Spirited Review: Ryan Reynolds & Will Ferrell Choose Chaos with This Choppy Christmas Musical

Warning: This review may contain spoilers for the Apple TV+ film Spirited.

Spirited is proof chaos when left unchecked, can overwhelm the most promising Hollywood projects.

This ambitious reimagining of A Christmas Carol packs a nearly 2-hour run time with grand musical numbers and extensive after-life lore. The cautionary tale is diluted, rarely rooting its self-proclaimed musical comedy in anything laugh-worthy.

That said, comedic heavyweights Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds do what they do best to draw people to the streaming spectacle, and their dedication to seeing this bit through to its morbid end keeps spirits high.

There is no denying the real scrooge here is this film’s script.

Spirited is a victim of its runtime, wasting away vibrant holiday hijinks as the film dares to go deeper into its shallow trenches. The result is frustratingly James Bond-like as this homage to Charles Dickens becomes bloated with useless side quests.

The elaborate ghost story is choppy and in desperate need of fine-tuning. It gives the illusion this film left nothing on the cutting room floor.

The result is a never-ending story with a flare for chaos and pacing that is nearly impossible to engage with.

You have taken a wrong turn when your plot is more convoluted than Ferrell’s last Anchorman movie.

The good news? If you are not vibing with the direction of this comedy, wait a few minutes, and you will have a whole new tangent to follow Ferrell and Reynolds on.

That is the beauty of films as chaotic as this; they are open to interpretation.

If you enjoy musicals, you will undoubtedly find joy in the campy musical mockery this festive outing produces. However, you will struggle with Spirited if you do not enjoy films where people randomly break into song and dance.

That’s not to say Ferrell and Reynolds don’t garner laughs by leaning into the ridiculousness of this informal musical.

And with all that unpredictability, the film manages to spring several shocking twists on the audience that are worth sticking around for.

The main selling point of Spirited is its cast (and the briefest of Elf references).

Ferrell solidified himself as a staple of Christmas with Elf, and there is an obligation to see his legacy through. In return, the actor rewards fans with surprisingly subdued child-like character work and one particularly fun Buddy reference.

Octavia Spencer is the dark horse of this comedy, perfectly content with her character’s lack of purpose. In return, she kills whatever wacky side-quest this story throws her way.

Reynolds has solidified himself as a powerhouse who can produce results with oddball comedies like The Adam Project and Free Guy. Playing a version of his infamous persona, Reynold’s unrelenting snarkiness is a strong foil to Ferrell’s child-like whimsy.

This film may not utilize the two all-star comedians well enough, but there’s no denying Reynolds and Ferrell are a spirited pairing.

No, this assault on the senses is not going to stand amongst the comedy legends of holidays past, and one could argue Die Hard is more of a Christmas movie.

But this cast is no stocking of coal, either.

The dreaded blockbuster runtime is very much the ghost that haunts this one. There’s just no need for a jaunty Christmas movie to be this long — it’s passive-aggressive.

However, the decision to brand Spirited as a made-for-streaming movie is brilliant.

On Apple TV+, it can live in peace as a harmless holiday romp with low stakes. But if fans of this cast stumbled into a traditional cinema to watch it, they may not leave in such a “spirited” mood.

And to the streaming gods undoubtedly looking to Spirited as the next R.I.P.D. franchise: we do not, in fact, want some more.

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What did you think of Spirited? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Spirited is available to stream on Apple TV+ on November 18.

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