Spirited

by Aprille Hanson-Spivey

Photo: Apple Studios

Director: Sean Anders
Starring: Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds & Octavia Spencer 
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 2 hours & 7 minutes 

If there’s another movie adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol out in the world, it better be worth it. Luckily, AppleTV+’s latest attempt at resurrecting the age-old Christmas redemption tale with the musical “Spirited” did not disappoint. It’s led masterfully by comedy veteran Will Ferrell as Present, the ghost of Christmas present, who has gotten into a bit of a spiritual rut in helping people redeem themselves each Christmas to be a positive change in the world. They plan all year to help one soul on Christmas night, visited by the traditional Dickens’ ghosts of Marley (Patrick Page), Past (Sunita Mani), Present and Yet-To-Come (Tracy Morgan (voice)/Loren G. Woods (body)). 

It’s not that the people Present and the rest of the ghosts are helping aren’t turning out to be great humans — apparently, Dolly Parton was one of them. It’s just reconciling the idea of how much can one person change the whole of a society that’s on a downward trajectory. 

So, he’s thinking of retiring — going back to earth to live out his mortal life after years of being a ghost and changing lives. But he’s set his sights on one very uphill challenge that could create a lot of ripples of change — the “unredeemable” Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds), whose PR company runs on fueling the flames of discord in modern society. Case in point — convincing Christmas tree growers they need to essentially start a culture war claiming that anyone who buys a fake Christmas tree is going against the “tradition” and “values” of Christmas. And it works, just one of the many ways “Spirited” throws in the not-so-hard-to-believe absurdity of society nowadays.

But Briggs isn’t exactly like the classic Scrooge, and Present should know – since he was, in fact, the original Ebenezer Scrooge. It’s a simple, yet clever plot twist in “Spirited.” Briggs really doesn’t believe people can change and in fact, he tries to help Present figure out his own restlessness. They even visit Victorian England and go on a hilarious “Good Afternoon” musical rampage — apparently, this was an “insult” back then. Not to mention Briggs essentially breaks into ghost headquarters, has sex with Past and upsets Yet-To-Come so much he’s able to overcome his muteness to use his catchphrase “You’ve been Christmas-caroled bitch.” 

To be fair, Briggs has a lot of baggage, including the death of his older sister and leaving his brother, Owen (Joe Tippett) to take care of his niece, despite his sister asking him to be her guardian. It’s easy to see his life is off the rails when he tells his eighth-grader niece (Marlow Barkley) to share “opposition research” on her classmate she’s trying to beat for student council president. But is he actually redeemable? 

The answer, in the end, is yes. It’s something he pays for with his life. 

Just like in the original, “Spirited” deals with dark themes — societal discord, teen suicide, death, humanity’s weaknesses, etc. It never becomes too corny or too dark. It’s really the perfect balance. It’s in large part due to the side story of Present’s love interest in Kimberly, the always amazing Octavia Spencer, who is also on a journey of self-discovery and self-worth. 

The musical has everything it should in over-the-top dance numbers and super catchy songs, combined with dark and light themes of human redemption. It also had some funny Easter eggs — like Ferrell calling a guy stupid for being dressed like his classic character Buddy from the beloved Christmas movie “Elf.” 

What was most intriguing was the movie didn’t promote the idea that it takes just one night to change. It emphasized how every day is a choice to wake up and make a ripple of positivity into the world. That’s a lesson every viewer, both young and old, could learn from today. 

"Spirited" can be streamed on AppleTV+.