Last night I had the amazing fortune to finally see Enchanted. The eagerly anticipated new Disney film featuring animation and live action. Essentially, the new century's Mary Poppins. The film is utterly enchanting. It is wonderfully charming, lively and has a huge heart. You really can't help but smile the entire time. The main reason for your 107 minute long ear to ear grin is because of one thing and that one thing is the phenomenal performance of Amy Adams.
What makes Enchanted so clever and watch-able is that it sends up the Disney Princess genre while also honoring it. Who doesn't love the idea of a Disney Princess standing at the window of her Forested cottage calling out, in song of course, to all woodland creatures to come help her clean her house or make a new dress for the ball?
Amy Adams's Giselle walks a very fine line in the film. Adams performance is brilliant because she never turns Giselle into a caricature. It never enters the land of spoof or camp. Adams naivete, innocence, and earnestness are genuine and note perfect. Speaking of note-perfect Adams is a great singer as well.
Enchanted is currently at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, which would make it one of the top reviewed films of the year. It's cotton candy and sweet but not really serious Oscar fare. However, every review mentions how extraordinary Amy Adams is. Here's a sampling:
"Ms. Adams proves to be an irresistibly watchable screen presence and a felicitous physical comedian..." New York Times
"It has its own fabulous femme in the irrepressible Amy Adams (Junebug), a most worthy successor to Andrews' song-and-dance crown." Toronto Star
"I hadn't seen in a long, long time: an honest-to-goodness movie star brightening an actual movie… Here she becomes a star before our eyes, and it's like witnessing an entire garden grow in under two hours." The Boston Globe
"Amy Adams is the movie" Richard Roeper
"Adams is the wish your heart makes when you want a storybook princess for the ages. She's wicked good." Rolling Stone
"Playing perky and gee-whiz, Adams never overdoes the earnestness or even hints at condescending to the role, and it is impossible to think of "Enchanted" without her." Los Angeles Times
"The film, anchored by an entrancing performance by Amy Adams… Adams is spot-on in portraying the pure-hearted Giselle.." USA Today
Across the board raves for a ravishing, entrancing, star-making performance usually means a knock on the Forrest cottage from Oscar. It is my prediction that Amy Adams will be amongst the five nominees for Best Actress. Otherwise the Academy hasn't been waiting for love's true kiss in the form of Amy Adams' Giselle.
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