May 03, 2009 05:19 PM
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Enchnated is not the run-of-the-mill fairytale. Sure it has a prince, an evil stepmother and a beautiful damsel who sings at the drop of hat, but thats where the similarities end. Just when you think, the prince meets the beauty and the'happily ever after' is around the corner, the world changes. This is the perfect flick to watch with kids this summer. Partanimated, part live action, it enchants you for its 1 hour, 47 minuterun time.
The story takes you from the imaginary town of Andalasia to modern day New York without missing a beat. The ride is smooth from the singing heroine, talking rabbits, troll- fighting prince to the indifferent New York crowd and a cynical divorce lawyer(Robert Philip).
Amy Adams deftly plays the'lost' princess in New York. Believing this new world to be a different Andalasia, she keeps asking for the route to prince's castle in downtown New York. She tries to convince Robert that her prince will rescue her soon and marry her. Her ingenuousness finds a resonance in Robert's seven year old daughter and ultimately rubs on him as well.
Patrick Dempsey is convincing as a cynical New York divorce lawyer, trying to handle the challenge of being a single parent to a bright young girl. The mix of irritation and awe at the creative use of curtains of his house show that he has his heart in the right place.
The other male lead, the prince Edward(charming), played by James Marsden is good comic relief. Marsden can sing, dance and mock with his exaggerated'princely act.' His one-liners are apt and his'goofy' act is not a caricature. He is convincing when he'kills' a bus while trying to track down his bethrothed or requests the'magic box' to provide her address.
The little girl, Morgan, played by Rachel Covey, believes in fairytales and princess despite her father's best efforts. In fact she is convinced that Giselle is a real princess the moment she lays her eyes upon her. And from then on the two are partners in crime, especially shopping.
Susan Sarandon as the evil stepmother, Queen Narissa, has the most predictable role in the entire movie. She looks, acts and talks asany evil stepmother from the Disney stables. As usual she performs well, but there is little to distinguish the role from its genre. Her flunky, Nathaniel and the chipmunk have little to contribute, and are more of fillers.
All in all it is a movie meant not onlyfor kids but is good fun for teenagers. Even for parents it wont be a chore to take kids to this one!
Cast:
Amy Adams as GISELLE
Patrick Dempsey as ROBEERT PHILIP
James Marsden as PRINCE EDWARD
Timothy Spall as NATHANIEL
Idina Menzel as NANCY TREMAINE
Susan Sarandon as QUEEN NARISSA
