Spirited is a 2022 American Christmas-themed musical comedy film directed by Sean Anders and written and produced by Anders and John Morris. Starring Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, Octavia Spencer, Sunita Mani, Patrick Page, Marlow Barkley, and Tracy Morgan, the film is a modern retelling of Charles Dickens's 1843 novella A Christmas Carol.
Spirited was released in select theaters on November 11, 2022 ahead of a streaming release on November 18, by Apple TV+.[1][2] The film received mixed reviews from critics.
Plot[]
For nearly two hundred years, Jacob Marley has led a team of afterlife spirits in helping the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet-To-Come to find and redeem souls. Present has been eligible for "retirement" for decades but refuses to abandon his work despite being tempted by the promise of making up for his own failures in life.
As their new target, Present insists on Clint Briggs, a media consultant with a reputation for stirring up controversy, despite Marley's insistence that Clint is "unredeemable". The Ghosts begin a year of research on Clint as they prepare for the annual haunt. However, matters are complicated when Present is unexpectedly seen by Clint's assistant, Kimberly. They start the assignment, but it quickly goes off the rails when Clint interrupts Marley and easily seduces Past, forcing Present to take over.
Clint is dismissive of Present and resists the past memories he sees, particularly that of his older sister, Carrie, asking Clint to raise her daughter, Wren, after Carrie's death. Realizing Clint's case requires an unconventional approach, Present takes him into his own past, revealing that he was once Ebenezer Scrooge, the only other unredeemable soul to go through the program. Marley is furious and orders Present to "stick to the script" in finishing Clint's redemption.
Present shows Clint his old flame, Nora, happily celebrating Christmas with her husband and kids, but Clint deduces that Present longs for a happy family life himself with Kimberly. Present dismisses the idea and then shows him Wren posting an unflattering video of her classmate that Clint advised her to make public in order to win the student body presidency, instantly ruining the boy's reputation. He then finally forces Clint to relive his sister's dying request to raise Wren, where Clint turns her down and shoves the responsibility onto their younger brother Owen.
Present prepares to leave Clint with Yet-To-Come but Clint forces Present to confront his own fears of whether he was truly redeemed and convinces him to take retirement and return to Earth. He does so and, after he and Clint wake up in Clint's apartment, asks Kimberly out on a date. Clint is then intercepted by Yet-To-Come and shown glimpses of the future, including the death of Wren's classmate after he committed suicide. The vision shakes Clint, and he runs away from the haunt but is intercepted by Past and Yet-To-Come, who force him back to Earth.
Returning to his apartment, he and Present race to stop Wren from posting the video. They finally catch up to her but are stopped by Kimberly, who explains that she told Wren not to do it and then informs Clint she's quitting. Present is jubilant and waits for Clint to receive his finale but is confused when it doesn't arrive. Clint explains that all he did was redeem a mistake and that he hasn't changed but convinces Present that life is still worth trying and offers his friendship. Present, convinced he is unredeemable, tries to jump in front of a bus to return to the afterlife and his job. Clint pushes him out of the way and time freezes before the bus hits him as the spirits give Clint his finale. However, when time resumes, the bus hits Clint and he is killed.
Clint is reunited with Carrie but doesn't want to leave Present behind. Instead, he makes a proposal to Marley. A year later, Clint has assumed the role of the Ghost of Christmas Present and is in a relationship with Past. He is expanding the program to other holidays and has brought Carrie onboard as part of the staff. He also regularly visits Present, now going by Roberto, and Kimberly as they raise their two kids, revealing that the two men continue to work together on redeeming souls.
Cast[]
- Will Ferrell as Ebenezer Scrooge, the current Ghost of Christmas Present, later Roberto
- Ryan Reynolds as Clint Briggs
- Nico Tirozzui as 8-year-old Clint
- Thomas P. Gillis as future Clint Briggs
- Octavia Spencer as Kimberly
- Sunita Mani as Bonnie, the Ghost of Christmas Past
- Patrick Page as Jacob Marley
- Marlow Barkley as Wren/Young Carrie
- Loren G. Woods as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
- Tracy Morgan as voice of Yet to Come
- Aimee Carrero as Nora
- Joe Tippett as Owen
- Andrea Anders as Carrie
- Jen Tullock as Wendy
- P.J. Byrne as Mr. Alteli
- Rose Byrne as Karen
- Gavin Maddox Bergman as Oliver Twist
- Judi Dench as herself
- Jimmy Fallon as himself
Production[]
On September 20, 2019, it was announced that Daddy's Home's Sean Anders and John Morris were attached to write and direct the film, as well as produce under their production company Two Grown Men alongside Will Ferrell and Jessica Elbaum of Gloria Sanchez Productions and Ryan Reynolds and George Dewey of Maximum Effort.[3] The following month, it was announced that Apple had won a competitive bidding war for the rights to the film.[4] Also it was reported that more than $60 million was spent on talent for the film,[5] which was later increased to $75 million.[6]
Alongside the initial announcement, Ferrell and Reynolds were cast in main roles.[3] Both actors earned $20 million for their parts in the film.[7] On February 8, 2021, Octavia Spencer joined the cast, with Reynolds confirmed as the lead and Ferrell playing the role of the Ghost of Christmas Present.[6] In June, Sunita Mani was cast as Ghost of Christmas Past.[8]
Principal photography for the film began on July 6, 2021 in Boston, which stood in for Manhattan.[9] On October 18, 2021, Reynolds announced that filming had wrapped.[10]
Music[]
- Main article: Spirited (soundtrack)
Release[]
Spirited had a limited theatrical release on November 11, 2022, followed by its digital release on Apple TV+ one week later, on November 18.[2]
Promotion[]
A 12-inch vinyl single featuring songs from Spirited was announced for Record Store Day's annual Black Friday event in 2022. It featured the song "That Christmas Mornin' Feeling" sung by Ferrell as the A-side and "Do a Little Good" sung by Ferrell and Reynolds as the B-side.[11]
Reception[]
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 68% of 6.3 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 88/10. On the website, the critics' consensus reads, "Although it adds little to the long tradition of Dickens adaptations, Spirited is so genially overstuffed that it's easy to at least intermittently enjoy." Using a weighted average calculator, Metacritic assigned the film a score of 55 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
References[]
- ↑ Grobar, Matt (March 8, 2022). Apple Sets Premiere Dates For Cha Cha Real Smooth & Skydance's Luck; Unveils Images From Argylle, The Greatest Beer Run Ever & More.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Goldsmith, Jill (September 23, 2022). Apple’s Movie Musical 'Spirited' With Will Ferrell And Ryan Reynolds Gets Theatrical, Streaming Release Dates.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Parker, Ryan (September 20, 2019). Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds to Star in Musical Reimagining of 'A Christmas Carol' (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ Kit, Borys (October 8, 2019). Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds' 'A Christmas Carol' Musical Lands at Apple (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ Donnelly, Matt (October 8, 2019). Inside Apple's Ultra-Rich Deal for the Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell Musical 'A Christmas Carol'. Variety.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Sneider, Jeff (February 8, 2021). Exclusive: Octavia Spencer in Talks to Join Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds in Apple's 'Spirited'. Collider.
- ↑ Lang, Brent (July 20, 2022). Inside Movie Stars' Salaries: Joaquin Phoenix Nabs $20M for Joker 2, Tom Cruise Heads to Over $100M and More.
- ↑ Kroll, Justin (June 24, 2021). 'GLOW' Alum Sunita Mani Joins Apple's 'Christmas Carol' Musical 'Spirited' Starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds. Deadline Hollywood.
- ↑ Lovitt, Maggie (July 6, 2021). First Image for Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell's 'Spirited' Features the Pair in a Close Stare Down. Collider.
- ↑ Ryan Reynolds Announces Sabbatical After Filming Wraps on Spirited (October 18, 2021).
- ↑ Various Artists - Spirited (Soundtrack From The Original Apple Film)
External links[]
- Spirited at IMDbLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 36: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
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