Enchanted

Review By: Andrea Tuccillo
AndreaTuccillo@TheCinemaSource.com

Once upon a time there was a charming movie called Enchanted that took a classically animated Disney fairytale princess and plunked her right smack in the middle of the real world. The hustling and bustling New York City, to be exact. It’s a spoof on storybook traditions (mixing in catchy musical numbers and poking fun at various well-known clichés), but it also embraces them with wholehearted joyfulness.

Banished by an evil queen on her wedding day to her one true love, this two-dimensional girl with beaming optimism and a permanent sunny smile is forced to find her way in an unfamiliar world of disappointments and divorces; a place “with no happy endings.”

From the moment the fair maiden Giselle (Amy Adams) pops up from a manhole in Times Square wearing the most impractical, poofy wedding dress ever, the stage is set for her hilarious and winsome adventure. Unable to find a kind person to direct her, she ends up stranded in the Bowery in the pouring rain. There she catches the attention of 6-year-old Morgan, who is mesmerized by Giselle’s princess-like attire. The girl’s father, Robert (Patrick Dempsey), rescues Giselle and reluctantly agrees to give her a place to stay for the night even though he’s planning to propose to his girlfriend (Idina Menzel) the next day. Giselle, meanwhile, is convinced that her gallant Prince Edward (James Marsden) is coming to find her.

Robert, a handsome single dad and divorce lawyer who gave up on fairytale romance the moment his wife left him, is at first bewildered by Giselle’s sweet innocence. The way she randomly breaks into song, makes dress patterns out of the curtains, and summons rats, pigeons and roaches to help tidy up his apartment has him understandably overwhelmed. But it’s only a matter of time before his cynicism is won over. In turn Giselle’s perky optimism is challenged by Robert’s skepticism and real-world sensibilities. When he suggests that her beloved prince might not actually be looking for her, Giselle experiences anger for the first time. Her character begins to grow in depth, as do her feelings for Robert.

When Prince Edward descends upon New York in search of his bride, his bumbling pal Nathanial (Timothy Spall) comes along too. Nathanial acts under the guise of a sidekick, but he’s really working for the wicked Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) to sabotage the prince’s attempts and get rid of Giselle for good.

Since it combines the principles of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, Enchanted wouldn’t be complete without a ball, a poisonous apple, a beautiful maiden falling under a spell, and a kiss of true love before the clock strikes midnight. In a modern twist, the damsel even gets to do some saving of her own.

The success of Enchanted really hinges on the performances by the engaging actors involved. Dempsey lives up to his “dreamy” Grey’s Anatomy nickname as he perfectly plays into his husband-material persona. He’s simply made for romantic comedies, and ...