A string of so-so movies,
and now she’s enchanted

Robyn’s ’Hood
By Robyn McCloskey

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, while my husband spent 36 hours in bed with the flu, I decided it might be a good idea to get out of the house. I took my youngest daughter, Madeline, and my tweenage niece Leah to see the new Disney movie Enchanted.
My idea apparently was shared by about 1,200 other people who must have had sick spouses at home, judging by the crowd at the theater. After fighting for three seats together, we settled in with our popcorn.
To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t expecting much. Not that I don’t think Disney can’t deliver; it’s just that I’ve seen so many humdrum kids movies lately that I try not to get my hopes up.
A few months ago, Maddy and I sat through Ratatouille. Actually, she sat through it and I slept through it. It was a cute movie, cute theme, cute premise, but there just wasn’t much else to it. Then, just a few weeks ago, we saw Jerry Seinfeld’s much-anticipated and much-hyped Bee Movie.
Against my better judgment, I did get my hopes up for this one. Considering that Jerry is one of the most gifted comics of our time, I figured it had to be good for at least a few laughs. And it was good for a few laughs . . . very few (bud-uh-bump). I fell asleep during this one too.
These are getting to be some pretty costly siestas I’m taking.
Which is why I am happy to report that I stayed awake throughout Enchanted. I left the theater very pleasantly surprised, if a little tired, since I didn’t get my customary nap.
The movie stars the adorable Amy Adams as the guile-less and naïve Princess Giselle, whose only goal in life is to experience "true love’s kiss." She thinks she has found her answer in the dashing but scatterbrained Prince Edward, played to perfection by James Marsden, who previously won me over as dance-show host Corny Collins in Hairspray, and who has a smile to rival that of any Osmond.
Things get complicated when the evil queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon, in a devilishly delightful star turn) makes it her goal to separate them. No sweet and innocent pretty young thing — especially a princess who sings like a songbird — is going to dethrone her. So, during the film’s seamless transition from animation to live action, Narissa shoves a screaming Giselle into a chasm that transports her from the charmed land of Andalasia to the gritty, frenetic, horn-honking bewilderment of New York City.
That’s where Giselle encounters Robert Phillip, a hardened and cynical divorce lawyer played by Grey’s Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey (I shall refrain from indulging in all the cliched "McDreamy" references here). And when their worlds collide, sparks fly, much to the chagrin of Prince Edward and Robert’s own girlfriend, Nancy.
In my opinion, Nancy, as played by Tony-winning actress Idina Menzel, is the casting coup of the movie. Idina — one of those gals who are more talented than one gal deserves to be — probably is most famous for her incomparable portrayal of Elphaba, the misunderstood green witch in the Broadway smash Wicked, the role that delivered her 2004 Tony for best actress in a musical.
Her uber abilities are greatly underutilized in Enchanted, but they’re memorable nonetheless. You’re really not supposed to like Nancy, just like you’re really not supposed to like Idina’s Wicked Witch of the West, but she manages to draw you in and show you her heart, which is, in fact, quite compassionate.
And thanks to Idina Menzel and the rest of the stellar cast, Enchanted turns out to be a movie that’s unabashedly lovable. Not only did it keep me awake, even after eating turkey, but it restored my faith in family-friendly films.
So I vow to keep that faith and continue taking my daughter to age-appropriate movies. And even if that next movie’s a yawner, I can always get comfy, close my eyes and catch up on my Beauty Sleeping. ••
Robyn McCloskey’s column appears each week in the Northeast Times. She can be reached at crmccloskey@verizon.net