Spirited
The brief
This Christmas Carol reimagining flips the script by having Will Ferrell's bumbling Ghost of Christmas Present get schooled by Ryan Reynolds' cynical PR executive, creating a surprisingly fresh spin on the tired formula. The musical numbers hit harder than expected, and Reynolds dials back his usual snark just enough to let Ferrell's earnest goofball energy shine through their odd-couple chemistry. At over two hours it definitely drags in spots, but the role reversal concept keeps things from feeling like every other holiday retread. Perfect for anyone who enjoyed The Greatest Showman but wished it had more Will Ferrell pratfalls and Reynolds one-liners.
The verdict
If you're a fan of musical comedies who can tolerate Will Ferrell's goofball antics and enjoy seeing familiar stories told from a fresh angle, this Christmas Carol remix delivers genuine laughs and surprisingly catchy songs. If you're not already sold on Ferrell's comedy style or get impatient with overly long runtimes, the two-plus hours will feel like a slog despite the clever role-reversal concept.
Watch with
- 👨👩👧👦 Perfect for family movie night with tweens and up
- 👥 Holiday comedy fans who love musical numbers
- ⚠️ Skip if you hate long musicals or Christmas movies
Heads up
- Mild language and adult humor throughout (moderate)
- Some scary supernatural imagery with ghosts (brief)
Credits
- Director
- Sean Anders
- Cast
- Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, Octavia Spencer, Patrick Page, Sunita Mani, Loren G. Woods, Tracy Morgan
Official synopsis
Each Christmas Eve, the Ghost of Christmas Present selects one dark soul to be reformed by a visit from three
The Double
Make a night of it
Pair this with Swapped (2026)
Both feature characters forced into unexpected role reversals during transformative experiences.
Total runtime: 2h 07m + 1h 42m = 3h 49m
