Into the Woods is about what goes on for a Disney character after the “Happily Ever After.” Following the formula set by the Princess Bride, Into the Woods adapts the subversive Steven Sondheim play for the big screen. Oh, and for you Oscar people out there, did I mention Meryl Streep is involved?
A baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) are informed they cannot have children by their witch next door neighbor (Meryl Streep). To break the curse, they need 4 items: a white cow, golden hair, a red hood, and a slipper. Conveniently, some fairly tale characters come along to help them. Red (Lilla Crawford) and her hood are on the way to grandma’s, Rapunzel (Mackenzie Mauzy) and her locks long to escape and run away with her prince (Billy Magnussen), Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) is willing to trade his cow for some magic beans, and Cinderella (Anna Kendrick) uses her slippers to evade her Prince Charming (Chris Pine).
Disney has poked fun of itself before. Enchanted is one of the best examples of a film that walks the line between lampoon and homage of clichés in a fantasy musical. Into the Woods is of a similar tradition. Perceived one-minded determination is used as a character flaw; I mean, if you were going to stop at nothing to do something, you’ll end up hurting people at some point. Like the play, the movie hits its “high” note about 2/3 of the way through the film: every character gets what they wanted, but then it just keeps going, with many characters having to deal with consequences. Prince Charming’s longing still exists after he finds the girl he wants. Certain large people search out Jack since he’s been stealing with them. The absurdly driven characters set up the third act’s subversion with mostly successful (read: humorous) results.
Humor is the biggest sell for Into the Woods. Each joke is layered with a bit of satire, giving the punchlines just a bit more bite. Watching Prince Charming seduce multiple women using the “magic” of the woods as an excuse is just hysterical. Cinderella deciding it is brilliant to decide not to decide her fate is downright laughable at her character’s bravery. There is a blaming song that zips by so quickly that you can barely keep up with who is blaming whom. Specific thought is given to many of the character’s choices and how they intertwine with other characters, creating a cascading effect that bounces the story quickly from one joke or song to the next.
Much of the success goes to the actors here. Meryl Streep clearly didn’t get enough signing out of her system (Mamma Mia!), and adds validation to Into the Woods. However, Streep is taking a back seat here to her co-stars. James Corden and Emily Blunt carry the dramatic heft of the story, especially Corden. Their childless couple set the stakes extremely well, deliver some great afterthoughts on crazy sequences (Blunt), and captivate the attention of the audience in the big climax (Corden). Daniel Huttlestone and Lilla Crawford add their gifts from Broadway to Jack and Red, surprising the audience with well developed characters with not enough screen time. Anna Kendrick, Johnny Depp, Christine Baranski, and Tracy Ullman are wasted with either not enough screen time or background attention. Poor Mackenzie Mauzy and Billy Magnussen are the unfortunate stage to big screen cut characters. Let’s stay positive though, and give the biggest props to Chris Pine. Pine’s comedic chops are awesome here, completely selling the vapid smarm of a bro prince. Pine is responsible for the biggest laughs in Into the Woods; he even outshines Streep, which most other actors could not do.
Into the Woods is neutered enough to bring kids too. The kids will like the songs and the cute stories, but the adults will appreciate the allegorical satire placed upon the screenplay. Also, it will get you excited for James Corden to take over the Late Late Show: he can sing, he can bake, and he can tell stories better than most.