Photo by: Brenden Cowan

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Spirited is a novel, funny, and witty 2022 musical and comedy starring Ryan Renolds and Will Ferrell that was released on Nov. 11, 2022. The movie was directed by Sean Anders and written by John Morris alongside Anders. 

Ryan Reynolds plays “Clint Briggs” in the film, while his co-star, Will Ferrell plays “Ebenezer Scrooge.” Also starring in the film is Sunita Mani as the “Ghost of Christmas Past,” and Octavia Spencer as “Kimberly.” 

The songs and dialogue in the movie had to align with the story while also being funny at the same time, which was not the easiest thing to pull off, but the storyline in Spirited handles this very well. It’s a Christmas movie that offers a new, refreshing storyline that’s different from most other ones in the same holiday niche.

The directing and filming in Spirited is very good, especially in most of the musical performances. The camera work is creatively implemented to showcase not only the lead singers, but also a lot of the background singers and dancers. The movie also incorporates good camera work into the comedy aspect of the film. For example, there is a scene in which Ferrell’s character walked right into a pole, but the pole is hidden from viewers right until the hit, which makes it a funny and spontaneous bit because it’s so unexpected.  

The soundtrack and songs in Spirited are top notch. The soundtrack perfectly depicts the characters’ moods throughout the film. It also does a great job of keeping the viewer engaged throughout the course of the movie. The costume and design was excellent considering the fact that the movie does a lot of time travelling. The costumes were accurate for every time period.

The film was perfectly cast. Reynolds, who is known to be funny, witty and someone who breaks the fourth wall a lot in his movies, coupled with Ferrell’s humorous acting, as well as the supporting cast’s great acting makes the movie outstanding in the acting department. 

Overall, Spirited offers something new from most other holiday themed movies. The movie’s great personnel talent, mixed with the comedy and musical genre makes it an excellent motion picture.