Subscribers Only Content Area

Home

New Movies

All Movies

New Videos

All Videos

DVD

Search

(About Our Ads) "ENCHANTED" (2007) (Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey) (PG) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Minor Heavy *Moderate Mild Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Minor Moderate None Minor Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate None Mild Moderate Mild QUICK TAKE: Musical/Romantic Comedy: A princess, her handsome suitor, and others end up transported from their animated fairytale world into modern day Manhattan where they meet a single divorce lawyer and his young daughter. PLOT: In the animated fairytale land of Andalasia, Giselle (AMY ADAMS) is a pretty princess who dreams of one day meeting a handsome prince who will sweep her off her feet into marriage where they'll then live happily ever after. Unfortunately for her, Queen Narissa (SUSAN SARANDON) isn't pleased when the princess meets the dashing Prince Edward (JAMES MARSDEN), for their marriage would mean the end of the Queen's rule. Accordingly, she employs Edward's right-hand man, Nathaniel (TIMOTHY SPALL), to do her bidding, knowing he's smitten with her. When that doesn't work, however, Narissa takes matters into her own hands by pushing Giselle down into a wishing well. That results in her arriving in modern day and very much live-action Manhattan where she meets single divorce lawyer Robert (PATRICK DEMPSEY) and his young daughter Morgan (RACHEL COVEY). He's about ready to pop the question to his longtime girlfriend, Nancy (IDINA MANZEL), but Giselle's arrival and decidedly unusual behavior throws both his personal and professional life into disarray. At the same time, and upon learning of what befell Giselle, Edward heads through the wishing well with his chipmunk buddy, Pip (voices of JEFF BENNETT & KEVIN LIMA), and Nathaniel not far behind them. As the latter tries to prevent Edward from finding Giselle, Robert tries to figure out this odd but beguiling young woman who soon has second thoughts regarding her preconceived notions about fairytale life and love, all as the Queen wants her dead. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Younger girls most likely will, especially if they're into the fairytale scene, while the romantic comedy angle might draw some teens. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG For some scary images and mild innuendo. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: AMY ADAMS plays a fairytale princess who's happy about her pending marriage to Edward (despite having known him for just one day), when she's thrust into the real world. Initially a blind love optimist, she starts to question her earlier beliefs about romance, all as she finds herself eventually falling for Robert. She also acts like a cartoon character in the real world (thus prone to suddenly singing a musical number), but that lessens as the story progresses. PATRICK DEMPSEY plays a single divorce lawyer who's raising Morgan by himself, but is prepared to ask Nancy to marry him when Giselle suddenly pops into his life. He then tries to juggle various things, all while finding himself inexorably falling for Giselle. JAMES MARSDEN plays the dashing, brave, and love-struck prince who travels to Manhattan to rescue his bride-to-be, only to discover that she might have had a change of heart. He occasionally breaks into song, all while acting like a cartoon character who suddenly finds himself in the real world, including threatening real people with his now real sword. RACHEL COVEY plays Robert's young daughter who's pleased as punch that a real fairytale princess has come into their lives. SUSAN SARANDON plays the evil queen who's determined to prevent Edward from marrying Giselle and will do anything in her power to make sure that doesn't happen, including trying to kill or have her killed. IDINA MANZEL plays Robert's longtime girlfriend who's initially a little suspicious of his involvement with Giselle, then believes nothing is happening, and then accepts the inevitable. TIMOTHY SPALL plays Edward's assistant who's actually working for Narissa due to him being smitten with her. Accordingly, he tries to prevent Edward and Giselle from hooking up, including repeatedly trying to feed her a poisoned apple. PIP is Edward's chipmunk companion who's frustrated by his inability to get anyone to understand his warnings about Nathaniel and Narissa's plans in the real world. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this PG rated musical/romantic comedy. Profanity consists of one religious phrase, while various colorful phrases are also uttered, as is some non-explicit, but sexually related dialogue and innuendo. A woman in just a towel ends up falling on and briefly straddling a clothed man on the floor, giving his girlfriend the wrong impression, while two women briefly seen in the background of a shot certainly look like hookers, and some brief, but potentially gay-related material is also present. Violence ranges from slapstick style material to characters holding swords on others and repeated attempts on a princess' life (via poisoned apples). Those scenes and moments of potential peril (including a sequence late in the film featuring a huge dragon grabbing a man and taking him up a tower) might be unsettling, suspenseful or maybe even scary for younger viewers, but probably few others. Some of the action and other behavior might be enticing for some kids to imitate, while the villains obviously have bad attitudes. A little bit of crude humor, some drinking (with one minor character appearing a little tipsy), and some brief, tense family material also occur in the film. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE We see some bottles of wine in a restaurant. Some kids may worry when Nathaniel (in disguise) offers Giselle an apple martini, since we know the apple in it is poisoned. She nearly drinks it, but Pip knocks the drink from her hand. Nathaniel appears to be tipsy and talks to the Queen whose image appears in his martini. BLOOD/GORE The cartoon version of Nathaniel accidentally gets his arm stuck up the nose of a giant troll, and when he pulls out his arm, it is covered in mucus. We see a dog urinate on Edward's boot. When frightened, it appears that a lone pellet falls from Pip's backside. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE We hear that the Queen does not want Edward to marry, as that would mean she has to give up the throne. Although he is something of Edward's right-hand man, Nathaniel works for the Queen to try to stymie the romance between Edward and Giselle. When Giselle goes up to talk to him, an old man grabs her crown and runs off with it. We see a married couple bickering while meeting with lawyers to go over their divorce proceedings. Later, however, we see that the couple is happy once again, all thanks to Giselle having earlier talked to them. The Queen orders Nathaniel to kill Giselle via some poisoned apples. We see that Nathaniel has Pip's little arms attached to the pinchers on a clothes hanger, thus leaving the chipmunk spread eagle. It doesn't take him long, however, to free himself. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed here and under "Violence" may be unsettling, suspenseful or maybe even scary to younger viewers but probably few others. In the cartoon world, a gargantuan troll goes after Giselle, saying, "I eat you now" and smashes his hands through her windows and then follows her up a large tree. They end up out on a branch that then bends down when the chipmunk Pip gets on it. Giselle falls from that and Edward catches her on his horse, while the troll is flung off into the distance by the branch when it snaps upright. We briefly see the shape of a dragon inside some fiery flames. Standing up on a billboard platform, Giselle starts falling backwards, briefly dangles from the edge, and then falls, with Robert catching her (but both end up on the ground, unharmed). Giselle decides to clean Robert's house and thus sings for animal assistance. Among the animals that respond are many rats, flies, and roaches, the latter of which come pouring out of a bathtub drain (and some of which later fly). This is all played for comedy, but those who don't like such critters might find such footage a little unsettling. Knowing that Pip overheard the Queen's command, Nathaniel briefly holds a knife to Pip's throat, but nothing happens. The Queen orders Nathaniel to kill Giselle via some poisoned apples. Some kids may worry when Nathaniel (in disguise) offers Giselle a caramel apple that we know has been poisoned. She carries it around a little bit, but it's then accidentally flung away and lands on top of an adult bicyclist's helmet. We later see that it has burned through that helmet and scorched away part of that man's hair on his head (played for comedy). Some kids may worry when Nathaniel (in disguise) offers Giselle an apple martini, since we know the apple in it is poisoned. She nearly drinks it, but Pip knocks the drink from her hand. Nathaniel then tries hitting Pip with a broom, and when he then realizes that Pip is hiding under a pizza, Nathaniel grabs that and throws it into an open brick pizza oven, resulting in a huge flame coming out from that. Some kids may worry that Pip has been killed, but we then see that he really hit the wall and fell down into an open bottle. The Queen, in the guise of the old beggar woman (with bad looking teeth), approaches Giselle and offers her an apple. Giselle then takes a bite and collapses. The Queen then tries to leave with the unconscious Giselle, but is stopped and Nathaniel holds a sword on her. The Queen is delighted, however, because she knows that when the clock finishes striking midnight, Giselle will be dead. Robert remembers Giselle saying that true love's kiss is the most powerful thing in the world, so he gets Edward to kiss her, but that does not work. Upon the encouragement of others, Robert then kisses her, and while that initially doesn't seem to work, Giselle then comes to. The Queen erupts in a huge ball of fire and turns into a huge dragon that grabs Robert, busts out through a large window, and carries him up to the top of the building at night during a thunderstorm. Giselle climbs up there to try to rescue him, and after a few tense moments, Robert ends up falling and Giselle throws a sword that impales his sleeve on part of the building, catching him there. The dragon then falls, hits the building, seems to explode, and then continues to fall far down to the street below. Robert then ends up falling as well, with Giselle catching him, but they then end up sliding down slanted parts of the roof until they stop at the very edge, and are okay (albeit very high above the street with no easy looking way down). GUNS/WEAPONS Swords: Carried and/or used to threaten several characters. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "That maiden is mine," "I eat you now," "You big lug," "I need to lay off the nuts," "And what do we look like, garbage?" what sounded like "Fat mook," "Are you crazy?" "Wicked old hag," "Hey girlfriend," "Are you ready to kick it?" "It's like you escaped from a Hallmark card," "All freaky," "All I need is your lips against mine," "Thank you for taking care of my bride, peasants," "You idiot," "I will kill the little wretch myself," "Hello, worthless," "You lying, murderous wretch" and "You viper." Kids may want to imitate Giselle and/or Edward suddenly breaking into song. We see some miscellaneous graffiti. Thinking she's headed for the real thing, Giselle climbs up a fire escape type ladder to get to the platform in front of a billboard where the image of a palace has drawn her attention. We see on several occasions that Giselle has made herself a dress cut from Robert's curtains and other such material. Thinking it is some sort of beast that has swallowed many people, Edward gets on top of a city bus and drives his sword down through the top of it. He then runs off down the street, including over several vehicles. Thinking it's water to drink, Giselle puts a cup down into a large aquarium, drinks from that cup, and then spits out a fish. We see that Nathaniel has Pip's little arms attached to the pinchers on a clothes hanger, thus leaving the chipmunk spread eagle. It doesn't take him long, however, to free himself. Pip blows a raspberry at Nathaniel. We see a man with tattoos. Knowing that Giselle needs new clothes for the upcoming ball, Morgan takes her dad's emergency credit card and the two go on a shopping spree. It's possible that some kids may try the poison apple bit or something similar with others. JUMP SCENES An old beggar woman suddenly pops up. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A moderate amount of suspenseful and ominous music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 use of "Oh my God." SEX/NUDITY The cartoon version of Giselle shows a little bit of cleavage. The animated Queen shows some cleavage. The real Giselle shows varying amounts of cleavage in various outfits. We see what are presumably two hookers on the street at night and in the background of a shot. We see miscellaneous cleavage. Pigeons grab a towel and fly it up to and around Giselle when she's done showering, meaning we barely avoid seeing her nudity (although we do see a brief and partial view of the upper part of her bare breast). Nancy then arrives, just as Robert ends up falling backwards and accidentally pulls Giselle down on top of him in that towel, with her thus straddling him. Nancy is taken aback by this as she comments on having wanted to stay over, but didn't due to Morgan being there. Robert claims that nothing was happening, and about Nancy spending some bonding time with Morgan. Nancy then sarcastically asks why, and if he was wanting some grown up girl bonding time with Giselle. Later, Robert comments about Nancy being upset about seeing them that way, with Giselle wondering if Nancy thought they kissed, with Robert responding, "Something like that." When Nathaniel arrives in Times Square, he does so clothed butt first, up through a manhole cover. Having already seen Edward come through there, a utility man asks if he is looking for a beautiful girl. Nathanael replies, "No, a prince" (suggesting that the utility men there think he is gay, although they don't say anything about that). We see two somewhat scantly clad women on the billboard for the musical "Chicago." We see a somewhat abstract modern art sculpture of a large woman with bare breasts (but nothing too explicit). Edward briefly watches a soap opera on TV where a character tells another that all they need is the other's lips against theirs. During a montage of Edward trying to find Gisele in Robert's building, a tattooed man opens his door and then smiles upon seeing Edward (some may view this as a gay related response). Giselle's hand ends up on the top of Robert's chest where it touches his hair where the top of the shirt is open. Initially that is accidental, but she then seems to enjoy running her hand through his chest hair. The two then nearly kiss, but he then turns away at the last moment. Six-year-old Morgan tells Giselle not to wear too much makeup as boys will get the wrong idea. She then says that boys are only after one thing, and after Giselle asks what that is, Morgan says she doesn't know as no one will tell her. The Queen shows cleavage. Nancy shows cleavage in her ball dress. At that same ball, Giselle arrives in a very tight and low-cut dress. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We see a married couple bickering while meeting with lawyers to go over their divorce proceedings. Later, however, we see that the couple is happy once again, all thanks to Giselle having earlier talked to them. Morgan isn't terribly thrilled that Nancy might become her stepmother. Giselle asks about Morgan's mother, but Robert says they don't talk about that, so we don't know if she left or died. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT What sort of message fairytales impart on kids and their current and later view toward life and romance. The comment that true love's kiss is the most powerful thing in the world. Robert is astonished that Giselle is in love with Edward after knowing him for just one day. He then tells her to forget about such blind happiness. Robert saying that being all lovey-dovey is a fantasy, and then one wakes up in the real world. Six-year-old Morgan tells Giselle not to wear too much makeup as boys will get the wrong idea. She then says that boys are only after one thing, and after Giselle asks what that is, Morgan says she doesn't know as no one will tell her. VIOLENCE One cartoon rabbit kicks another cartoon rabbit aside. In an adventurous scene, we see Edward on top of a gargantuan troll that is tied up and falls to the ground. Giselle accidentally opens a carriage door into Nathaniel's face. Various animals then rush out of the carriage and run over Nathaniel. An old beggar woman (the Queen in disguise) suddenly pops up. She convinces Giselle to lean over and looked down into a wishing well, but she then pushes Giselle down into it, with the young woman falling a long distance (there is no impact). Having just arrived in Times Square, Giselle is nearly hit by several vehicles, with a cab resultantly slamming into a car. When Edward arrives in the real world, he holds his sword on various utility men, including to one man's throat, demanding to know where he can find Giselle. A pigeon slams into a window (played for comedy), and another pigeon eats a cockroach. Thinking it is some sort of beast that has swallowed many people, Edward gets on top of a city bus and drives his sword down through the top of it. Knowing that Pip overheard the Queen's command, Nathaniel briefly holds a knife to Pip's throat, but nothing happens. Edward ends up on a path in the park where various bicyclists accidentally run over him, played for comedy. Some kids may worry when Nathaniel (in disguise) offers Giselle an apple martini, since we know the apple in it is poisoned. She nearly drinks it, but Pip knocks the drink from her hand. Nathaniel then tries hitting Pip with a broom, and when he then realizes that Pip is hiding under a pizza, Nathaniel grabs that and throws it into an open brick pizza oven, resulting in a huge flame coming out from that. Some kids may worry that Pip has been killed, but we then see that he really hit the wall and fell down into an open bottle. Thinking Robert has abducted Giselle, Edward holds his sword on him until Giselle tells him it's okay. When the Queen arrives in Times Square, she does so with such force that a manhole cover flies through the air and smashes into a large neon sign. The Queen, in the guise of the old beggar woman (with bad looking teeth), approaches Giselle and offers her an apple. Giselle then takes a bite and collapses, and is nearly dead from that. The Queen erupts in a huge ball of fire and turns into a huge dragon that grabs Robert, busts out through a large window, and carries him up to the top of the building at night during a thunderstorm. Giselle climbs up there to try to rescue him, and after a few tense moments, Robert ends up falling and Giselle throws a sword that impales his sleeve on part of the building, catching him there. The dragon then falls, hits the building, seems to explode, and then continues to fall far down to the street below. Reviewed November 14, 2007 / Posted November 21, 2007