Online only: Winning whimsy

In sixth grade, I knew a girl we called Mellahead, an affectionate nickname for Melanie, whose big blond head was full of air. She had dainty sneezes, her hair reminded me of a poodle and she always wore pink to compliment her baby blues. \nMellahead is my real-life equivalent to the "Enchanted" protagonist Giselle, played by Amy Adams. Giselle says jaw-droppingly unrealistic things, occasionally bursts into song, finds true love and wins everyone over in spite of our stubbornly realistic selves. \nThe soon-to-be Princess Giselle is unflappably altruistic, even though her one-day love affair that would have taken her to the altar with Prince Edward (James Mardson) of Andalasia is foiled by his jealous stepmother Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon). The queen, not wanting to lose her throne, throws Giselle into a well in which her cartoon-fantasy is pierced with reality and she emerges from a sewer in "the land where there are no happily ever afters": New York City. \nPatrick Dempsey, "McDreamy" from "Grey's Anatomy," stars as Robert, Giselle's real-world Prince Charming; but it's just like a Disney movie to insinuate the equality rah-rah-rah innuendo that Giselle is really Robert's saving grace. For crying out loud, Robert even gives his daughter a book titled "The Most Influential Women in History." \nThe cast is spot-on. Sarandon is enjoyable at hamming up the evil queen while not scaring anybody too much, and her Elvira-meets-Malificent outfit is my Halloween costume for next year. The evil queen's pawn, instructed to ruin Giselle's impending marriage and end her life with a poisoned apple, is played by Timothy Spall, best-known as Wormtail, the despicable traitor from "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." \nIt's difficult to make NYC look as endearing as never-land, but when Giselle breaks into a Broadway-style production that incorporates the reggae drum band, old men playing chess and the hotdog vendor, director Kevin Lima's vision of Andalasia is conveyed well. \nThe climatic scene is less than climatic, but Queen Narissa is deliciously devilish while it lasts. And of course, the roles of Saving Prince and Damsel in Distress are appropriately reversed. \nThis movie, the singing and the sincerity of its selflessness will win you over.