I saw the movie Spirited, starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds. It was the movie’s modern take on the classic Christmas story of A Christmas Carol. Having heard the soundtrack recently, I enjoyed the songs, even more when watching the film.
The musical numbers were impressive and theatrical. The first example is at the beginning of the movie with the song That Christmas Morning Feelin’, performed by Will Ferrell, Patrick Page, Sunita Mani, Tracy Morgan and the Spirited Ensemble. Another example is Ryan Reynolds performing Bringin’ Back Christmas, which looked festive, despite the meaning behind it. He sang remarkably, with fantastic dance moves. The most fun scenes were of him performing with Will Ferrell in the various numbers of Christmases past and present and the closing number. An impressive piece was The Story of Your Life (Clint’s Pitch), with a great discussion between the two characters in this great number. The funniest moment was when Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell sang Good Afternoon, which in the movie was an insult in the 1800s.
Will Ferrell was impressive and funny. He sang with heart and passion. The most touching scene for me was Will Ferrell
singing Unredeemable, being nervous about becoming a human again. He was singing with a lovely vulnerability.
Octavia Spencer is another actress whose musical numbers were heartfelt and soulful in the two versions of The View From Here, one of which is a duet with Will Ferrell. The first was when she was at work and questioned her life choices. The second time is when she goes out on a date with Christmas Present, who recently transformed into a human.
The movie was fun, a mix of emotions from joy to sadness and everything in between. The musical numbers in the film were impressive and dynamic.
