I have mixed feelings about princesses. On the one hand, I love them. Obviously. On the other hand, GET A JOB! Enchanted, Disney’s new animation/live-action hybrid, is all about those fluffy royal cupcakes: how princesses are dumb, how princesses are bizarre, how princesses are the FUCKING BOMB. A smart, sparkly, self-aware lampoon of every silly Disney cliché, Enchanted manages to make fun of princesses without being a total dick about it. I laughed (hard) at the funny parts. I got choked up (NOT KIDDING) at the serious parts. Clearly I have emotional problems, but that doesn’t mean that Enchanted doesn’t totally rule. It does.

In the maaaaagical land of Andalasia, princess-to-be Giselle (Amy Adams) lives in a magical cottage with 10,000 magical chipmunks. When she’s not chatting up the forest vermin, she’s singing laborious prince-related ditties: “I’ve been dreaming of a true love’s kiss, and the prince I hope will come with this!” Her prince finally arrives (James Marsden, professional comedian?) and he’s all, “We shall be married in the morning!” and the wicked queen is all, “Hell naw!” (or the queenly equivalent) and Giselle is banished to “a place where there are no happily ever afters,” aka New York City. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

In rapid succession, Giselle encounters gay people, black people, revolving doors, and the unexpected complexities of live-action relationships. Adams (the prettiest person in the world) delivers every line with a wide-eyed sincerity that disarms any objection to the fish-out-of-water formula (“Could you direct me to some place to rest my head for the night . . . maybe a nearby meadow or a hollow tree?”). She’s taken in by très jaded divorce lawyer and single dad Rob (Patrick Dempsey—hey America, you guys know he’s been in movies since, like, 1985, right? Why the weirdly abrupt Dempsey obsession?), and starts working her magic on those frozen New York hearts. Awwww!

I have to warn you that the last act of this movie is ridiculous. But it’s worth it for exchanges such as: “Where did you get that dress?” “I gathered the silk from my silkworm friends and then I spun it into thread on my spinning wheel!” Shut up, princess! I love you, girl!

ENCHANTED DIR. KEVIN LIMA | RATED PG | OPENS TODAY AT THEATERS EVERYWHERE

Tags: disney, enchanted, Film