Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds' Christmas Comedy Scores 70% on Rotten Tomatoes and Becomes a Streaming Hit
When it comes to Christmas movies, *Elf* is usually top of mind. But in 2022, Will Ferrell joined forces with another major star for a new holiday hit on streaming. Ferrell stars alongside Ryan Reynolds in *Spirited*, a musical take on Charles Dickens' classic tale about a grumpy misanthrope on a magical Christmas journey. As an Apple TV+ Original, *Spirited* streams exclusively on the platform and has recently climbed back into the top 10, currently holding the #9 spot as the holiday season approaches. The film has a 70% critics' rating and an 80% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
*Spirited* is inspired by Charles Dickens' classic tale, with Sean Anders and John Morris collaborating on the screenplay, while Anders also directed. This duo has a track record of successful comedies, previously teaming up for *Instant Family*, starring Mark Wahlberg and *Alien: Romulus* star Isabela Merced, who will soon appear as Dina in *The Last of Us* Season 2. Anders and Morris also co-wrote *Daddy's Home* and *Daddy's Home 2*, family comedies featuring Wahlberg and Ferrell, alongside Mel Gibson and Thomas Haden Church. Their screenwriting credits further include the romantic comedy *She's Out of My League*, as well as comedy hits *Hot Tub Time Machine* and *We're the Millers*.
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Ferrell most recently appeared as Coach Brink in four episodes of The Boys Season 4, which was around the same time that he voiced Maxime in Despicable Me 4. He also played Mattel's CEO in Barbie and even voiced Reggie in Strays. As for Reynolds, he made headlines earlier this year thanks to his role as Wade Wilson in Deadpool & Wolverine, and he also teamed up with John Krasinski for IF, the hybrid live-action/animation family comedy that's streaming on Prime Video. Reynolds also played small roles in Bullet Train and Ghosted.
Spirited stars Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds and was written by John Morris and Sean Anders with Anders also directing. Stay tuned to Collider for future streaming updates and watch Spirited on Apple TV+.
Spirited
6/10
The Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, gets a modern musical makeover in Spirited, starring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell. When the Ghost of Christmas Present visits the wrong soul before Christmas, he gets a work-up of his own from the charismatic Clint Briggs, who decides that it may be the ghost who needs more help than any other poor soul this Christmas. Together the two will visit moments in Present's life as they try to help him figure out himself as the film is presented mainly through the eyes of the various ghosts themselves.
Director Sean Anders
Cast Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds
Rating PG-13
Runtime 127 minutes
Genres Comedy, Musical
WATCH ON APPLE TV+