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Broadway Guy

You’ve surely seen “Enchanted.” It’s the one where Amy Adams is set to marry Prince Charming, but then Susan Sarandon says NO. Adams goes on an odyssey; she finds herself in New York City. So strange to be among manholes and billboards when you are a forest maiden! Clumsy encounters with a Shonda Rhimes guy lead to self-discovery. Adams is in fact *not* meant to be in the forest. She is meant to be with The Shonda Rhimes Guy. The End!

 

The movie isn’t perfect. For example, the Stephen Schwartz lyrics bother me. “Don’t treat her like a mind REA-der!” Shouldn’t this be…. “Don’t treat her like a MIND reader” --? And “Do something to lead her to believe you love her….” This is just clumsy; it’s unworthy of the World of Howard Ashman. It sounds like advice for a serial killer: “Lead her to this false belief…..Mwah hah hah hah…”

 

Anyway, despite this, there are three things to love in the film:

 

*Fish out of water. The Shonda Rhimes Guy needs to learn to embrace romance, yes, but Amy Adams needs to learn to use her mind and ask questions. So: Both parties grow and change!

 

*This movie has Idina Menzel, but then it also has Menzel’s Broadway rival – Tonya Pinkins. And this awesomeness Is just like fifth- or sixth-tier awesomeness in the world of “Enchanted.”

 

*There is a meta-narrative here about Amy Adams. Adams had already emerged on the scene with an Oscar nomination for “Junebug.” But “Enchanted” was her ticket to mainstream stardom. And she made use of that ticket. She did Julie Andrews-caliber work. When she enters the ball, at the climax, there’s a sense of a coronation: Yes, this is about a character reaching maturity, but it’s also about an actress seizing her crown. I get goosebumps every time. The proper subtitle for “Enchanted” -- ? “A Star Is Born.”

 

My two cents. I have Amy here in my soul—now and always.

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