Following a screening of his new film, director Rob Marshall called Into the Woods “a fairy tale for the post-9/11 generation.” Now, this “…for the post-9/11 generation” descriptor borders on cliché, however, he is on to something. After decades of gestation and development, the film adaptation of Steven Sondheim’s beloved 1986 musical arrives as a banner film of Hollywood’s nü-fairy tale revival – a revisionist movement of classic fairy tales re-imagined as tales of angst and darkness for the young adult – or “post-9/11” – crowd. Mostly, studios have muted the fireside whimsy that made the Brothers Grimm of Hans Christian Andersen’s tales so fun and memorable for tales of great battles and hormonal melodrama. Rather than reinterpret and redress, Into the Woods looks beyond the “happily ever after” untold by the troubadours of lore.
Much like the play, the film adaptation of Into the Woods follows an ensemble of fairly tale all-stars as they find themselves crossing narratives in the titular woods. It all begins when a baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) are visited by a witch from next door (Meryl Streep) who sends them on a quest through the forest to procure a series of items needed to reverse a curse upon herself and the baker’s family. While on their quest, they come upon a Cinderella (Anna Kendrick) unsure of her love for the prince (Chris Pine), a pair of adolescent troublemakers Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) and Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford) and numerous other Grimm all-stars.
Into the Woods is not as dark as, say, Disney’s recent smash Sleeping Beauty revival Maleficent or the lifeless Red Riding Hood and Snow White and the Huntsman. It almost alleviates the tonal issues that marred Sondheim’s original play, finding a proper balance between family fun and its more adult thematics. But the film’s final act retains the same feeling of ‘afterthought’ as Sondheim’s second act. It is obvious that this is quite intentional – again, exploring the idea of post-fairy tale narrative – but this idea drags out the film, like the play, a little too long. Luckily, the music keeps the energy high and bubbly. Maybe it is a triumph of the play more so than the film, but Sondheim’s gift for melody and lyricism is well apparent. Marshall handles the musical numbers with careful, but dynamic coverage, reminding us of his triumphant debut with the Academy-Award winning Chicago. All in all, Marshall’s adaptation is the most fun fairy tale round-up since the original Shrek.
The ‘post-9/11 fairy tale’ maybe be bold, if not over-reaching, but it succeeds in the essential balance between light and dark that recent adaptations have missed.
The cast is pitch perfect – no, not an Anna Kendrick pun – as well, playing off of each other with infectious enthusiasm. Meryl Streep’s Witch should cruise her way into Best Supporting Actress discussions (surprise, surprise). Blunt follows Edge of Tomorrow with another star turn for a banner year. The real stars are the male leads in James Corden, Chris Pine and even young Daniel Huttlestone. Corden’s central Baker manages the narrative’s – often hard to follow – trajectories with impossible charm. Pine, on the other hand, utilizes his ‘leading man’ glamour as the Prince close to self-parody without ever losing a single ounce of charisma, while Huttlestone’s adolescent energy provides a youthful electricity to keep the kids involved. The only poor player is a very uncomfortable cameo from Johnny Depp as the Big Bad Wolf singing the song ‘Hello Little Girl’ – an uneasy tune, even in the play, that is only made worse with Depp’s laughable wardrobe.
It is just one weakness in a film that defines the idea of a holiday film. Nearly two decades in development, Into the Woods could not have arrived in theaters at a more appropriate time for Disney. It is elaborate and convoluted, but also brimming with wit; it is utmost modern but retains the classic sentimentality of its characters. It is a pinnacle of the nü-fairy tale genre. The ‘post-9/11 fairy tale’ maybe be bold, if not over-reaching, but it succeeds in the essential balance between light and dark that recent adaptations have missed.
Into the Woods is in theaters now.
