Review of Enchanted (2007) by Michael M — 22 Nov 2012

The short review here is ultimately, it could have been better.

It's got a lot of ups and downs in quality. The beginning when they're in the animated world is great, and I loved the sort of "day in the life" look at the Disney-verse. The ending is great, and a fun homage/parody to a bunch of different Disney climaxes. And there's one really good musical segment near the middle. Everything else however is very hit or miss.

Giselle has a very Snow White sort of quality to her, which makes sense, but does create some issues. In her little animated fantasy-world, Giselle (much like Snow White) is very delightful and enjoyable to watch. Take her out of that world, and it's a little awkward. I know that's where most of the comedy is coming from, but it just came off as painful for me to watch a lot of the time. I really just felt uncomfortable when she was in New York before Patrick Dempsey showed up and gave her some sort of safe haven. After that her scenes work a lot better and were more enjoyable.

James Marsden as the Prince on the other hand, is fantastic from start to finish. He so obliviously self-loving and cheery, it just brought a smile to my face every time he came on screen. He's a ton of fun, and he was clearly having fun with this performance.

I like the idea, I like the performances, it just doesn't wind up being as good as it could have been. But hey, what we're left with is still immensely enjoyable nonetheless.