Musical Mondays Week 46 Enchanted

[Cam Bert 8145]

A fairytale in New York and no Pogues to be seen.

We watched...

[grudlian. 4725]

I thought this was really good. Is a really fun idea. If Amy Adams, James Marsden, Timothy Spall (and his costumer for all his disguises) weren't so great, this would have been a total failure.

Then you have Patrick Dempsey who is just there.

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

1 hour ago, grudlian. said:

I thought this was really good. Is a really fun idea. If Amy Adams, James Marsden, Timothy Spall (and his costumer for all his disguises) weren't so great, this would have been a total failure.

Then you have Patrick Dempsey who is just there.

Agreed about Dempsey.  I was wondering his age at this point.  I remember him from 80's movies and now he's in one in 2007?

ETA: It's not as bad as I thought.  He was 41 when this came out and she was 33.

[WatchOutForSnakes 807]

Quick thoughts:

This is the first time I've seen this, and I was impressed. At first, I didn't think I could take 2 hours of Giselle, but Amy Adams struck just the right tone that I found her downright charming and lovable. That character could have so easily been just a cloying heap of saccharine. I'd also been watching (and just finished) "Sharp Objects" on HBO, and its quite the contrast. I do so love Amy Adams! 

James Mardsen was also charming, though he'll always be Teddy to me. 

The music was fun and the performances were great, though I expected more songs.  

Also, how do you have Idina Menzel in a musical and not have her sing?! Maybe not to upstage Adams? Lots of lost opportunities there. 

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

Jumping to the end, what prompted Nancy's sudden turn?  She was glaring all through the "other partners" dance and all of a sudden she's ok with him kissing Amy?

[AlmostAGhost 2718]

I enjoyed this too, especially Amy Adams and the songs.  Had some good laughs, esp. when she showed up in New York by emerging out of a sewer manhole.  Haha.  

But as I wrote on Letterboxd, I agree with Snakes saying there are lost opportunities here.  This could have been a really sharp satire, the premise is perfect for it -- wouldn't even have to be mocking at all, it could just be an insightful look at these Disney tropes.  I have a sense it started that way, and then they decided to take it straight, and now it's just another Disney princess musical like all the others.

[SaraK 1980]

13 minutes ago, Cinco DeNio said:

Jumping to the end, what prompted Nancy's sudden turn?  She was glaring all through the "other partners" dance and all of a sudden she's ok with him kissing Amy?

Poor Nancy really got the short end of the stick here. Her boyfriend for FIVE YEARS up and leaves her for a girl he met two days prior, and she had just agreed to marry him too (Their engagement talk was a little confusing, I don't know if they were engaged, or just agreeing to become engaged)! They seemed happy prior to Giselle appearing in their lives, though not overly emotional or romantic. But they probably would have been fine if they had married, she seemed nice and lovely.  I think she just gave up after he reacted so quickly to Giselle's poisoning, like 'why fight it?'

Also James Mardsen was perfect casting as a Disney cartoon come to life. He's too good looking to be a real person. This is also why he makes sense as a robot in Westworld

[grudlian. 4725]

23 minutes ago, Cinco DeNio said:

Agreed about Dempsey.  I was wondering his age at this point.  I remember him from 80's movies and now he's in one in 2007?

ETA: It's not as bad as I thought.  He was 41 when this came out and she was 33.

I assume they spent a ton of time finding the perfect Giselle because the movie fails without her. Then they just said, "Anyone can play the main love interest. Just get the Grey's Anatomy guy. He's hot right now." Being age appropriate was definitely not a consideration.

[SaraK 1980]

3 minutes ago, grudlian. said:

I assume they spent a ton of time finding the perfect Giselle because the movie fails without her. Then they just said, "Anyone can play the main line interest. Just get the Grey's Anatomy guy. He's hot right now." Being age appropriate was definitely not a consideration.

That is 100% how Dempsey got cast, this would have been like season 3 or 4 of Grey's, right when it exploded? 

Also, the whole point of the love interest is to be somewhat boring right? So 'realistic' and down-to-earth that he's just plain ordinary compared to James Marsden. While he's a good looking guy, he plays haggard and exasperated (but super rich) single dad pretty well.

[WatchOutForSnakes 807]

2 minutes ago, SaraK said:

That is 100% how Dempsey got cast, this would have been like season 3 or 4 of Grey's, right when it exploded? 

Also, the whole point of the love interest is to be somewhat boring right? So 'realistic' and down-to-earth that he's just plain ordinary compared to James Marsden. While he's a good looking guy, he plays haggard and exasperated (but super rich) single dad pretty well.

I also agree. His whole purpose was really just to react to Giselle and be softened by her, and be handsome and empathetic enough to justify her falling for him. He was pretty vanilla. To me, the best relationship in this movie was between Giselle and the daughter.

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

I forgot to watch it again but will try tonight.  I remember a few Easter Eggs but had a thought there were more when I was watching.  I should have taken notes.

Ones I remember:

The Belle Notte cafe (from the song in Lady and the Tramp)

Paige O'Hara (the voice of Belle in the animated Beauty and the Beast) is in the cast.  She played Angela (but I don't remember who that is).

ETA: This site says Paige is in the soap opera Dempsey watches.  Also Judy Kuhn (the voice of Pocahontas) plays the mom with many kids.

So is Jodi Benson, Ariel from The Little Mermaid.  She played Sam (again I don't remember the character).

IMDB has a picture of Jodi's scene

[grudlian. 4725]

35 minutes ago, Cinco DeNio said:

I forgot to watch it again but will try tonight.  I remember a few Easter Eggs but had a thought there were more when I was watching.  I should have taken notes.

Ones I remember:

The Belle Notte cafe (from the song in Lady and the Tramp)

Paige O'Hara (the voice of Belle in the animated Beauty and the Beast) is in the cast.  She played Angela (but I don't remember who that is).

ETA: This site says Paige is in the soap opera Dempsey watches.  Also Judy Kuhn (the voice of Pocahontas) plays the mom with many kids.

So is Jodi Benson, Ariel from The Little Mermaid.  She played Sam (again I don't remember the character).

IMDB has a picture of Jodi's scene

Sam was Patrick Dempsey's, I don't know, assistant? She worked at his office. Ithink it was the first scene where he brings Giselle to the office. I only know this because I was looking at imdb when her scene came on.

[SaraK 1980]

4 hours ago, grudlian. said:

Sam was Patrick Dempsey's, I don't know, assistant? She worked at his office. Ithink it was the first scene where he brings Giselle to the office. I only know this because I was looking at imdb when her scene came on.

The weirdest scene in this movie is where Giselle puts a fish in her mouth and spits it out in front of the assistant. WHAT IS THAT? I know she's cute and quirky, but even cartoon Giselle wouldn't put her fish friends in her mouth especially since they talk in her world. 

[taylor anne photo 11311]

[Cam Bert 8145]

I'm sorry to say but I wasn't really in love with this movie. A lot of that has to do with the "love" story between her and Patrick Dempsey. It is just so forced and and it comes out of nowhere and the whole turn at the end is centered around it and it just doesn't work for me. The idea is there that Giselle is falling for the real world, that she likes it and it is starting to change her. That's great, but then she goes from having zero interest in Patrick Dempsey and him in her to her seeing his chest hair and being in love. It's just so sudden. Then for the rest of the movie, despite immediately reuniting with her prince, she's just so hung up on him but I have no idea why. James Marsden may be a bit dim but that's partly because he's from this fantasy world. He literally does nothing wrong other than not knowing what a date is which a middle ages prince wouldn't either. Maybe because it the fall in love scene comes on heels of her doing a big song about getting Dempsey and Idina Menzel together. 

Also, if the Queen knew Patrick Dempsey was Giselle's true love and they loved each other, why wouldn't she encourage that as a why of stopping her and the prince marrying? Seems easier than poisoning her and trying to kill her.

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

I found this list of 20 things from behind the scenes.  One that stood out was Idina Menzel was supposed to sing the end credits song but that was cut before she ever recorded it.  Another was that the story originally wasn't so saccharine.

[tomspanks 9039]

Haven't re-watched the movie, but I liked it when I first saw it.  The one thing that annoys me is in the scene where James Marsden gets run over by cyclists.  Bikes aren't allowed on that path!  

[IMAHUGEHDTGMFAN 1837]

On 8/27/2018 at 7:05 PM, grudlian. said:

Sam was Patrick Dempsey's, I don't know, assistant? She worked at his office. Ithink it was the first scene where he brings Giselle to the office. I only know this because I was looking at imdb when her scene came on.

She also did Barbie's voice in Toy Story 2 and 3

 

2 hours ago, Cinco DeNio said:

another one was that the story originally wasn't so saccharine.

Yeah there's a quick fade in shot were... Giselle apparently walks away from a couple of possible prostitutes just before the homeless man steals her tiara... I wonder if they ever shot the beginning of that scene with dialogue and jokes but they never included it even as a deleted scene/outtake after they decided to tone it down... They probably didn't want kids asking their parents about prostitutes

Amy Adams and James Marsen where on point... I wonder If Idinas song was the same as Carrie Underwood's and would love to listen to her version or her other ending song Regardless... Make a recording when Idina hits the studio for Frozen 2!!!

[SaraK 1980]

1 hour ago, IMAHUGEHDTGMFAN said:

 

Amy Adams and James Marsen where on point... I wonder If Idinas song was the same as Carrie Underwood's and would love to listen to her version or her other ending song Regardless... Make a recording when Idina hits the studio for Frozen 2!!!

There's suppose to be a sequel to this - maybe she'll get to sing in that! I mean, she's been living in cartoon world so it would make sense story wise

[WatchOutForSnakes 807]

6 hours ago, Cinco DeNio said:

I found this list of 20 things from behind the scenes.  One that stood out was Idina Menzel was supposed to sing the end credits song but that was cut before she ever recorded it.  Another was that the story originally wasn't so saccharine.

Interesting read! That perhaps explains why Patrick Dempsey was just "there." Maybe he did too good of a job toning down his performance to the point of being the equivalent of a saltine cracker. 

I'm still disappointed Idina Menzel was scrapped for Carrie Underwood. The end credits song really didn't fit with the rest of the music. 

[sycasey 2.0 2301]

This movie was a super-pleasant surprise when I saw it in theaters. I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed it.

Amy Adams gives the kind of brilliant performance (perfectly calibrated to the material) that should win Oscars, but doesn't.

I liked that they threw in cameos for other Disney princesses. The voices of Ariel, Belle, and Pocahontas (singing voice) all appear in the movie.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

The most unbelievable aspect of this movie is that a woman from a magical fantasy land travels to New York and, by all accounts, spends a day and a night homeless in the Big Apple and falls in love with our world. Inconceivable.

Really though, I am like Cam Bert in that I wasn't really feeling this one. While Amy Adams is an amazing beam of light, I just wasn't charmed by Giselle the way the rest of the... world was when this movie came out, not to mention the other characters in the movie. I also saw James Marsden and Idina Menzel as two people who have been trying their best all their lives, when it comes to career and relationships and in the context they know those things. Then get roped into this magical bullshit and end up losing their respective fiances. What about a movie where Prince Charming/Edward, whose nature is trying his best, learns there is more to love that familial responsibilities and fulfilling of political duty, and where Idina Menzel learns to bridge the gap between her and her fiance's daughter (which I never really understood)? You had these two characters so wrapped up in the practical concerns of their respective realities that they forgot how to best experience their relationships. There is room for real growth there. Maybe the chaos caused by Giselle in our world could help them both realize that, and Giselle could realize that sometimes True Love takes real work, and that Happily Ever After doesn't come automatically with marriage. Instead, Giselle believes in True Love just like she did at the beginning and now so does Patrick Dempsey, whom she met 36 hours ago. Yay?

[Cameron H. 23786]

Sorry I kind of missed this one. I’ve been dealing with some stuff for the past week. I started watching it, but didn’t get a chance to finish it and my rental period expired.

 

[tomspanks 9039]

17 hours ago, CameronH said:

Sorry I kind of missed this one. I’ve been dealing with some stuff for the past week. I started watching it, but didn’t get a chance to finish it and my rental period expired.