MPAA Rated: PG for thematic
elements, fantasy action and peril, and some suggestive material.
Running Time: 124 min.
Cast: Meryl
Streep, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, James Corden, Chris Pine, Daniel
Huttlestone, Lilla Crawford, Billy Magnussen, Tracey Ullman, Christine
Baranski, Lucy Punch, Tammy Blanchard Small role: Johnny Depp
Director: Rob Marshall
Screenplay: James Lapine (from his stage musical featuring songs by
Stephen Sondheim) Review published December 25, 2014
Rob
Marshall (On Stranger Tides,
Memoirs of a Geisha) directs this
Disney rendition of the classic James Lapine/Stephen Sondheim Broadway
musical of 1987, Into the Woods, which takes a handful of the
oft-told Brothers Grimm fairy tales and mashes them up into one
extravagant crossover. The crux of the story involves an ugly
witch (Streep,The Giver)
who strikes a bargain with a childless baker (Corden,Begin Again)and his
resourceful wife (Blunt,Edge of Tomorrow),
who are cursed by infertility, to obtain four items within three days
-- Jack's cow, Cinderella's slipper, Little Red Riding Hood's cape, and
Rapunzel's hair -- in exchange for being able to have a perfect child.
The highlight of this musical is, naturally, the beautifully
orchestrated, Tony-winning Sondheim score, which delivers catchy
repetitive refrains that pass from character to character, and situation
to situation, and actually manages to not only push the story forward,
but also accentuates the main themes of the film, among them the
importance of imagination and storytelling, especially that life is full
of ups and downs, and happiness doesn't continue on ever after.
The actors add their pleasant voices to the mix, and are generally well
cast, though I think the breakthrough comes with Daniel Huttlestone's (Les
Miserables) perfect turn as young Jack. The production
values deliver quality special effects and costumes, though the choice
to mute the color palette and keep nearly all of the action under the
dim lighting of the woods may not be seen as appropriately cinematic for
some viewers. It's also a bit draggy, despite the excising of
several songs from the original production, as the film appears to be in
no particular hurry to get where it needs to go, frequently taking its
time to rest for a spell before traversing further toward an inevitable
destination, followed by an extended epilogue that may have people antsy
for a speedier wrap-up.
Rob Marshall is no stranger to musicals, having helmed an Oscar winner
in Chicago, a box office flop in Nine, and cut his teeth in the business
with a 1999 TV movie adaptation of Annie. Into the
Woods falls somewhere in between his best and worst efforts,
pushing forward good pacing and tempo, but the actual musical numbers
feel curiously flat for such a lavish production. Perhaps less
crooning and more choreography would have helped, and especially more
imagination, as most of the numbers merely consist of characters just
singing songs while standing in one general, dimly lit, obviously
soundstaged location.
Though rated PG, the story does take a few darker turns, especially
toward the end of the film, as the tale deals with possible infidelity,
death, and, if one reads into the film more, sexuality in some complex
ways, most that will likely go over the heads of the young audiences
that will likely flock to this musical full of princes and witches.
Then again, the same can be said about the fairy tales upon which the
musical is based, so kudos to Disney for not completely sugarcoating
over the more difficult elements of the story, especially as the
traditional happy ending gives way to a final act that threatens to undo
(very intentionally) the good will of what has come before.
While the songs are certainly rousing in and of themselves, alas, the
Marshall adaptation is consistent in its quality but rarely soars due to
the lack of genuine intrigue, revelatory momentum, or emotional
resonance. We're never quite on edge to see what might happen to
any of the characters, and even with lots of peril, including a couple
of deaths (mostly shown off screen), the best we can do is to continue
to admire the actors and songs from a distance, never quite becoming as
enrapt in the going-on as one might think such a whimsical storyline
should. Into the Woods charming enough to recommend, but
falls short of enchanting enough to be a true spellbinder.
Rob
Marshall (
