Movie Couples Therapy: ENCHANTED

What is the difference between love and attraction? Can you fall in love with someone you don’t initially get along with?

Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright compare the many couples from Enchanted, particularly Giselle and Edward and Giselle and Robert. They talk about what love is and why the classic love at first sight and true love’s kiss tropes don’t work. They discuss what it’s like to play a cartoon character in live action, and why Amy Adams nails it. They’re excited for Enchanted 2 and what Giselle and Robert’s relationship looks like years later.

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Cinema Therapy is:
Written by: Megan Seawright, Jonathan Decker, and Alan Seawright
Produced by: Jonathan Decker, Megan Seawright, Alan Seawright, and Corinne Demyanovich
Edited by: Sophie Téllez
Director of Photography: Bradley Olsen
English Transcription by: Anna Preis

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[c_lee_]

James Marsden launching into "I've been dreaming" and then getting mowed over by cyclists is a scene that lives rent free in my mind and plays more often than I care to admit.

[juliaparra]

Fun fact: For the bike scene, they were originally gonna pretend to hit him, but James Marsden INSISTED that they run him over because he wanted it to be genuine.
Love that man to pieces ❤️

[yellowpride]

Just imagine: you're living your normal, professional, non-singing life when you suddenly break up with your boyfriend, decide to marry a dude you just met, and move to a place where you can break into song at any moment, where you find out that you sing like Idina Menzel

I'm just saying, Nancy is living the real dream here

[oximoron]

I really like how Nancy wasn't portrayed as a jealous competitor. She was rightfully upset that her boyfriend had a half-naked woman in his apartment, but accepts and forgives his apology. When she realizes that Robert is Giselles true love, she puts her own feelings aside and tells him to kiss her. Although her ending is kinda cheesy, I'm glad she got a happy ending

[trinaq]

Both Giselle and Robert make valid points about relationships during the Central Park scene. Robert insists that you have to take the time to get to know the other person before getting into a serious relationship, and that many impulsive ones can end badly, while Giselle insists that it needs to be romantic. For a relationship to be successful, you need to both work a building a solid foundation, and to let your partner know how much they mean to you.

[TheDuelManiacs]

The way the prince says "Thinking?" is brilliant acting, it showcases that a single thought has never crossed the man's mind.

[larissaalcorn]

The things is: Robert was saying he was ready to marry Nancy because he believed he fully knew her. But as Giselle set up romantic things for her, Robert was surprised that Nancy enjoys fresh flowers and was absolutely down for the Kings and Queens Ball. He missed this whole entire side of her despite being with her for 5 years. Something so many couples do to each other. They think they know all there is to know and stop pursuing each other. They stop learning about each and just start co-existing.

[wolfmoonstudios]

Fun fact: if you watch the commentary, several groups in Central Park were not actually cast (including the candle lady and the folks with stilts), but while filming the people asked if they could help.


So.... yes, you CAN spontaneously burst into song in Central Park and people will randomly join you.

[DestructionGlitter]

The thing I like the most about Enchanted is that it consistently upends tropes like "damsel in distress", "love at first sight", etc. But more than anything, Giselle gets to be feminine, "girlie" and badass at the same time. At a time when femininity was looked down upon (the 2000s were a fever dream), this character is a pink princess who slays dragons with a sword. Because you can be both. And I love that.

[petrosinella]

In an interview, James Marsden said that, when he looked at the script for Enchanted, it was the first time he knew immediately how he wanted to play a character. I think that really shows in his performance.

[Jenkinscraftingco.]

I love how Robert says “they’re birds, they don’t know where she lives” but he does accept that the birds are taking the flowers SOMEWHERE.

[rocksnrolls]

I love how Edward switches from homicidal intent to "oh, you're friends."

[pklc]

Roberts secretary is the actress who plays the original Ariel 😊🧜‍♀️ and the older dancers in Central Park are the original rooftop dancers in Mary Poppins

[justcharlotte]

Despite there relationship not being ideal, the fact that Edward listens to Giselle say "no" and then quickly responds to the "these are my friends". That listening and responding is super important.

[PandoraLockhart]

Fun fact: the receptionist at the law office is Jody Benson, the voice of Ariel

[MariaEduarda-lnep]

I love how Edward is not an asshole. He's genuinely a good person and he cares so much about Giselle that he begs Robert to kiss her. He just wants a good life with a nice lady and, honestly, who doesn't? Not exactly the most mature view of love, but you can see that he's willing to try and make his partner happy. I'm with Nancy in this, that man is a catch.

[IndieCindy]

I nearly broke out into applause when Alan said it was a crime that comedic performances don't win Oscars and then noted that James Marsden's performance was not only amazing but was the best performance in all of 2007. Marsden is such a great actor and extremely underrated, so its nice to see him getting the recognition he deserves. His role in Hairspray is also a highlight.

[binknbaby]

One of my favorite things about this movie is that the pre-existing love interests AREN'T the villains! That's SO rare in a romance/rom-com. So often the main characters are attached to awful people and the choice in the end is simply to not be with a terrible person. But in this one, it wasn't that anyone was "bad", but they just weren't with the right person. It wasn't a black and white good/evil issue but just... this new person is a better match for me, and we're all happier with these other people because we're a better fit, not because the other one was a bad person.

[HeatherAnne]

For the "I'm angry" scene... He quite literally made her feel feelings she's never felt before, and she is so excited and confused by them at the same time... It's like such a love trope but played off in such a good way!

[CalliopePony]

I feel like Robert and Giselle are much more on the same page than they appear to be. Robert insists on putting effort into building a solid, steady relationship. Giselle insists on putting effort into romantic gestures like going dancing and sending flowers and saying "I love you." Even though they direct their energies in different ways they both believe in putting the effort into a relationship.