Matt O’Connor
It’s Day 19 of our Christmas Movie Countdown! So far, we’ve already looked at a few different versions of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. But this film takes things in a completely different direction when it comes to its tone. From the minds of Sean Anders and John Morris comes a Christmas comedy that simultaneously parodies and adapts what came before.
Once every Christmas Season, the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future alongside Jacob Marley select one soul to visit to be reformed. But this year, the ghosts choose media consultant Clint Briggs. However, the ghosts find themselves in shambles, as the Ghost of Christmas Present finds Clint to be irredeemable. After observing Clint’s life and seeing what makes him tick, the Ghosts visit Clint but things quickly go off the rails.
The cast of this film is really giving it their all. Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, Sunita Mani and Patrick Page have really great chemistry with each other and make for an entertaining ensemble of characters. Interestingly, there’s also a pretty interesting twist with one of the characters and how they connect to the original Christmas Carol story.
Christmas and comedy often go hand in hand, and Spirited makes for the best of both worlds. Whereas most adaptations of the original Dickens story tend to follow the source material, Spirited turns everything on its head and makes for a hilarious viewing experience.
