Film Review: DISENCHANTED (2022): Amy Adams Returns For a Lackluster Sequel With a Few Emotionally Uplifting Scenes

Disenchanted Review

Disenchanted (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Adam Shankman, written by Brigitte Hales and starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, Maya Rudolph, Gabriella Baldacchino, James Marsden, Idina Menzel, Yvette Nicole Brown, Jayma Mays, Kolton Stewart, Oscar Nunez, Alan Tudyk, Griffin Newman, Brooke Josephson, Eimear Morrissey and James Monroe Iglehart.

Enchanted from 2007 was one of the most entertaining Disney movie musicals I have ever seen. Amy Adams played Giselle, a woman from an animated land known as Andalasia who fell in love with a lawyer named Robert (Patrick Dempsey) when she came to New York City. Giselle was a character full of kindness and had a positive energy that simply lit up the screen in the 2007 movie. In the new film Disenchanted, we get to see Giselle fall under a curse where she becomes an evil stepmother. That’s something that I didn’t want to see. Who would want to see Giselle as a villain? That’s the main problem with the new sequel but on the more positive side, Disenchanted does have some positive messages about moving on in life and embracing the powerful bond of family.

When we meet Giselle and Robert in the new movie, some years have passed since the original film and the couple has a new baby. Gabriella Baldacchino plays Robert’s teenage daughter Morgan. Giselle is her stepmom and something is broken in terms of the bond between Morgan and Giselle. It’s not that Giselle doesn’t try her hardest to be likable, it’s just that Morgan is frustrated. Since the family leaves New York to go to a small town called Monroeville for a “better life,” Morgan is understandably upset.

James Marsden and Idina Menzel return from the original picture as Edward and Nancy who make their appearances in the new picture just for old times’ sake. Both performers are OK here but get lost in the shuffle for the most part. When Giselle gets cursed, all hell breaks loose and Morgan must try to save the day and protect the land of Andalasia. The movie has some animated scenes as Morgan finds herself in Andalasia in cartoon form and has to save the land from the havoc that will be forced upon it by the wicked Malvina (Maya Rudolph).

Pip (voice of Griffin Newman) is a chipmunk who goes back and forth between being a chipmunk and a cat and serves to try to add a cuteness factor to the film. The scenes between Pip and Giselle feel like time filler that is used to try to make the movie more accessible to younger viewers.

The real problem with Disenchanted is that nobody in the audience would want to see Giselle as a wicked stepmother. Although we hope she’ll return to her sweet self, these scenes of Giselle being bad are awkward although they give Adams some time to shine in terms of some acting exercises where she plays a more evil variation on her sweet persona from the original film. Maya Rudolph and Adams look like they’re out trick or treating when they face off against each other and the scenes towards the end fail to be compelling.

That being said, Idina Menzel created a new song for the film, “Love Power” which is sweet and helps present the film’s message of letting love triumph over evil. It’s a moving song that manages to lighten up the movie and makes the audience feel hopeful in-between scenes of chaotic silliness.

Adams is not the major problem with the movie at all. She tries her hardest to make it work and sometimes succeeds. She should have gotten an Oscar nomination for her work in the first film but her performance in the sequel, though admirable in some respects for taking risks, is some of the least compelling work she’s done to date. But, let it be noted, almost every other role she’s done has been Oscar nomination worthy. Dempsey is underused and seems to just be going through the motions though he conveys his character’s love for Giselle effectively when he has to.

Disenchanted is a movie that should have been better. Baldacchino’s performance as Giselle’s stepdaughter, Morgan, may be the most valuable asset here. She conveys her character’s transformation so perfectly, it seems she has a bright future ahead of her as an actress. Whoever thought she would steal the rug out from Amy Adams in this sequel? But, then again, who thought it was a good idea to make Giselle a villain even if it’s just for a little bit? That premise should have been tossed out in the development stages because the movie is a lesser film for not keeping Giselle her kind, lovable self for the whole movie. I’m sure some people will like this movie but when compared to the original, it’s hard for this new picture to hold a candle to it.

Rating: 6/10

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