Every review I've read has been quasi-negative but not being one to listen to critics, I took a chance. I was very pleasantly surprised. Depending on why you go to a movie, you may not like this because it is not escapism. It deals with real life issues and things most of us can relate to. I found the movie to be very refreshing and all the characters real to life. The main character is a single mom trying to raise a precocious son. She has to deal with a dead-end relationship and an aging father, an irresponsible sister and a job she hates. How she copes and what she does is more believable than most of the "chick flick" films out today. I think this is one of the better movies in a sea of fluff to spend time and money on. Amy Adams is wonderful and it is always refreshing to see Alan Arkin. Please don't dismiss this film because of iffy reviews. It is worth going to see.

Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is no longer an out-of-work loser who needs to step up to the plate. This time around he's a highly successful CEO and workaholic who needs to slow down and focus on what really matters. That means he's got to accept that his true calling is not to invent new and mostly useless gadgets (like a glowing flashlight and a super-sized doggie bone) but to be an ordinary night guard in a far from ordinary museum.

One thing that was even more evident in this film was that the basic strategy in bringing to life the various historical characters was to create someone who was recognizably similar to the original but somehow insecure or silly. A giant Abe Lincoln was easily the best looking new character in terms of special effects, but his mannerisms and personality were just silly and shallow; unlike with most of the major characters of the original the writers seemed to be making very little effort to draw upon some "historical essence" in the outline of the new folks. Hank Azaria nearly managed to add something with his odd but interesting turn as an incompetent evil Egyptian with a British accent and a lisp, but the real exception and the one element that felt truly fresh in this film was, of course, Amy Adams' characterization of Amelia Earhart. She brought a vitality and spontaneity to the role that was convincing and engaging, and she easily stole every scene she was in. The only unconvincing aspect of her performance was the fault of the writers: her strange romantic attraction for Ben Stiller's character, who only accomplished anything through luck (and a very small amount of pluck) and a cartoonish conviction that he could always manage things because none of it really mattered and things would all turn out right in the end.... Her interest in Larry Daley is even more peculiar when it turns out her passion was really just the writer's vehicle for teaching him a valuable life's lesson (something about "seizing the day" and doing whatever makes you happy no matter what it will all amount to in the end).

All the old characters are back, but there's a host of new ones drawn from the Smithsonian, where his old friends are shipped and he is called upon to save the day. As far as I can tell, all of the old characters, including Stiller, are "slumming" this time around. Rather than giving original and interesting performances, they seem like they are just trying to do enough to make it apparent they are the same folks the audience has come to love from last time. Owen Wilson, especially, looks like he hardly cares what's happening. The first film's chemistry between his cowboy and Steve Coogan's centurion has all but disappeared and for the most part Wilson seems resigned just to bury his head in the sand and wait until the movie's over. Sure there are a few new characters and situations, but most of them just seem bigger, not really better. The best moments this time around, and the ones my children enjoyed most, were basically variations on the best moments in the first film: this time Stiller is in a slap-fest with TWO rare monkeys!

If you like silly cartoons - and who doesn't every now and then? - this one's not bad and not boring and holds a few minor surprises. Very young children won't be able to tell the difference between this and a truly original blockbuster summer family entertainment film. Well worth watching if you've got nothing better to do for a couple of hours.

Every review I've read has been quasi-negative but not being one to listen to critics, I took a chance. I was very pleasantly surprised. Depending on why you go to a movie, you may not like this because it is not escapism. It deals with real life issues and things most of us can relate to. I found the movie to be very refreshing and all the characters real to life. The main character is a single mom trying to raise a precocious son. She has to deal with a dead-end relationship and an aging father, an irresponsible sister and a job she hates. How she copes and what she does is more believable than most of the "chick flick" films out today. I think this is one of the better movies in a sea of fluff to spend time and money on. Amy Adams is wonderful and it is always refreshing to see Alan Arkin. Please don't dismiss this film because of iffy reviews. It is worth going to see.

I love romantic comedies and got really excited when I recently saw the preview for Leap Year. I love Amy Adams and remembered Matthew Goode from a few other movies(Chasing Liberty, Watchmen, Match Point). Lately, there have been a lot of romcoms that don't do it for me, they're just lacking the heart, that certain something. Thankfully, Leap Year had heart, laughs and was just all around a well done movie. 24 hours after seeing it, my boyfriend and I were still talking about how much we liked it.

The premise is that Anna(Amy Adams) has been dating her doctor boyfriend for 4 years, they're buying an apartment together in Boston, and she wants to get engaged, but he hasn't asked. So she plans to surprise him in Dublin while he's away on business on the one day in Irish tradition that says the woman can propose to the man, Feb 29th of a leap year. Of course, her trip doesn't go as planned, and she ends up needing help getting to Dublin from Declan(Matthew Goode).

While predictable as far as romantic comedies go, it was fast paced, funny and romantic. We both really liked Matthew Goode's character and his sense of humor. He was excellent as a multi-faceted leading man. I love Amy Adams because she seems like a regular girl(funny, sweet, not a twig)and she was perfect for the role of Anna. The scenery of Ireland was gorgeous, and makes you want to take a trip there. Definitely a great date movie, worth paying to see.

Unfortunately, no good special features on the DVD, only some deleted scenes. I'm a sucker for "making of" featurettes and thought they might at least have done a little something about filming in Ireland. You'll only find a bare bones DVD here.

"Enchanted" (2007) has to be one of my favorite Disney movies in years; it is a return to the type of classic movies that were produced under Walt's supervision, but it also acknowledges the times we live in without being too negative. Right off the bat, I was amazed to be able to watch a film that had no profanity and other than the topic of divorce, hardly any adult situations. Of course, there is some 'wink-wink' adult humor that will go over the head of children, but even that is pretty tame. How refreshing to know that an excellent movie can be made without looking like the 10pm news or a tawdry reality show. PLENTY of fun references to vintage Disney films, and a number of cameos by some Disney favorites.

The film begins as a typical classic Disney animated film would; Julie Andrews narrates the story of Prince Edward (James Marsden) from Andalasia, who must find his true love to marry, and his evil stepmother Narissa (Susan Sarandon), who does not want to step down from her throne and will do whatever she can to thwart Edward's search. Enter Giselle (Amy Adams), a maiden of the forest with plenty of animal friends. She too is searching for her true love, and through song and fate, Edward & Giselle meet, fall in love, but are separated by Narissa, who sends Giselle out of the toon world and into the harsh reality of present day New York City. While Edward and Giselle attempt to reunite, a hardened divorce attorney, Robert (Patrick Dempsey) & his daughter attempt to help her along the way. Giselle's positive attitude and belief in true love has a profound effect on Robert, who has apparently been embittered by his own divorce (what actually happened to his first wife is somewhat nebulous, and basically left open for interpretation).... Robert is already seeing someone; Nancy (Idina Menzel) is the romantic girl he has been dating for the last five years. No plot spoilers here; you will have to see how it all comes together.

This film rests on the able shoulders of Amy Adams; in the role of Princess Giselle, she could have easily done a parody of Snow White, Cinderella, and the other Disney Princesses. However, she brings warmth, charm, humor, and great emotion to her character; she is totally believeable. James Marsden again shows off his tremendous vocal talent, and as a toon Prince, he gives a letter perfect performance. Although he is a little one-dimensional at times, it works perfectly with the plot and how the movie progresses. Dempsey also does a wonderful job in his role, with just the right amount of bitterness; it is very apparent that he underneath he believes in romance but what happened with #1 has forced him to change. The only weak link in the cast is Sarandon, which is a shame. She is one of our finest actresses, and yet her characterization just misses the mark for me; she lacks the power and evil that we expect from a Disney Villain; in the climax of the film, she almost appears to be yawning through her part. It is the power and force of a Disney Villain that makes their "fall" so enjoyable; evil must be very evil for the triumph of good to be truly satisfying. Still, it hardly detracts from the overall product. The songs in this film will stay with you after you watch the movie...in a good way. Rarely have I immediately been overcome with the desire to purchase the soundtrack from a film in recent years. Overall, a definite 5 stars for this movie.

The DVD is a different story; although there are extras, it does seem like Disney skimped on them. The highlight is the behind-the-scenes look, "FANTASY COMES TO LIVE," at 3 sequences: "Happy Working Song," "That's How You Know," and the Ballroom finale sequence. Seeing the layering of the CGI effects and Amy Adams having to "act" to nothing ("Happy Working Song") gives an even greater appreciation of her talent. You will also learn that one of the dancers from "Mary Poppins" has a cameo in the "That's How You Know" number. There is also an "extra," PIP'S PREDICAMENT: A POP-UP ADVENTURE, that tells the tale of Pip's alerting Edward that Giselle was no longer in Andalasia. MAYBE very young children will find this amusing, but personally, it was a little on the lame side. There is also a "Hidden Mickey" that is basically a promotion for the Bluray version of "Enchanted." The deleted scenes are fun to watch, as is the blooper reel. Neither are very long though. The Carrie Underwood music video for "Ever Ever After" is also included.

I am sure (or at least I hope) there will be a 2-disc special edition in the near future. So, for this 2008 Widescreen edition, I give it 4 stars instead of 5 due to the lack of extras. The movie itself still packs a wallop!

In direct contrast to Staci's "review", this is a real movie, just not your typically formatted movie that you may be used to watching. Staci, maybe you should not rely solely on IMDb for your information when you post online.

What I know about this film so far is: It is being released straight to DVD on Nov. 2. It stars all those mentioned above, but spread out in 5 separate shorts that make up the 93 minutes runtime. All the shorts overlap in some way and fashion to tie them all together. Each short has a different director as well. "The Summer House" is the opening short, followed by (in chronological order): "Blue Poles"; "Grasshopper"; "Pennies..." and finishing with "Washington Square". I hope this clears up any confusion.

BTW Staci, why rate it 1 star when you haven't even seen it? Why rate it at all BEFORE you even see it? If Amazon should remove anything, it should be your uninformed "review"...well, it really isn't a review at all, now is it. I will temporarily rate this 5 stars just to balance out the previous "non-review". I will edit my rating (if I can) and add my insight/opinion after viewing this film, hopefully before the Nov. 2 release, as I already have an advanced copy of this title.

Post edit: The fifth short is called "Auto Motives", which is comprised of 4 or 5 mini-stories, one of which is called "Washington Square", and one with Robert Downey Jr. as a car detailer working for James Cameron. I would rate "Pennies..." (Amy Adams) the most interesting. You'll get hooked on the storyline...great acting by Adams with a twist thrown at you in the end.... "Blue Poles" (farmboy picks up a wannabee hippie) & "Grasshopper" (businessman loses Trio on train, found by trashy-dressed girl), are interesting enough, while "Auto Motives" (just a complete mess) & "The Summer House" (girl is saddened by a lost love) are wastes of time. After watching, I change my rating to 2 stars. Besides "Pennies...", it is not worth going out of your way buy. Rent it and see for yourself first.

In direct contrast to Staci's "review", this is a real movie, just not your typically formatted movie that you may be used to watching. Staci, maybe you should not rely solely on IMDb for your information when you post online.

What I know about this film so far is: It is being released straight to DVD on Nov. 2. It stars all those mentioned above, but spread out in 5 separate shorts that make up the 93 minutes runtime. All the shorts overlap in some way and fashion to tie them all together. Each short has a different director as well. "The Summer House" is the opening short, followed by (in chronological order): "Blue Poles"; "Grasshopper"; "Pennies..." and finishing with "Washington Square". I hope this clears up any confusion.

BTW Staci, why rate it 1 star when you haven't even seen it? Why rate it at all BEFORE you even see it? If Amazon should remove anything, it should be your uninformed "review"...well, it really isn't a review at all, now is it. I will temporarily rate this 5 stars just to balance out the previous "non-review". I will edit my rating (if I can) and add my insight/opinion after viewing this film, hopefully before the Nov. 2 release, as I already have an advanced copy of this title.

Post edit: The fifth short is called "Auto Motives", which is comprised of 4 or 5 mini-stories, one of which is called "Washington Square", and one with Robert Downey Jr. as a car detailer working for James Cameron. I would rate "Pennies..." (Amy Adams) the most interesting. You'll get hooked on the storyline...great acting by Adams with a twist thrown at you in the end.... "Blue Poles" (farmboy picks up a wannabee hippie) & "Grasshopper" (businessman loses Trio on train, found by trashy-dressed girl), are interesting enough, while "Auto Motives" (just a complete mess) & "The Summer House" (girl is saddened by a lost love) are wastes of time. After watching, I change my rating to 2 stars. Besides "Pennies...", it is not worth going out of your way buy. Rent it and see for yourself first.

I love romantic comedies and got really excited when I recently saw the preview for Leap Year. I love Amy Adams and remembered Matthew Goode from a few other movies(Chasing Liberty, Watchmen, Match Point). Lately, there have been a lot of romcoms that don't do it for me, they're just lacking the heart, that certain something. Thankfully, Leap Year had heart, laughs and was just all around a well done movie. 24 hours after seeing it, my boyfriend and I were still talking about how much we liked it.

The premise is that Anna(Amy Adams) has been dating her doctor boyfriend for 4 years, they're buying an apartment together in Boston, and she wants to get engaged, but he hasn't asked. So she plans to surprise him in Dublin while he's away on business on the one day in Irish tradition that says the woman can propose to the man, Feb 29th of a leap year. Of course, her trip doesn't go as planned, and she ends up needing help getting to Dublin from Declan(Matthew Goode).

While predictable as far as romantic comedies go, it was fast paced, funny and romantic. We both really liked Matthew Goode's character and his sense of humor. He was excellent as a multi-faceted leading man. I love Amy Adams because she seems like a regular girl(funny, sweet, not a twig)and she was perfect for the role of Anna. The scenery of Ireland was gorgeous, and makes you want to take a trip there. Definitely a great date movie, worth paying to see.

Unfortunately, no good special features on the DVD, only some deleted scenes. I'm a sucker for "making of" featurettes and thought they might at least have done a little something about filming in Ireland. You'll only find a bare bones DVD here.

Every review I've read has been quasi-negative but not being one to listen to critics, I took a chance. I was very pleasantly surprised. Depending on why you go to a movie, you may not like this because it is not escapism. It deals with real life issues and things most of us can relate to. I found the movie to be very refreshing and all the characters real to life. The main character is a single mom trying to raise a precocious son. She has to deal with a dead-end relationship and an aging father, an irresponsible sister and a job she hates. How she copes and what she does is more believable than most of the "chick flick" films out today. I think this is one of the better movies in a sea of fluff to spend time and money on. Amy Adams is wonderful and it is always refreshing to see Alan Arkin. Please don't dismiss this film because of iffy reviews. It is worth going to see.

***1/2

"Enchanted" is a fish-out-of-water tale that is also an homage to "Snow White," "Sleeping Beauty," "Mary Poppins," and countless other Disney classics that have come before it. Here, a fairy tale princess (Amy Adams) crosses over from the world of animation to the world of live-action, without losing her cheery disposition and otherworldly charm in the process.

On the day she is to be wed to her long-awaited Prince Charming, the beautiful Giselle is tossed out of the storybook kingdom of Analasia by a jealous evil queen (Susan Sarandon) who has no intention of letting some pretty little upstart usurp her throne. When Giselle finally finishes falling, she lands smack dab in the middle of a live-action Manhattan that is only a tad less immaculate and a shade less colorful than the cel-animated world she calls home. The plucky heroine is both dazzled and a bit confused by this strange looking world where the people don't seem quite as friendly or optimistic about life as the inhabitants of Analasia. Giselle is befriended by an unromantic, decidedly commitment-phobic divorce attorney (Patrick Dempsey) who doesn't know quite what to make of this odd, undoubtedly deranged creature who, when she isn't inspiring critters to help her tidy up the apartment or breaking out into full-throated, spontaneous song, is extolling the virtues of true love and declaring her undying faith in happily-ever-after endings.

Most of the fun of "Enchanted" lies in watching this almost impossibly cheerful, utterly imperturbable former cartoon character going up against the harsh realities of the real world (as harsh as the "real world" in any Disney film can be, that is), yet maintaining her sunny disposition throughout.... The filmmakers have devised some spot-on parodies of the typical Disney musical number, replete with high-pitched warbling, a chorus of singing animals, and lyrics that reflect an unquenchable conviction that all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds. At times, the idea of the film is better than its execution, opting, as it often does, for silliness and strained slapstick over sophistication and wit. And sometimes, even the concept itself falls flat, as when we are left to ponder whether these creatures, with their weird behavior and exotic garb, would really be all that out of place in Times Square. And, regrettably, the filmmakers couldn't resist throwing an utterly superfluous, CGI-generated dragon into the mix at the end.

Yet, for the most part, the movie is clever, bright and beguiling, and boasts a wonderfully ditzy performance by the lovely Miss Adams that brings the whole sugarcoated confection to life. The material many be stretched a bit beyond its breaking point, but "Enchanted" casts a spell over its audience anyway.

Let's face it! Kids will be kids and there's value in coming together when your friends get married to celebrate the "night before". The typical flick would make this a total joke...a night of stupidity, drunkeness, drugs and mindless sh&^! This one allows tha cast to be as carefree as they want on the eve of the marriage, but it has a profound message...many messages...and takes responsibility and pride in the sanction of marriage, friendship, family and lifestyle. I loved this film. It captures youth, marriage, commitment, zany antics and reality in a neat little 90-minute bundle. Ya' gotta see this with your significant other, wife, husband, family...anyone. All 5 stars.