowd.

Enchanted wouldn't be the first movie that I would choose to see, in fact I am not sure how far down the list you would have to go before it would pop up, but after seeing it I have nothing negative to say. Amy Adams carries the movie from bell to bell and makes the whole thing worthwhile. Good times.

7 out of 10