55
Metascore
25 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75TheWrapAlonso DuraldeTheWrapAlonso DuraldeThe teaming of Will Ferrell (making his return to Christmas movies nearly two decades after “Elf”) and Ryan Reynolds delivers the banter you’d expect and the singing and dancing you might not, and their energetic interplay goes a long way to making Spirited a movie that might become a holiday go-to in certain households.
- 70VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeFor audiences cliché-savvy enough to appreciate the movie’s self-skewering sense of humor, this all plays out pretty much exactly as they’d expect, but that doesn’t mean Spirited can’t still surprise.
- 67ColliderRoss BonaimeColliderRoss BonaimeThe key to what makes this newest retelling work is the combination of Ferrell and Reynolds, both of whom are able to play to their comedic strengths, while also having the opportunity to do some solid dramatic work as well. This duo is delightful, and as they work together on Christmas Eve, it’s wonderful to watch how this relationship shifts.
- 63USA TodayBrian TruittUSA TodayBrian TruittAll the contemporary wrapping, a dizzying array of tones (from screwball humor to cornball earnestness) and endless songs by “The Greatest Showman” duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul winds up being like tinsel distracting from what works best: Will Ferrell as a determined phantom and Ryan Reynolds as his snarky Scrooge.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneySpirited owes its buoyancy primarily to the lively rapport of Ferrell and Reynolds, ultimately playing out the movie’s most convincing love story.
- 60Screen DailyTim GriersonScreen DailyTim GriersonMore often than not, the stirring tunes and the genuineness of the proceedings help paper over Spirited’s rough spots. A couple of twists are well-handled, and Ferrell’s performance as a dutiful ghost who suddenly questions his (after)life choices reveals a vulnerability which is disarming.
- 40SlashfilmJosh SpiegelSlashfilmJosh SpiegelA movie like Elf, as its opening credits suggest, seemingly sprung to life out of a children's book. Spirited evokes the sense that it sprung to life out of a series of focus-group sessions among corporate executives.
- 40The GuardianBenjamin LeeThe GuardianBenjamin LeeThe decision to make the film a musical is a genuine head-scratcher, one that’s never justified or even mildly explained given that the two leads are not natural singers and so throughout the lunges into song feel awkward at best.
- 25Slant MagazineClayton DillardSlant MagazineClayton DillardTo say that the film grows tedious quickly would suggest that it wasn’t already trite from frame one.