Patrick Dempsey and Amy Adams in "Enchanted"
courtesy of Disney Home Entertainment
“A Fairy Tale Come True”

In the new film on DVD “Enchanted” several of the people in the film start out as animated characters but suddenly come to real life. That is a unique twist but “Enchanted” is unique in many ways. The magical forces at the Walt Disney Studios have assembled and created a movie that is a blend of the fantasy world and real life. 

Funny, musical and romantic - the movie pleases on all fronts. Amy Adams leads a cast of clever actors who help you suspend belief and plunge into the world of Disney where anything can happen.

The film opens like a Disney animated feature. A beautiful and sweet young woman named Giselle (Adams) lives in a tree house and is kept company by the animals and birds of the forest. She is ever hopeful of finding true love, which she does in the form of Prince Edward (James Marsden). 

They meet and immediately plan to marry and live happily ever after. Before this can happen however Edward's evil stepmother (Susan Sarandon) pushes Giselle down a well. When she climbs out of the well she is in the real world of New York City and no longer is a cartoon character but a real live girl.

Shortly thereafter Edward jumps down the well and emerges the same human way in New York. He is followed by Giselle's chipmunk friend Pip (Kevin Lima) and Edward's manservant Nathaniel (Timothy Spall).

While wandering the streets of New York, Giselle meets divorce attorney Robert Phillip (Patrick Dempsey) and his daughter Morgan (Rachel Covey). They take Giselle home with them and agree to help her find her way back to her home in Andalasia. Before that happens Giselle confronts daily life in the modern world.

All of this plot telling takes a little too long and there are some portions of the film that drag. Still the overall effect is good-natured fun that the entire family can enjoy. Plus there are a few musical numbers in the movie that lift the tempo of the film.

Adams is a delight as the wide-eyed Giselle. You can believe that her character is totally out of her element but learning as she goes along. She is a true Disney cartoon come to life. Marsden is equally as good as the faithful and sincere Edward. His is probably the better of the two performances as he must be overly eager to tackle the problems in this new world.

Dempsey is so into his role of Phillip that you never think that this is "McDreamy" acting a new part. He dances, he sings softly and he acts with heartfelt enthusiasm. It is a very romantic role and one Dempsey plays to perfection.

Sarandon is a little over the top as the villainous Queen, but Spall is a perfect foil for her rants and raves. Idina Menzel of "Wicked" fame is okay as Dempsey's girlfriend. Her role doesn't require much and that is what she gives it. Jodi Benson, who was the voice of Ariel in "The Little Mermaid," appears briefly as Robert's assistant Sam. Benson is a talented actress who deserves a bigger career than she has had.

Children of all ages will enjoy "Enchanted" and so will adults. It is a festive and funny treat for a family night of DVD viewing. The Walt Disney Studio knows how to make audience pleasing movies and this is one of their best.

Taye Diggs is a multi-talented actor. He can currently be seen in the ABC TV series “Private Practice” but before he signed on for this show he was in another series titled “Day Break.” In this series Diggs played Detective Brett Hopper, a man who relives the same day over and over. And every time it starts again he remembers what happened the previous time(s).

There is a way out of this endless cycle but Hopper must discover it for himself. It concerns who committed a murder for which Hopper is being framed. That is the secret and the core of the series which is now out on DVD. 

When the show aired it was cut off after only a few episodes. On the DVD you get an additional seven episodes that take the story to its conclusion. Now there’s a plus.

Sir Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine starred in the original movie version of Anthony Shaffer’s play “Sleuth.” Now Director Kenneth Branaugh has brought back Caine for the Olivier role and added Jude Law in the Caine role. This update is just as talky as the first one but the talent of the actors and the twists in the plot make it worthwhile DVD viewing.

The film concerns two men who are involved with the same woman. One is her husband and one is her lover. They meet to talk over the situation as only British gentlemen can do, but friendly reserve can only last so long. And in the end it might just get deadly.

This DVD is a basic class in good acting but the movie itself is only fairly good. You think it is going to be better than it is.

“Outpost” is a movie that takes place during World War II. It concerns a mission with several men going to an old bunker. Once they arrive there they learn there is more to this mission than they thought. A deadly presence is slowly taking them out one by one.

Ray Stevenson is the star of this film and he makes a rugged hero. Lesser known Julian Wadham and Richard Brake co-star. It is an exciting film and for fans of this type of movie a good one.

Sarah Michelle Geller, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Justin Timberlake and others star in the musical mess titled “Southland Tales.” This is one of those movies that is so far out it is supposed to be quirky and clever. Still you have to be able to understand what is going on at least just a little bit. I was totally lost in this DVD and I didn’t understand anything that was happening. Still for a little while it was enough to see Geller and Johnson doing their thing. But ultimately it just bogged down in confusion.
 

 

 

 

 

©2008 Jackie K. Cooper

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