Disenchanted (2022)

[paramitch]

So I'm a huge fan of the original Enchanted -- I think it's such a gem. It's a clever, incisive  skewering of the classic Disney princess musical, it has fantastic songs, a smart script, the cast is perfect, and for me, it subverts and fulfills everything we want in a Disney musical.

I pretty much love everything about it -- Amy Adams and James Marsden are freaking Oscar-worthy in my opinion (superb singing AND comedy AND pathos) -- and I love that it provides a ton of adorable homages, including the presences of Jodi Benson ("Ariel" in The Little Mermaid), Paige O'Hara ("Belle" in Beauty and the Beast), and Judy Kuhn (Pocahontas). Also, Julie Andrews as the narrator! The big musical numbers are flawless, and I love the evolution of the characters-via-musical -- love that Dempsey's Robert shows his feelings in the end by (very quietly) singing his feelings to Giselle in the beautiful final waltz, and Adams's reaction is really poignant, etc.

I just think it's so underrated -- beautiful costumes, production, performances. The script is understated and witty (and better than you think it would be). It's a lovely little movie by people who love Disney musicals and were waiting all their lives to make (and skewer) them.

Except for the overblown final 10 minutes and stupid boss battle (sooo many minutes ending with -- get this -- a winged dragon FALLING off a building. A dragon. With wings. Falling. Off a building. Okay). Still, it's lovely and light and wonderful and this perfect little confection.

Which makes me so sad that Disenchanted is so bad.

It's bad.

The premise feels hasty and underbaked. The cast is game but also looks and feels a little tired, and not just because it's 15 years later. The sets and costumes are terrible.

And the songs feel written in an afternoon -- there is not one earworm in the bunch. Not one. There is a song called "Love Power." I mean, not only is that the message of the song, that's the chorus. Poor Idina Menzel. "Love Power." I'm still horrified at this as a Mencken depth. "Love Power." The mind reels. I write musicals and this was so depressing. The best song in Disenchanted isn't as good as the worst SOUNDTRACK song in Enchanted.

But the real crime is the writing. The script is terrible (it's notable that one of my favorite screenwriters, Richard LaGravanese, evidently noped out after a story credit with 3 other people). And the whole premise that Giselle is now aging in suburban America really depressed me (and poor Patrick Dempsey, who is almost a non-entity). She goes from the lovely tower in the sky to a ridiculous CGI "mansion-hovel" -- and why do movies always have people moving into massive mansions and acting like the peasants of the neighborhood?!

As the pseudo-villain, while I like Maya Rudolph, she's just serviceable/wasted here, as are Jayme Mays and Yvette Nicole Brown.

I sat through it just trying to find a few nice moments and will now delete it from my memory. It's not what I want for Giselle and Robert, darn it. And while it was nice to see Edward and Nancy again, just... nope.

My wish will be forgetting that I watched this. I literally rewatched Enchanted afterward as a palate cleanser.

[Spartan Girl]

I agree Enchanted was the superior film, but I didn’t hate Disenchanted. Amy and Maya clearly were having a ball playing evil.

Could've used more Edward, though.

[paramitch]

7 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Could've used more Edward, though.

There's never enough Edward! seems to be the rule of the Enchanted universe, darn it.

 

[Morrigan2575]

This was kind of meh, I spent most of it comparing it to Galavant, Frozen and Once Upon a Time.

James Marsden doesn't age, wish we had more Nancy and Edward 

Edited November 27, 2022 by Morrigan2575

[JAYJAY1979]

Maya was too over the top and campy to be taken seriously as the antagonist...Susan Sarandon was superior.

And why is moving to the suburbs glamorized?  

[chediavolo]

I liked it it was a good little easy to watch pretty to look at movie. But really Amy Adams is what, about 50 years old and her character has a brand new baby? I guess miracles are real yes I know it happens but geez. 
definitely seemed like a movie for middle aged women. 
shitty thing to do taking the daughter out of school when she has about a year left to go. 

[SomeTameGazelle]

On 11/24/2022 at 11:26 AM, Spartan Girl said:

I agree Enchanted was the superior film, but I didn’t hate Disenchanted. Amy and Maya clearly were having a ball playing evil.

The only song I liked was Badder. And I loved Giselle's peacock dress.

On 11/26/2022 at 4:59 PM, JAYJAY1979 said:

And why is moving to the suburbs glamorized?  

I called the part where

Spoiler

Morgan was deemed a true daughter of Andalasia

but I had also really expected that they would realize that they would be happier in the city because the gaps between the fantasy of the suburbs and the reality of commuting seemed to be so vast. 

On 12/1/2022 at 4:30 PM, chediavolo said:

shitty thing to do taking the daughter out of school when she has about a year left to go. 

And not giving a sixteen-year-old (note: definitely not 15 years later in story terms) any input into her bedroom design even if you intend it as an enormous wonderful surprise is bad form. I was surprised they didn't link Giselle's evil stepmother behaviour to her early obliviousness to Morgan's feelings, but oh no, it was all the wish.

[Scarlett45]

On 12/1/2022 at 3:30 PM, chediavolo said:

I liked it it was a good little easy to watch pretty to look at movie. But really Amy Adams is what, about 50 years old and her character has a brand new baby? I guess miracles are real yes I know it happens but geez. 
definitely seemed like a movie for middle aged women. 
shitty thing to do taking the daughter out of school when she has about a year left to go. 

I didn’t have a problem with it- the movie takes place about 7 years after the first one compared to 15 years in real time. Amy Adams playing younger than her age didn’t bother me, when they have 20 somethings play 40 somethings all the time. The character of Giselle wasn’t supposed to be almost 40 in the original film so it’s consistent. 

[JustHereForFood]

I liked it. I rewatched Enchanted right before it and while I still liked Giselle and wasn't bothered by her cheerful naive personality, I can easily see how she could in just few years turn into that toxic positive person who doesn't stand anything imperfect or negative. She was really getting on my nerves within 5 minutes of Disenchanted, but I accepted that and watching Morgan, I was 100% with her reactions. Morgan was really the star of this movie for me.

I know that "the toxic fake life in suburbs" has been done to death on screen, but this still felt fresh because of the comparisons to the fairytale world.

My main complaint would be that I think Malvina was a completely unnecessary character. They could easily work with just Giselle as the sort of villain and maybe dedicate more time to other characters, IMO.

And while I liked the visual of Pip as a cat, I am so over the trope that cats are evil and the implication that villains need to have them and not other pets, because other pets are good. As a cat owner, shut up Disney!

 

On 12/6/2022 at 7:13 PM, SomeTameGazelle said:

 

but I had also really expected that they would realize that they would be happier in the city because the gaps between the fantasy of the suburbs and the reality of commuting seemed to be so vast. 

And not giving a sixteen-year-old (note: definitely not 15 years later in story terms) any input into her bedroom design even if you intend it as an enormous wonderful surprise is bad form. I was surprised they didn't link Giselle's evil stepmother behaviour to her early obliviousness to Morgan's feelings, but oh no, it was all the wish.

Yes on both points, I also expected them to return to New York at the end of the movie. I am a city person and I was with Morgan on that one 100%. Speaking of Morgan, I was convinced it's the same actress from Enchanted and then found out she wasn't, so kudos to the casting department, they did a great job in recasting.