Director: Sean Anders

Writers: Sean Anders and John Morris

Starring: Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, Octavia Spencer, Sunita Mani, Patrick Page

Rating: ★★★½

Spirited is a Christmas comedy musical that’s a modern interpretation of Charles Dickens’s classic A Christmas Carol. The film is directed by Sean Anders, who also co-wrote the script with John Morris. The pair previously worked with Will Ferrell on the Daddy’s Home films. While it’s essentially the same story to what we all know, there’s enough new elements to make it worth watching.

Instead of telling the story the traditional way, it’s told from the perspective of the ghosts. Showing them preparing to target the ‘perp’ Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds), a marketing giant who runs his business by creating division in the world. Will Ferrell plays the Ghost of Christmas Present and is the leader of the operation. He’s chosen Briggs as his target, believing that turning him good will send positive ripples around the world. 

Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell are very funny in the film, doing what they’re best at. There’s lots of offbeat humour, and a very dodgy English accent from Reynolds for one song. If you’re a fan of Reynolds, then you’ll probably like this one. Tonally, it’s an all-out Christmas musical, that isn’t afraid to go big with the epic numbers. They’re as grand as any musical you can think of, and while there’s not a song that’s earwormy enough to be stuck in your head for weeks, they’re all entertaining.

With so many adaptations of A Christmas Carol it’s good to see a new spin on it, that doesn’t feel like just re-treading old ground even though the staples of the story are still there. It’s entertaining, with some good jokes and plenty of good music. A perfect, goofy addition for any Christmas watch list.

Thanks for reading! If you liked my review, please subscribe to never miss a post: