Enchanted

Disney took every princess cliché they had, threw it into Manhattan, and somehow produced one of the most charming fucking movies of the 2000s. The genius is Amy Adams. Giselle could've been unbearable if played as pure naïveté, but Adams makes her genuinely warm, curious, emotionally perceptive, and completely committed to her fairy-tale worldview. James Marsden, meanwhile, is operating at approximately 137% Prince™ at all times, and watching Edward treat New York like an enchanted kingdom is fucking hysterical. Patrick Dempsey gives the movie a more grounded center, while Susan Sarandon knows exactly how deliciously campy Narissa needs to be. The songs are also doing double duty: they're jokes about Disney musical conventions and legitimately good Disney songs. What keeps it from being perfectly untouchable is that once the novelty of “fairy-tale princess in NYC” settles, the actual romantic plot becomes much more predictable. Some of the satire is also fairly gentle, because this movie ultimately wants to hug the Disney formula rather than destroy it. But that affection is exactly why it still works. It isn't cynical. It knows the fairy tale is ridiculous AND beautiful. Giselle doesn't have to become less hopeful to fit into reality; reality just has to make a little room for her. Cinema. Actual fucking cinema. ✨🏙️👑