Jump to content

Spirited (film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Age20035 (talk | contribs) at 17:23, 1 December 2022 (→Reception). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Spirited
Official release poster
Directed bySean Anders
Based onA Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens
Produced by
  • Sean Anders
  • John Morris
  • David Koplan
  • George Dewey
  • Will Ferrell
  • Jessica Elbaum
Starring
CinematographyKramer Morgenthau
Edited byBrad Wilhite
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byApple Studios
Release dates
  • November 11, 2022 (2022-11-11) (United States)
  • November 18, 2022 (2022-11-18) (Apple TV+)
Running time
127 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$75 million

Spirited is a 2022 American Christmas-themed musical comedy film directed by Sean Anders and written and produced by Anders and John Morris. Starring Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, Octavia Spencer, Sunita Mani, Patrick Page, Marlow Barkley, and Tracy Morgan, the film is a modern retelling of Charles Dickens's 1843 novella A Christmas Carol.

Spirited was released in select theaters on November 11, 2022 ahead of a streaming release on November 18, by Apple TV+.[1][2] The film received positive reviews from critics.

Plot

For nearly two centuries, Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet-To-Come, have led a team of afterlife spirits in helping find and redeem one new human soul or “perp” every Christmas ("That Christmas Morning Feelin'"). Christmas Present has been eligible for "retirement" for decades but refuses to do so despite being tempted by the promise of settling down and making up for his own failures in his past life ("Present's Lament").

Scoping for a new soul to redeem, the spirits encounter Clint Briggs, a renowned controversial media consultant ("Bringin' Back Christmas"). Despite Marley's insistence that his is an "unredeemable" soul, Present is set on him as he believes that his redemption could have a “ripple” effect, making him a force for positive change in humanity. The Ghosts begin a year of research on Clint, preparing for the annual haunt.

As they near Christmas, they visit Clint's headquarters where they witness him instructing his niece, who wishes to become class president, to tank her grades and post an unflattering video of a classmate who is running against her. Clint’s assistant Kimberly, who discovered the video at his instruction, feels guilty and almost quits, but ultimately does not ("The View From Here"). Matters are further complicated when Christmas Present is unexpectedly seen by Kimberly. They start the assignment, but it quickly goes off the rails when Clint interrupts Marley ("The Story of Your Life (Marley's Haunt)") and easily seduces Christmas Past, forcing Present to take over.

Clint is dismissive of Present and resists his past memories, particularly that of his ex girlfriend Nora, who broke up with him over his selfishness, and his older sister, Carrie, who asked Clint to raise her daughter, Wren, while on her deathbed. Realizing Clint's case requires an unconventional approach, Present takes him into his own past, revealing that he was once Ebenezer Scrooge, the only other unredeemable soul to go through the program ("Good Afternoon"). Marley is furious and orders Present to "stick to the script" in finishing Clint's redemption.

Present brings Clint to Nora, who is happily celebrating Christmas with her husband and kids, but Clint deduces that Present longs for a happy family life himself with Kimberly ("The Story of Your Life (Clint's Pitch)"). Present dismisses the idea and then shows him Wren’s classmate's reaction when he sees she posted the video. He then finally forces Clint to relive his sister's dying request to raise Wren, where Clint turns her down and passes the responsibility onto their younger brother Owen.

Present prepares to leave Clint with Yet-To-Come but Clint forces Present to confront his own fears of whether he was truly redeemed, since he had only lived 3 more weeks after encountering the ghosts, and convinces him to take retirement and return to Earth ("Unredeemable"). He does so and, after he and Clint wake up in Clint's apartment, asks Kimberly out on a date ("The View From Here (Riverwalk)"). Clint is then intercepted by Yet-To-Come and shown glimpses of the future, including the suicide of Wren's classmate. The vision shakes Clint, and he runs away from the haunt but is intercepted by Past and Yet-To-Come, who force him back to Earth.

Returning to his apartment, he and Present race to stop Wren from posting the video. Finally catching up to her, Kimberly stops them. She explains that she told Wren not to do it and then informs Clint she's quitting. Present is jubilant and waits for Clint to receive his congratulations from the ghost crew, but is confused when they don’t arrive.

Clint explains that all he did was redeem a mistake and that he hasn't changed but convinces Present that life is still worth trying and offers his friendship. Present, convinced he is unredeemable, tries to jump in front of a bus to return to the afterlife and his job. Clint pushes him out of the way and time freezes before the bus hits him as the spirits arrive to finally congratulate him ("Do A Little Good"). However, when time resumes, the bus hits Clint and he is killed.

Clint is reunited with Carrie but doesn't want to leave Present behind. Instead, he makes a proposal to Marley. Several years later, Clint has assumed the role of the Ghost of Christmas Present and is in a relationship with Past. He is expanding the program to include other holidays, take on more perps every year, and has brought Carrie onboard as part of the staff. He also regularly visits Present, now going by Roberto, and Kimberly as they raise their two kids, revealing that they continue to work together redeeming souls. Wren has grown up and has been accepted into a masters program at Stanford ("That Christmas Morning Feelin' (Curtain Call)").

Cast

Production

On September 20, 2019, it was announced that Daddy's Home's Sean Anders and John Morris were attached to write and direct the film, as well as produce under their production company Two Grown Men alongside Will Ferrell and Jessica Elbaum of Gloria Sanchez Productions and Ryan Reynolds and George Dewey of Maximum Effort.[3] The following month, it was announced that Apple had won a competitive bidding war for the rights to the film.[4] Also it was reported that more than $60 million was spent on talent for the film,[5] which was later increased to $75 million.[6]

Alongside the initial announcement, Ferrell and Reynolds were cast in main roles.[3] Both actors earned $20 million for their parts in the film.[7] On February 8, 2021, Octavia Spencer joined the cast, with Reynolds confirmed as the lead and Ferrell playing the role of the Ghost of Christmas Present.[6] In June, Sunita Mani was cast as Ghost of Christmas Past.[8]

Principal photography for the film began on July 6, 2021 in Boston, which stood in for Manhattan.[9] On October 18, 2021, Reynolds announced that filming had wrapped.[10]

Music

Main article: Spirited (soundtrack)

Release

Spirited had a limited theatrical release on November 11, 2022, followed by its digital release on Apple TV+ one week later, on November 18.[2]

Promotion

A 12-inch vinyl single featuring songs from Spirited was announced for Record Store Day's annual Black Friday event in 2022. It featured the song "That Christmas Mornin' Feeling" sung by Ferrell as the A-side and "Do a Little Good" sung by Ferrell and Reynolds as the B-side.[11]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 69% of 98 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "Although it adds little to the long tradition of Dickens adaptations, Spirited is so genially overstuffed that it's easy to at least intermittently enjoy."[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 55 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[13]

References

  1. ^ Grobar, Matt (March 8, 2022). "Apple Sets Premiere Dates For Cha Cha Real Smooth & Skydance's Luck; Unveils Images From Argylle, The Greatest Beer Run Ever & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Goldsmith, Jill (September 23, 2022). "Apple's Movie Musical 'Spirited' With Will Ferrell And Ryan Reynolds Gets Theatrical, Streaming Release Dates". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Parker, Ryan (September 20, 2019). "Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds to Star in Musical Reimagining of 'A Christmas Carol' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  4. ^ Kit, Borys (October 8, 2019). "Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds' 'A Christmas Carol' Musical Lands at Apple (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  5. ^ Donnelly, Matt (October 8, 2019). "Inside Apple's Ultra-Rich Deal for the Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell Musical 'A Christmas Carol'". Variety. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Sneider, Jeff (February 8, 2021). "Exclusive: Octavia Spencer in Talks to Join Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds in Apple's 'Spirited'". Collider. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  7. ^ Lang, Brent (July 20, 2022). "Inside Movie Stars' Salaries: Joaquin Phoenix Nabs $20M for Joker 2, Tom Cruise Heads to Over $100M and More". Variety. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  8. ^ Kroll, Justin (June 24, 2021). "'GLOW' Alum Sunita Mani Joins Apple's 'Christmas Carol' Musical 'Spirited' Starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  9. ^ Lovitt, Maggie (July 6, 2021). "First Image for Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell's 'Spirited' Features the Pair in a Close Stare Down". Collider. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  10. ^ Dela Paz, Maggie (October 18, 2021). "Ryan Reynolds Announces Sabbatical After Filming Wraps on Spirited". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  11. ^ Various Artists - Spirited (Soundtrack From The Original Apple Film)
  12. ^ "Spirited". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 19, 2022. Edit this at Wikidata
  13. ^ "Spirited". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spirited_(film)&oldid=1124996894"