For many people, a familiar pastime in the weeks leading up to major winter holidays is gathering with family members and watching holiday movies, be they in a theater or on television. During the month of December, as has become tradition, the Falls Free Press will reprise “The 12 Films of Christmas,” focusing on new holiday movies for the year 2022—a year that can still do with plenty of peace and joy. We will review each film, whether naughty or nice, and let you know where to watch.
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has been retold in multiple ways since its original publication in 1843, with characters portrayed by everybody from Mickey Mouse, to Jim Carrey, Mr. Magoo, and even Bill Murray’s classic Scrooged. The tale of a miserly, cold-hearted man whose stinginess has overtaken his willingness to love, Dickens’ story is repeatedly told yearly to express the need to take care of our fellow man and not follow Scrooge’s single-minded view of wealth. Ironically, there are some iterations of this story that, even if they are done well, are obviously meant to earn Scrooge’s millions. For 2022, Spirited is that adaptation.
Spirited stars Will Ferrell as the Ghost of Christmas Present (GOCP) who stakes his job on redeeming Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds), a scumbag lie-spreading media consultant who, upon discovery by the spirits, has created a controversy behind artificial Christmas trees to help the Christmas tree farm market grow. The job takes a rocky turn when not only does the duo become friends, but then GOCP falls in love with Briggs’ secretary Kimberly (played by Octavia Butler), accidentally showing himself in moments when he is meant to remain invisible. Deep down, the spirit wishes to retire and become human again and spend life with Kimberly; however he doesn’t want to leave without redeeming Clint who is labeled to be unredeemable, not unlike the spirit in his original life as Ebeneezer Scrooge.
In comparison with one of the better adaptations, A Muppet Christmas Carol, most songs in Spirited hit at the right point throughout the film. However other musical spots in the story are largely unnecessary and more or less poke fun at the genre. While the film would be far less entertaining as a straight story without the music, the large song and dance numbers choreographed by famed tap dancer Chloé Arnold would present better live on stage versus this filmed production. Interspersing the bro storyline of Ferrell and Reynolds with the dance numbers feels confusing, perhaps due to the lack of more musical numbers in between.
As uplifting as it may be, the humor focuses more on Reynolds and Ferrell, often forgetting other crucial characters, particularly Tracy Morgan as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come who has more lines in the show’s opening exposition than his actual story segment. Despite being the character who classically has no lines, introducing Morgan’s comedic chops could have improved his story and connection with coworkers.
Overall, when it comes to deciding which Christmas Carol adaptations to watch this season, Spirited falls near the top of the list immediately under the Muppets.
Spirited is available to stream on Apple TV+.
