This was another film that just like Hairspray, I really didnt think I would watch or think was going to turn out good. The premise from the trailers made it out to seem like Disney cashing in on the Shrek premise of making jokes about old fairy tales and when the biggest joke in the trailer is having a singing prince fall down...you can't help but cringe.
Another thing that had me cringing was when I first read and then saw Amy Adams in the lead role of the Disney like Princess who gets transported to a modern day New York. I was and still am a gigantic fan of Amy Adams performance in Junebug and I felt that she was robbed the year that she was nominated for the Oscar. Now, when I saw that she was going to be in this I thought that she was going to go the family friendly sell out route and I thought she had much more to her than cutesy cash in roles.
So, when the great reviews started to pour in and Oscar buzz started to build for Adams again I became interested in checking it out, which was something that I did not expect at all. I was planning on waiting until DVD but when an opportunity turned up for me to tag a long and watch it for free I took advantage and did so.
I am pleased to say that this one surprised me a lot. Sure, it's not without its family film cliches and flaws but I didn't expect the film to be so charming, innocent, funny, and fun. I attribute all this mainly to Amy Adams pitch perfect performance. Every single line and every single body movement is just dead on and often times hilarious without trying too hard to be funny while other times it has a lot of heart without seeming phony or forced. She really does make the movie as good as it is.
Apart from Adam's performance the film is a lot of fun as a whole.It has some great musical numbers, which was something that I was not expecting from it, that will leave you with a smile. It also has Timothy Spall (a new favorite actor of mine) doing some good supporting work as well. The plot and jokes always work and never seem like they are trying too hard either.
I could have done without the final 15 minutes or so but thats mainly because I already liked the conclusion that the story had come to and didn't feel the need to make it all a huge climax with a large action scene. It just felt out of place.
Overall, the film is one of the better surprises I have had all year. I enjoyed myself and I was smiling and laughing through out every minute that Adams was on screen. I hope the buzz for her performance gets bigger and I also hope that she is there on Oscar night.
Not counting Pixar, this is without a doubt the best thing Disney has done in years.
- B+
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