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INTO THE WOODS – The Review – We Are Movie Geeks

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INTO THE WOODS – The Review

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Once upon a time, in a far off land called San Diego in the year 1986, a composer by the name Stephen Sondheim wrote a musical with fellow writer James Lapine. A year later it would debut on Broadway and went on to gain praise from audiences and critics alike, eventually receiving 10 Tony Award nominations and taking home 3 statues. INTO THE WOODS is a twisty take on the classic fairy tales that we’ve grown up with. Several stories are intertwined so that Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel (just to name a few) are now living in the same universe. It’s a clever concept that might not seem as forward thinking today by some newer audiences especially considering all the shared universe discussions that make up the Marvel films. But once upon a time, this quirky show with beautiful compositions and memorable characters ignited excitement in audiences pining for something new. In 2014, I’m not sure the film adaptation under the direction of Rob Marshall will function the same way, but it still works as an entertaining family-friendly film for the holiday season.

As I previously mentioned, INTO THE WOODS opens with a number of classic characters from your favorite timeless fairy tales. Little red riding hood is off to grandmother’s house, Jack has to sell his favorite (dried-up) cow Milky White to provide for his mother, Cinderella (Anna Kendrick) longs to escape the confines of her chores, and the baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) are told by an evil witch (Meryl Streep) that she has placed a curse on their family so that they will never be able to have kids unless they acquire four ingredients to concoct a potion to lift the curse. What must they find? A cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold. And from there several stories are set in motion in a musical adventure that takes everyone on a journey that may not end “happily ever after.”

INTO THE WOODS is going to divide audiences almost as sharply as the first and second acts stand apart from one another. While the first half frolics cheerfully through the woods with the help of some light laughs and Sondheim’s rich operatic compositions, the second half takes a post-modern turn that will leave many scratching their heads and wishing that they were back in the carefree tone of the first half. Those that are familiar with the stage production obviously won’t be as surprised by the darker and more complicated second half. For me the shift works even if the second half wears out its welcome pretty quickly.

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What helps make the long musical affair all worth while is the extremely talented cast director Rob Marshall has assembled. Of course much of the praise will go to Streep’s wicked turn as a witch with a vindictive streak – and a few streaks of grey in her hair to match some appropriately hideous make-up effects. Her character fits right in line with Disney’s recent love of evil but sympathetic villainess roles following Elsa in FROZEN and the title character in MALEFICENT. Even Johnny Depp in what is basically a glorified cameo as the big bad wolf fits appropriately into the cast. His main musical number where he serenades Little Red Riding Hood can occasionally come off as creepy and borderline pedophiliac depending on the stage performance, but here, Depp plays the sly and cunning creature in a way that is both charming and devilish – like a Looney Tunes character come to life. Who shines the most though is both Corden and Blunt as the baking couple on a mission. Their chemistry ignites the screen and gives the film some much-needed warmth and heart amid some drab costumes and murky art direction. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a pitch-perfect moment of comic-gold in the form of the song “Agony” sung by Cinderella’s Prince (Chris Pine) and Rapunzel’s Prince. What starts out as a silly competition between the two men, erupts into an over-the-top spoof of masculinity and storybook heroes.

INTO THE WOODS soars when it focuses on the music and character development. The multiple stories occasionally slow down the film, and the fact that some aren’t entirely given a clear resolution speak to how overstuffed it often feels. It’s interesting to see Disney embrace a project that dabbles in the subversive and not so happily-ever-after (some late in the game deaths might surprise you), but Marshall glides over these darker moments so fast in order to move to the next musical number that you practically forget about them. INTO THE WOODS twists and turns so often that it might be hard for those unfamiliar with the musical to follow, and yet, the frequently charming tone and familiar characters will surely make this not-so-typical fairy tale a hit for Disney princes and princesses both young and old.

 

OVERALL RATING: 4 out of 5

INTO THE WOODS opens everywhere Christmas Day

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I enjoy sitting in large, dark rooms with like-minded cinephiles and having stories unfold before my eyes.