‘Spirited’ tosses kitchen sink Christmas
Fans of the overstuffed Christmas spectacular are in luck. Streaming on Apple TV+ after a limited theatrical run, “Spirited” stars Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell in a convoluted and contemporary spin on “A Christmas Carol.”
Reynolds brings a sinister dash to his character, Clint Briggs, an aggressively self-involved social media mogul who celebrates a gospel of selfishness propelled by an algorithm-driven method for fomenting dissension and hatred on his sites. He’s the perfect target for a visit from the Ghost of Christmas Past (Ferrell) to show him the error of his ways.
But that would be too simple. In “Spirited,” the tradition of the redemptive holiday hauntings has become a huge entertainment production, with Ferrell’s character, a man dead since the 19th century, “cast” in the part. The stage managers want him to retire and claim his wellearned right to return to mortal life. Not to give too much away, but his one last stab at a reforming Briggs does not go well. Briggs seems completely hip to all the manipulations of the three spirits and immune to their efforts.
So what we have here is a meta “Christmas Carol” larded with special effects, twinkly overkill as well as graphic horror elements to animate the Ghost of Christmas Yet-toCome(Tracy Morgan under prosthetics).
And did I mention it was also a razzle-dazzle musical? Help yourself.
› A more pared-down version of the Dickens classic arrives with “A Christmas Karen,” streaming on all major platforms via Video on Demand. Michele Simms, known as the “oversharing mom” in the viral Carvana television commercials, stars in the title role. She brings a certain gusto to her embittered killjoy character. She’s first seen browbeating a child who opened a hot chocolate stand on her block, threatening to call the town’s regulations down upon the tiny tyke.
Karen’s haunted night reveals a childhood of emotional neglect, leading to an adult life of intentional cruelty, browbeating baristas, manipulation and control.
Unfortunately, “Karen” gets a bit preachy, didactic and even partisan once her spirit guides arrive, associating the spirit of Karen exclusively with racism, homophobia and anti-immigrant bias. (As if a “woke” left-wing, tree hugging, mask-enforcing do-gooder couldn’t also be a “Karen.”)
Tying “A Christmas Carol” to contemporary politics and controversies does not make for a memorable classic. And “Karen” is a lot more fun when Karen is allowed to revel in all her dreadful glory. Her redemptive evening soon comes to resemble an extended lecture.
› Tituss Burgess, the narrator of Netflix’s new “Teletubbies” series, hosts “Best in Snow,” a decorative sculpture competition series streaming on Disney+. Five teams arrive in the city of Snowdome to vie for a prize. Their snow creations must reflect licensed characters from Pixar, Marvel, Walt Disney Animation, Walt Disney Studios and The Muppets Studio. They received help from expert snow artists as well as Kermit the Frog.