KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 — It's hard to riff on a classic but the team behind Spirited has thrown the equivalent of a celebrity kitchen sink at making their musical riff on The Christmas Carol work.

With Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds tag teaming and Octavia Spencer providing backup, it sounds like a dream, doesn't it?

It, like the original Dickens story, isn't quite that simple.

Fun or farce?

Reynolds gets to have fun playing protagonist-antagonist as a modern-day Scrooge who is so difficult that the ghosts, who are used to having an easier time at their job, question their life purpose.

Ferrell as the Ghost of Christmas Present ends up having his own "come to Jesus” moment as he rethinks his own choices.

Very quickly the film becomes The Christmas Carol if it was a buddy movie and while there's a lot of charm to the premise, the script doesn't quite get the tone right.

How do you have Octavia Spencer in a film and somehow waste her? That's what Spirited does.

Then you have Sunita Mani gamely trying her best as the Ghost of Christmas Past but there's only so much charm you can pile on a largely charmless script.

I get that the film is mostly set up as a buddy movie but it still feels a bit of a shame that the love interests come across as flat and asides to the story.

Some heart

At the very least, the stars do have enthusiasm for the film. Reynolds is clearly having fun and admitted as much at the media roundtable, saying about the film's premise: "I like the idea that if enough people tell you you're an a-hole, you'll eventually listen.”

Reynolds gleefully demonstrates just how low his character Clint will sink to suit his needs all while the Ghosts do their best at trying to make him see the error of his ways.

Ferrell gets to be his abrasive best as the Ghost who is supposed to retire but can't stop himself from trying to redeem the "lost case” that Clint is supposed to be.

Thus the film tries to push the message that no one should be written off and how it gets there is by a lot of gags and unfortunately super-forgettable music.

If you're doing a musical, there needs to be at least one song that helps carry the film or that people will remember.

Alas, Spirited just does not quite commit to the musical portion of the film because the primary cast are not song-and-dance people.

To watch or not?

Its shortcomings as a musical film aside, Spirited does make for decent holiday viewing.

Spencer said, of the holiday genre, that the reason people love holiday films is because, "It's a chance to leave what has happened up until the point behind us, and spend time with family.”

It's an easy film to enjoy especially if you don't nitpick too much on its attempt to serve up Christmas Carol with a twist.

Reynolds' fans will probably enjoy his latest outing and his chemistry with Ferrell makes Spirited a fun, though flawed ode to the Christmas spirit.

Have a watch of the trailer below and maybe add Spirited to your holiday watchlist.