Weekend Watch: She Said, Disenchanted
Hard reality and fun fantasy
Image Credit: Universal International Pictures
Welcome to the latest edition of Weekend Watch, in which I recommend (or occasionally warn against) movies or TV shows I’ve been checking out. This week, reporters walk a tough beat and Disney looks to find the magic again. Follow James on Twitter: @jamwhite
Bringing a complex and important real-life story to the screen can be a challenge. And when you’re chronicling the work of crusading journalists, the pressure is doubled because you’re arriving in the shadow of classics such as Spotlight andAll The President’s Men.
Fortunately for She Said, it has both a crucial, compelling narrative and enough sense to get out of the way and let that be the focus.
The film follows The New York Times investigation – led by reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey – into powerhouse producer Harvey Weinstein’s multitudinous examples of sexual abuse against subordinates and colleagues and uses of means physical, legal and monetary to silence them from speaking out.
Through months of careful, dogged work, they tracked down witnesses, victims and corroborating documents, flying around America and beyond, and refusing to be discouraged when some leads went cold.
Their efforts were rewarded by a bombshell of a story, one that lit a fire under the nascent #MeToo movement and, ultimately both a book and a Pulitzer Prize. And now, understandably, a movie.
With unshowy direction from Maria Schrader, the film lets the story do the work, while Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s script sticks to the facts, which will disturb and depress. But with compelling performances from a talented cast including Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher and Jennifer Ehle, She Said keeps you watching even as you know the ultimate result.
While potentially distracting, side-trips into the reporters’ family lives only enhance how and why they went about their work, staying objective but never detached.
It might not quite be on the same level as the gold-standard movies on the subject, but She Said is more than worth your time.
She Said is in US cinemas now. It’ll be out in the UK on 25 November.
Image Credit: Disney+
In 2007, Disney decided that, after a few years of competitors poking fun at the tropes in its fairy tale adaptations, it was going to jump on that bandwagon too, while also celebrating its animated output. The company released Enchanted, which saw Amy Adams as Giselle, a cartoon princess-in-waiting whose plans to marry and live happily ever after are scuttled by Susan Sarandon’s evil queen.
Shoved through a wishing well portal (don’t you just hate it when that happens?) into the live-action world of New York, she looks to bring her animated logic (songs, making friends with animals, a staunch belief in the power of true love’s kiss) to reality. Yet she soon discovers that it doesn’t quite work out that way.
Still, Giselle manages to find love with Patrick Dempsey’s Robert, a divorce lawyer, and a ready-made family in his daughter Morgan. Elsewhere, her former betrothed, the ridiculously heroic Edward (James Marsden, a delight) ends up with real-world lady Nancy (Idina Menzel), who returns to the animated realm of Andalasia with him.
With the success of the first film, you’d imagine that Disney would have thrown a sequel into production almost immediately to capitalise on the love for Giselle and co. Yet it has taken 15 years (the pandemic didn’t help) for this follow-up to emerge.
As directed by Adam Shankman, Disenchanted picks up the story roughly a decade later and finds Giselle and Robert dealing with married life. Ever after, as we’re told in the animated prequel to get those who might not have seen the original up to speed, isn’t always the end, nor is it always happy.
Yet while our central couple is still happily wed, the stresses of life in the big city have wearied them both, so they decided to move to the suburbs, in this case, the seemingly perfect community of Monroeville. Run by Malvina Monroe (Maya Rudolph), it’s a whole new world for them to explore, but one that brings its own challenges. Morgan, now a teenager played by Gabriella Baldacchino, is upset about moving away from her friends and the city she grew up in, and Robert discovers that he hates the grind of commuting.
Giselle, busy with new baby Sofia and the challenges of the fixer-up house they bought, also faces pressure from queen bee Malvina.
So when Edward and Nancy show up (via wishing well, natch) to gift Sofia with an Andalasian wishing wand, Giselle sees an opportunity to shake things up and wishes their new life was a fairy tale. Cue trouble as Malvina morphs into an evil queen, Robert heads off on a princely quest and Giselle herself starts to transform into a wicked stepmother, attempting to banish Morgan to an attic chamber.
As a fan of the original, I was intrigued to see the sequel and can report that it’s a mixed bag. On the plus side, Adams remains as charming as ever, channelling both the sweet Giselle and her sassier wicked side. Marsden steals every single scene he’s in (and there are not enough of them) with his goofy antics and Menzel gets a big, show-stopping song. There’s also fun to be found in the talking scroll (voiced by current Disney Animation lucky charm Alan Tudyk), a wise-cracking exposition delivery system.
Unfortunately, while it’s roughly on the same level as the original, a little of the magic power is lost here. The songs, despite the return of Alan Menken, simply don’t match up to that film’s tunes. And while there are still plenty of easter eggs and in-jokes, the whole idea of winking at fairy tale conventions is no longer so fresh, meaning that the film is impacted. Rudolph, meanwhile, is never quite given the space she needs to bring true comic power to Malvina.
Yet there is charm to be found here, and enough fairy dust remaining to keep the whole endeavour afloat.
Disenchanted is on Disney+ now.