I was both “excited and scared.” These words, as sung by Little Red Riding Hood in the classic, Stephen Sondheim musical, echoed my sentiments as I walked into Disney’s film adaptation of Into the Woods, a play I hold in very high regard and one of the seminal musicals that developed my love for the form. My cause for concern stemmed from director Rob Marshall (Chicago, Nine), whom, to this point, I don’t believe has made a particularly good movie. Sitting down in the theater, my heart was pounding. Then, the fifteen-minute-long opening prologue started, and I began to settle. The show was in good hands, and the result is a successful entry into movie musical canon, even despite some issues.
The film opens with a focus, primarily, on three separate fairy tales, two familiar to us all and one a new creation. First is Cinderella (Anna Kendrick) attending the king’s festival, and this is Grimm’s Cinderella — no glass slipper or fairy godmother here. Then there’s Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) and his giant beanstalk. And finally the Baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt), trying to undo a curse placed on them by the Witch next door (Meryl Streep). They all have their wishes, and once they get them, they will have to face the repercussions. Because here, self pursuit causes chaos.
This is what I love most about Into the Woods: the turning away of individual pursuits. Fairy tales are actually quite selfish. A person wishes for something, he or she gets it, and then happily ever after. In this story the various characters have to come together in order to solve their problems, because the world will not accomplish anything without the help of others. Yes, that is sort of a simple message, but for a fairy tale, it’s actually a rather sophisticated one and something valuable for kids.
That is not to say this is a kid’s movie. Not at all. There is a body count (even if it is smaller than the show’s), infidelity, blinding by both birds and thorns, and more. It is actually one of those movies everyone in the family can watch and enjoy. It does not talk down to kids or is too simple for adults. That is a rarity nowadays.
There is a massive ensemble cast here, and I actually could not name you a weak link in the bunch. Corden and Blunt are extremely believable as a loving married couple, where each other’s strengths and weaknesses complement one another. Their performance of “It Takes Two” put a giant smile on my face, showing how their relationship is not built on grand gestures but just the acceptance and respect for one another. Kendrick’s Cinderella has a journey from being unable to make a decision to a fully formed woman with an urge to protect, and she plays is beautifully. Chris Pine, in probably his best performance to date, postures and poses to hilarious effect as Cinderella’s Prince. And Streep. I mean, is there anything she cannot do? She brings the fright, the humor, and the sensitivity to the Witch in a way I have not seen before.
My only issues with the cast come from its two youngest performers, and it is not a fault of theirs. Huttlestone and Lilla Crawford (as Little Red) are a couple years too young for these parts. For the traditional fairy tale, they would probably be fine, but here, these two come in contact with somewhat of a sexual awakening. Red’s encounter with the Wolf (Johnny Depp) has sexual undercurrent, as well as Jack and the lady giant (Frances de la Tour). These actors look so young it eliminates the deep subtext rooted in Sondheim’s lyrics. They remain more innocent here, and that’s fine for how they execute it. It just would have been nice for every layer to be explored.
But can they sing? Surprisingly, yes, for the most part. We all know Kendrick has pipes, and she shows off some of her delightful soprano here, which is something she has not gotten to do much of. Streep sang before in the unfortunate film version of Mamma Mia!, but this is real, difficult, intricate theater music. Her vocals in this make me wonder why she has not been doing musicals forever. The rest of the performers are clearly actors who can sing decently. Pine and Depp are probably the weakest singers, but they give such strong performances they can overcome that shortcoming. In fact, Pine and Billy Magnussen‘s (Rapunzel’s Prince) duet, “Agony“, is one of the highlights of the film and easily one of the funniest scenes of the year.
My biggest issue with Marshall’s previous films was the editing. He cuts his films to shreds, causing them to be a chaotic mess. He tones it down immensely here. He lets scenes play out in longer takes. He keeps things fairly simple, letting Sondheim’s score do the talking (or the singing, actually). He understands story and character lie in the music and lyrics, and he does not want to get in the way of that.
My issues come, largely, with the adaptation. Pieces of the original musical absent here include the cutting of the Mysterious Man (probably the most crucial), the stripping down of the second act, the fate of a particular character, and even minutiae such as the removal of a few verses from songs. At just over two hours, was removing a thirty-second verse from “No One Is Alone” extremely necessary? I don’t think so. I know things have to be changed in order to work for a film medium, but things were cut here that could have greatly benefit the story.
This is not to say these changes necessarily harm the movie. They are little nags a lover of the material has. It still works on the strength of its cast and, of course, the score. Sondheim’s music is a completely unique thing. His lyrics are filled with wit, insight, emotion, and are just entertaining to listen to. His music does not adhere to a simple verse-chorus-verse structure, letting the character drive the music and not the other way around. He, along with book writer/screenwriter James Lapine, make an exciting, propulsive story with a lot to say.
While the version of Into the Woods I have wanted to see on the big screen is still rattling around in my head, Marshall’s adaptation is, by all counts, a pretty damn good one. You have to tune your ear to Sondheim for this, and if you can, you’ll have a very good time. Even when I had issues with the movie, I never checked out. By the time the end of the film came rolling around, I could have sworn someone was cutting onions in the theater. It may not work for everyone, but it worked very well for me.
