Enchanted****

*ing: Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden and Susan Sarandon
Directed by Kevin Lima

In the animated magical land of Andalasia, there was once a girl named Giselle. A cut between Cinderella and Snow White, this beautiful girl sings her way through life with her cheerful forest friends such as a chipmunk, rats, birds and others.Waiting for her true love’s kiss, she finds Prince “Charming” Edward and the two are set to get married. In true fairytale style, just before the couple is set to say “I do” evil Queen Narissa, the stepmother of Edward banishes Giselle to modern day New York – the Queen has no desire to give up her throne to this young lass – and the Prince follows suit.Giselle (Amy Adams) finds herself traveling through a rough gutter bang in the heart of Times Square in live action (human form that is) and really she is a fish out of water.Manhattan is no Andalasia. Roaring traffic jams, thieves and beggars, abandoned alleys and not a soul to help, Giselle is really truly lost.
Then enters divorce attorney and single parent Robert Phillips (Patrick Dempsey) who takes her in for the night and helps her with a certain bout of hesitancy. After all, here is a girl who sings all the time and gets rats and cockroaches to help her clean and uses curtains to make gowns!Amidst all this, true love also arrives in New York. The thick and gorgeous Prince Edward (James Marsden) with a sword in his hand, who also sings rather amusingly about his true love and is in search of her and then begins this story of fairytale in a world that is neither always fair nor always true. Enchanted is a throwback to old Disney classics that is in fact a product of Disney studios. If you’re a Disney films buff, you’ll be easily able to tell references to classics such as Snow White, Cinderella, The Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty.
But unlike the Shrek franchise which takes a swipe at the classics, this film is done in good humour. Without poking fun, it manages to send out two important messages. One, life is hardly ever happily ever after, especially not in these times, and two, a little bit of optimism is all it takes to restructure one’s viewpoint of life.That said, this isn’t a film that only kids will enjoy. While there is a good chance that young girls will look at Giselle as an older sister, adults will also find Enchanted incredibly charming.Other than being an exceptionally funny romantic comedy with some fantastic laugh-out loud moments – in particular Prince Edward’s arrival in New York and Giselle’s fit of cleaning Robert’s apartment by calling out to cockroaches and rats as she sings “Aaaaaaaa…” – it is a musical that will definitely give you a warm and fuzzy feeling.The music, done by veterans Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, who’ve previously composed music for Disney flicks such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Prince of Egypt, fits the screenplay perfectly. The most fabulous and eye-popping number, ‘That’s How You Know’ which is shot in colours reminiscent to Bollywood no less in the lush green Central Park is wonderful
Other than a twist to traditional “happily ever after” notions, the film’s real success is undoubtedly Amy Adams. Patrick Dempsey and Susan Sarandon are the bigger draws as stars but make no mistake, the film belongs to this girl.To be able to play such a role with a straight face is an achievement all in itself but Amy makes us believe in herself and her fairytale-like mannerisms, which isn’t easy when your character has walked right out of a storybook. As her character develops and she starts becoming, less cheery and more emotional, she shines.Amy Adams is to Enchanted what Johnny Depp is to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise or what Daniel Radcliffe is to the Harry Potter movies.James Marsden is terrific as the thick, clueless and gorgeous Prince and Patrick Dempsey, the “McDreamy” doctor from Grey’s Anatomy is striking. His sense of reality with a twinge of cynicism makes him so much more relatable than any other character. Susan Sarandon is wicked as the evil queen but her role is limited. Nonetheless she delivers like a pro. The ending is drags a bit but that is perhaps the film’s only flaw and should be overlooked. This is a film that is definitely enchanting and for that it must be seen. Check it out at a multiplex near you because the money spent will be worth it. – Maheen Sabeeh *YUCK **WHATEVER ***GOOD ****SUPER *****AWESOME