I recently saw the movie Into the Woods. I found it amazing, enchanting, darling, and hysterically funny. I’ll admit, I was at times the only one in the theater laughing, though it was a small crowd, including a lot of kids. Maybe they didn’t get the jokes. Believe me, it was funny.
It had an amazing cast — Meryl Streep as the Witch, Johnny Depp as the Wolf (who sang my favorite song in the whole movie), Chris Pine as Cinderella’s Prince, James Cordon as the Baker (an incredibly funny man in whatever he does), Tracey Ullman as Jack’s Mother, and Emily Blunt as Cinderella.
I saw the movie partly to resolve for myself the discussion on Facebook about the film. Many people reported being disappointed. I think the only people who might feel that way were those who were comparing it to the stage play. Surely, Bernadette Peters would have played the Witch much differently than did Meryl Streep, but Streep’s portrayal worked well on screen.
There also were people who were upset that Little Red Riding Hood and Jack (of Jack and the Beanstalk) were played by children in the film, rather than by adults.
Excuse me?
Putting adults in the roles of children may work on stage but not on film. Movies are known for being more realistic than a play could ever be. Adults playing children would just be weird. Granted, my only experience with the stage play was part of a TV production years ago. I saw enough to be intrigued, but not enough to be jaundiced. I would also say to those people to take the movie for what it is and not to focus on the differences with the play.
Into the Woods is a great film, and I’m not the only one to think so. Both the film and Emily Blunt have been nominated for Golden Globes. I’m planning to tune in Sunday night to see what happens. But either way, and whether or not you have seen the stage play, I’d advise you to see the movie. I could see it again. And again. And again.