A REVIEW By Danielle Hargraves

  Spirited, directed by Sean Anders, is a funny, heartwarming, and modern version of A Christmas Carol.

  Starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds, this retelling includes a team of ghosts, led by Jacob Marley, who take it upon themselves each year to redeem a soul in time for Christmas. They work all year to gather information and memories about their “perp” and on the night of Christmas Eve, they go on a journey through their life to reform their perp by the time they wake up on Christmas Day. 

  The Ghost of Christmas Present, played by Ferrell, sees a morally gray businessman while scouting for a perp after Christmas. Clint Briggs, played by Reynolds, is a media consultant living a highly controversial life in New York. Upon evaluating Briggs, Marley classifies him as an ‘unredeemable’. It takes a bit of convincing, but the Ghost of Christmas Present eventually persuades Marley to let him try to redeem Briggs - and this is where the film kicks off with a wonderfully modern twist on the classic story.

  Spirited is a musical and contains many original songs performed by various characters. Personally, musicals are not my cup of tea, however, this was executed brilliantly. The songs were witty and catchy, separating themselves from a cliché musical.

  The plot was intriguing, and just when it seemed like it was over, there were more twists and turns. Great quips were sprinkled throughout, and both main characters had one-liners that had me laughing out loud.

  Reynolds portrayed his character fantastically. Clint Briggs has no sense of morals and knows how to manipulate people into thinking he’s doing the right thing. Reynolds brought his signature charm to the table and played the alternate personality wonderfully.

  Similarly, Ferrell played the ghost of Christmas present with the same bubbly demeanor as he did with Buddy the Elf, from the movie Elf,  which many fans know and love him for. 

  Spirited is a heartwarming story with incredible characters and an important message. Coupled with catchy songs and terrific actors, this movie deserves a 4.5 out of 5 stars rating.