Enchanted

If the title makes you fear your girlfriend will be dragging you to another chick flick about lovelorn princesses and their tired "happily ever after" shtick, not to worry. Although some of that crap is here, this purely Disney confection actually manages to turn the tables on the whole genre, becoming the most inventive and wickedly clever mix of live action and animation since Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Its success is largely due to the casting of Amy Adams, who is simply sensational as a beaten-down Snow White–type who has an out-of-'toon experience when an evil witch (Susan Sarandon) suddenly thrusts her out of her animated world and into the cold, hard reality of 2007 New York City. Watching this poor maiden as she navigates the cynical, jaded Big Apple in full fairy tale regalia turns out to be surprisingly hilarious and lots of fun for everyone, not just the teen girls who are most likely to be the primary audience here. Actually, she seems to fit perfectly in Times Square for some reason, and not a single joke is left unused from this premise as Adams attracts legions of rats and chirping songbirds who follow her every move around town. Things get complicated when she meets a too-good-to-be-true lawyer (Patrick Dempsey) and is alternately pursued by another refugee from 'toon town, her dopey but sincere Prince Charming (James Marsden), who is out to take her back where she belongs. Of course the wicked witch eventually shows up as well, leading to a zany final third that lacks the wit of the rest of the film. Nevertheless, the movie is worth seeing just for Adams, who weaves some serious movie magic into this thing.