into the woods christian movie review

Into the Woods

Reviewed by: Alexander Malsan CONTRIBUTOR

Copyright, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

actions have consequences and sometimes dangerous repercussions

lies and deception

a world without hope vs. a world with love , hope , peace and joy

What is bad about taking revenge?

fantasy witches vs. witches in the Bible

wolves in the Bible

“Be careful what you wish for”

O nce upon a time there was a Baker and his wife. They earnestly hope to someday have a child of their own. As they are lamenting, a witch suddenly appears! She tells them of an event between her and the Baker’s father. You see, his father stole some magic beans from the witch’s garden. So how did the witch get revenge? By placing a curse on his family and future generations so that the Baker would never be a father… ever.

The witch tells the Baker that she can reverse the curse if, and only if, in 3 days time he brings her “the cow as white as milk, the slipper as pure as gold, the hair as yellow as corn, and the cape as red as blood.”

Meanwhile, Cinderella dreams of a life away from her evil step-mother and step—sisters. She desperately wishes to go the King’s festival, but her stepmother says no. Cinderella later goes to her mother’s burial ground covered by a large willow tree and asks the tree for a wish.

Still in another part of the town, we are introduced to Jack and his mother, who are in serious financial trouble. Mother tells him he must go and sell his best friend, a cow, for 5 pounds. Of course, he mistakenly sells his cow for magic beans, instead.

Add some giants, a girl in a red cape, and a nasty wolf , and what you get are these unlikely people coming together for a story as deep and confusing as the woods themselves.

Once upon a time there was a man named James Lapine. Mr. Lapine wrote a story entitled “Into the Woods.” It was a story about a Baker and his wife and their interactions with familiar fairytale creatures in order to reverse a curse. In the late 1980s, Stephen Sondheim caught interest in the story and decided that he himself wanted a part of this. So Mr. Sondheim and Mr. Lapine sat down together and determined how they were going to turn this idea into a great musical. “Into the Woods” the musical officially premiered at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California in 1986. The show ran over 50 performances and became such a success that in the following year “Into the Woods” made its debut on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on November 5, 1987, providing 750 performances before the show closed.

Almost 30 years later, “Into the Woods” still remains one of the most sought after and treasured musicals Sondheim ever produced, having been reproduced countless times on tour, local community theater productions, in the United States and abroad.

Surprisingly, there are people who have never heard of “Into the Woods” before. Many years ago, I was able to participate in a local community theater production of “Into the Woods.” I had never heard of the musical either but figured it would be a fun production. At first, I didn’t understand or grasp the beauty and complexity of the musical, which uses four separate characters, each with their own stories, ending up having to interact with each other, working together to save their beloved world. It was a somewhat dark musical, but not anywhere near as dark as musicals like “Jekyll and Hyde” or “Sweeney Todd.”

When I heard Disney was collaborating with Mr. Sondheim to adapt “Into the Woods” into a movie, I was somewhat skeptical. Could they capture the essence the musical offered? Could they maintain the depth and richness that made “Into the Woods” the success it was on Broadway?

I rather enjoyed the changes Sondheim made in his collaboration with Disney. As a musician, my fear was they would “mess” with the original score. For the most part, they didn’t. My only disappointment with the music is that one main character and one major song from the original musical were cut in this film.

There are many good performances. In the stage musical, the Baker is the star. While James Corden does a good job in this role, as does Emily Blunt as his wife, the person I am most impressed with is Meryl Streep as the witch. What a voice, what an actress! I’m not sure what she did exactly, but she changed her portrayal of the witch for the better, not worse. From what I heard, Sondheim actually approached Meryl Streep and pleaded with her to play the part. He wasn’t wrong in his decision. She nailed the role. She is shrewd, uncaring, selfish, nasty, but all in a different way. She was born for this role, and there is a reason she is a three-time Academy Award winner. Brava!

Cinematically, this movie is spot on. The story, while changed in some parts, stays relatively true to the original. The scenery is appropriately dark and eerie. The camera work is impressive, making one feel as though you were in the theater watching the original production.

To make the film more kid-friendly, parts of the original musical were cut. There is still some material to point out.

Violence: A mother slaps her son in the head several times for his disobedience. A girl stomps on a thief’s foot. Grandma and Red are eaten by the Wolf and later the Baker is shown cutting open the wolf to free them. (The implied action is done off screen.) In one scene, a man tries to silence a woman for provoking one of the Giants by knocking her in the head with his staff. In order to get stepsisters’ feet to fit in the Cinderella slipper, the Stepmother has their heel and toe cut off. And the stepmother and stepsisters are later blinded by birds as consequence of their treatment of Cinderella. Three characters are also killed (off screen) in this story.

Language: Some have stated the Wolf’s encounter with Little Red Riding Hood has some sexual themes behind it. I did not sense this in the film, and Sondheim himself stated in an interview that he and Disney made sure this was not the case. Others may disagree, so caution might be necessary. Profanity includes “God” (1) and the phrase O.M.G. (2). Plus the word “breasts” is used.

Sex: Cinderella’s Prince intentionally cheats on Cinderella with the Baker’s wife, and he kisses the wife for an extended period (the Baker’s wife also cheats on the Baker). Some female characters are seen wearing revealing outfits.

The Tone/Other Content of Concern: “Into the Woods” has been categorized as a dark musical. It deals in the fantasy magical arts of witchcraft, but not to the extent of films like the Harry Potter series. It is also important to note that characters like the Wolf and the Giants may be frightening for some younger children. Parents should use caution before deciding to take the family to see the film.

Spiritual Issues

Toward the end of the musical, Jack, the Baker, Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood have a deep conversation about never being alone. Cinderella sings:

“…No one is alone. Truly, no one is alone. Sometimes people leave you halfway through the wood. Others may deceive you. You decide what’s good. You decide alone. But no one is alone.” [Lyrics provided by Metro Lyrics for the song “No One Is Alone”]

I couldn’t help but be reminded about how those who love and follow God are not alone. Someone IS on our side and that someone is God. But unlike people, God will never leave nor forsake us halfway through the woods. He will always be there to guide us, strengthen us, pick us up when we fall and tell us to press on. The world is large, dangerous and enticing. But when God is on our side, we need not fear the world. We will never stand alone. As Moses once said to the Israelites:

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” — Deuteronomy 31:6

As I left the theater, my father and I spoke about the film during the ride home. We both agreed that while there were elements the film left out from the original musical, the movie is still a worthy adaptation and the heart of that original show is still there. I applaud Disney and especially Mr. Sondheim for NOT changing the musical to the point where it was unrecognizable. With some caution, I think this fairytale is okay for families with children ages 12 and up.

Violence: Moderate / Profanity: Minor / Sex/Nudity: Moderate

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DVD & Streaming

Into the Woods

Comedy , Drama , Musical , Romance , Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Content Caution

In Theaters

December 25, 2014
Anna Kendrick as Cinderella; Meryl Streep as The Witch; James Corden as The Baker; Emily Blunt as The Baker's Wife; Chris Pine as The Prince; Billy Magnussen as The Other Prince; Johnny Depp as The Wolf; MacKenzie Mauzy as Rapunzel; Lilla Crawford ad Little Red; Daniel Huttlestone as Jack

Home Release Date

March 24, 2015
Rob Marshall

Distributor

Walt Disney

Movie Review

All roads lead into the woods.

That nearby and thickly treed thatch of gnarled branches and winding paths may not look like much but, well, on a wish and a prayer, everyone seems to be going there for some fresh air. A fresh song. And a fresh outlook.

Young, empty-headed Jack treks through the woods on his mother’s command to sell their old cow in the neighboring village. He wishes he could save his dear four-legged friend, Milky White.

Little Red walks the wooded footways wrapped in her long cloak for protection while scarfing down sweets. She wishes to find her way safely to her grandmother’s house.

The put-upon stepchild Cinderella rushes into the thickets to visit her mother’s grave. Her not-so-secret cinder-smudged wish is to go to the royal ball.

The famously tressed Rapunzel is already tangled up in these woods, locked away in a long-forgotten doorless tower. So I don’t think I have to tell you what her wish is.

The humble village Baker and his childless Wife dash into that dark density to satisfy the demands of the Witch. They wish to have a child, you see, and it seems only the Witch can make their dreams come true … after they gather for her “a cow as white as milk, a cloak as red as blood, a slipper as pure as gold, some hair as yellow as corn.”

So what happens when wishes collide? Who will live happily ever after? Certainly not the Giant.

Positive Elements

The movie’s poster sports the slugline, “Be Careful What You Wish For …” And this musical makes sure that warning is repeated and illustrated throughout—convincing us that even wishes you think are good can come with a price tag you don’t expect. Cinderella, for instance, longs to meet a handsome prince. But when she does, she quickly realizes that princes aren’t necessarily all you dream they’ll be. She eventually has to choose to leave her Prince behind after he fails to remain faithful.

The value of fatherhood and good parenting is this musical’s next big moral concern. After reaching a very low moment of great loss, the Baker thinks he needs to walk away from it all, even his infant son. But a vision of his dead father—a man who ran away when the Baker was but a boy—convinces him to turn back and stand strong. “Be better than me. Do better,” the apparition pleads. And so the Baker does in a rather grand way in the tale’s final moments.

And speaking of grand themes thumping home in the final scenes, we hear the poignant song “Children Will Listen.” It plays out in part, “Careful the things you say/Children will listen/Careful the things you do/Children will see and learn/Children may not obey, but children will listen/Children will look to you for which way to turn/To learn what to be/Careful before you say, ‘Listen to me.'”

The Witch may have made many mistakes, including stealing away a little girl to raise as her own years before, but she rightly communicates a parent’s pain and worry over what the passing years bring. She sings, “Princes wait there in the world, it’s true/Princes, yes, but wolves and humans, too/Stay at home, I am home/Stay a child while you can be a child, with me.”

Other characters sing of the comfort we can find in the people around us after we’ve suffered great loss. “Still, you’re not alone,” we hear. “No one is alone, truly, no one is alone.”

The film briefly ruminates on the idea that life isn’t always right or wrong, good or bad, blessed or cursed. It’s seen that “witches can be right” and “giants can be good.” (There’s a negative side to this tack, of course, and I’ll mention that a bit later.) Little Red worries over the idea of killing the Giant’s Wife. “Aren’t we to show forgiveness?” she wonders.

Spiritual Elements

The Witch has cursed the Baker and his Wife for the man’s father’s former wrongdoing. She casts several other wind-swirling spells in the course of pursuing her objectives. She magically brings a dead cow back to life. She concocts a potion in the beast’s milk by feeding it those special items the Baker has brought. The potion is a powerful one, making the Witch look young again and instantly giving the Baker’s Wife a child.

The woods themselves are enchanted, in a way, changing you when you enter them. Cinderella visits her mother’s grave and talks with her spirit. Mom gives Cinderella a new dress and golden slippers to wear. Rapunzel heals her blinded Prince when one of her tears drips down on his mangled eyes. The Baker talks to his dead dad.

Sexual Content

When Cinderella’s Prince and the Baker’s Wife meet in the woods, she is overcome by his handsome face and charming demeanor. Even though the Prince is already married, he begins to seduce the Baker’s Wife, telling her, “Right and wrong don’t matter in the woods, only feelings.” She resists him at first but eventually gives in, and they kiss passionately.

Later, the Wife wrestles with her choices and temptations, wondering, in song, if it would be possible to have “a child for warmth, and a Baker for bread, and a Prince for whatever .” Ultimately she rejects that thought and comes to believe that the experience may have made the life she has with the Baker “mean more.” But the Prince’s only reaction? “I was raised to be charming, not sincere,” he says.

Little Red meets a Wolf in the woods who sings that he intends to snare her and eat her. In the process of “wooing” her with treacly sweet words and a coat lined with actual sweets, though, the smarmy gent comes off as something of a child molester. After she and her grandmother are both gobbled up and then rescued, Little Red thinks things through in a song: “He showed me things, many beautiful things/That I hadn’t thought to explore/They were off my path, so I never had dared/I had been so careful, I never had cared/And he made me feel excited—well, excited and scared/ … Isn’t it nice to know a lot! And a little bit not .”

The Witch compares someone stealing her possessions to being raped. The two Princes rip open their shirts in a comically beefcake way as they sing of the lustful “Agony” they feel because of two beautiful girls they can’t quite possess. Women reveal cleavage in tight dresses. Cinderella’s stepsisters are particularly immodest in their almost steampunk-style gowns, showing off lots of leg as well as they prance and pout and pose. Cinderella and her Prince kiss, as do Rapunzel and hers.

Violent Content

After Little Red and her grandmother are eaten by the Wolf (offscreen), the Baker rushes in and draws his knife to plunge it into the beastie’s protruding belly. (The camera, ahem, cuts away before contact.) Several other prominent characters lose their lives as well. One falls off a cliff, another is pushed and hits her head on a stump, still another is hit in the forehead by a slingshot-launched rock, and a fourth crashes to the ground as she’s transformed into a pool of bubbling tar.

Cinderella’s stepsisters submit to having their feet sliced and disfigured by a sharp knife so they can fit into the golden slipper. (The cutting is, again, out of the camera’s view; we see only a single drop of blood on a white glove.) The young ladies are also blinded by a flock of birds called down by Cinderella. For her part, Cinderella is shoved and slapped by her mean stepsisters. A Prince slams into the side of a stone tower and then is thrown from his horse and has his eyes cruelly poked by a thicket of thorns. Jack is slapped upside the head (repeatedly) by his mother.

Crude or Profane Language

One forceful exclamation of “oh my god!”

Drug and Alcohol Content

Other negative elements.

The script’s push toward parsing the grays in between the blacks and whites goes a tad too far. We hear this declaration issued as a solution: “ You decide what’s right/ You decide what’s good.”

The story’s mess of misfortunes all begins with a man who stole stuff from a garden.

“Wishes come true, not free.”

That’s a pithy, level-headed aphorism. And it’s ironic, in a way, that Disney—the home of wispy happily-ever-afters and multitudes of wished-upon stars—has lent its name to a musical with that motif woven so tightly into its signature. For Into the Woods makes no bones about telling us just how costly misplaced wishes and dreams can be. Or, in the case of well-placed wishes, how costly it is to pursue them without exercising restraint and caution along the way.

The musical takes it cues from the Brothers Grimm, to be sure. Dark dangers and seductive delights clash and clang throughout. Princes seduce and cheat. Wolves lurk and lure little girls. The good guys fail and fall in sometimes fatal ways.

Yet this is perhaps the most appealingly staged and wonderfully cast piece of musical wisdom you’re bound to encounter. As we hear on the song “I Know Things Now,” “Even flowers have their dangers/And though scary is exciting/Nice is different than good.”

A rendition of Stephen Sondheim’s 1987 stage production about tumbled together fairy tales, Into the Woods is whimsical and outlandish, enchanting and thoughtful. By the final curtain it makes it plain that even in a crooked-branch storyland of wicked witches and sumptuous slippers, foolish and selfish behaviors come at a high price. Only hard work and steadfast love, we’re told, can heal the heart and set the wrong things of the Woods right once again. Only good examples from parents can help children grow up and do good themselves. Only dads who stick it out can experience the joy their kids can bring.

After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.

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CHRISTIAN MOVIE REVIEW

Review: into the woods, by hannah goodwyn senior producer.

CBN.com - "I wish more than anything, more than life, more than jewels…" I wish Into the Woods was more suitable for younger audiences. With its PG rating, Disney backing, big marketing push for its Christmas Day release and innocent-looking movie trailer, newcomers to this storyline wouldn't know the adult-leaning themes Into the Woods gets into (more explanation shared below).

For those familiar with Stephen Sondheim's Broadway hit, this new musical movie—with all of its inclinations—will not disappoint. Director Rob Marshall, who translated Chicago to film, does Sondheim's beloved play a solid. Though it's a pared down version of the three-hour play, and is less dark than the stage version, the heart of the musical still beats strong.

THE MOVIE IN A MINUTE

The Baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) have one wish. They wish to have a child. Unable to start a family on their own, they strike a deal with their next-door neighbor, The Witch (Meryl Streep). She promises to reverse "the curse" if they do exactly as she says. They must go into the woods and bring her back items that end up being the possessions of Jack (of beanstalk fame), Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Cinderella (Anna Kendrick). With each in the woods after their own wish, the task proves much harder than initially thought, especially as their wishes begin to collide, bringing even more trouble to the dark woods.

THE GOOD AND BAD IN INTO THE WOODS

First, let's examine the cinematic qualities of Into the Woods, the movie. Simply put, it's beautiful—from the elaborate set design and visual effects to the intricate costuming and magical film score. Audiences are in for some seriously good musical numbers—some of them quite clever.

Streep and Johnny Depp (who plays the The Wolf) are unquestionably the big names on the Into the Woods ' roster, but these stars don't outshine the rest of this brilliant cast. Really, Marshall couldn't have picked a better group to bring this play to the big screen. A few surprises include Chris Pine's perfectly charming portrayal of The Prince, Blunt's turn as The Baker's Wife and Corden (a comedian of the British variety) as the narrating Baker.

As with any fairy tale, Into the Woods is rife with themes that offer audiences a lesson to takeaway from the story. Some of these are biblically aligned; some are not. Here are just a few of them boiled down to one-line lessons: 1. Your evil deeds will come back to haunt you. 2. The sins of the father may visit the son, but we all have the power to change our fate through our free will. 3. What you wish for may not turn out to be the best for you. 4. Working life out together with your spouse is better than going at it alone. 5. "Charming" men don't guarantee you a "happily ever after".

One of the story's final remarks is encapsulated in the lyric: "You decide what's right. You decide what's good." This do-what-you-want and what's-good-for-you attitude is conflicting. There's more than that, but you get the point . Into the Woods makes a lot of them.

Officially, Into the Woods has a PG rating for "thematic elements, fantasy action and peril, and some suggestive material". But, do not let this "kid-friendly" rating mislead you into thinking this movie is suitable for younger children. Even with the changes made to soften this version, the implied and sung-about violence (including a mother hitting her son – twice), the magical spells, a moment of marital indiscretion, short dresses revealing fishnet stockings and The Wolf's suggestive song "Hello, Little Girl" all make it unfitting for young moviegoers. Some of it may go over kids' heads, but the blinding of characters and slicing of feet (part of the original Cinderella story) are definitely upfront moments inappropriate for small ones.

Speaking from a purely "entertainment" standpoint, Into the Woods is a charming musical that cunningly deconstructs the Disney fairy tales we all know. The magic and mischief in this movie make it one suitable for pre-teens, teenagers and adults. Leave your young children at home.

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Into the Woods

Dove Review

“Into the Woods” is a humorous and imaginative film. It’s not flawless, but it has some funny moments, including a scene in which two princes (Cinderella’s prince and Rapunzel’s prince) are over the top in singing about their love for Cinderella and Rapunzel. They attempt to be sexy as they sing and it’s hilarious at times. Johnny Depp is terrific in basically a cameo role as the Big Bad Wolf, with his plan to eat Little Red Riding Hood. In fact, all of the actors hit the right notes in the movie, including Meryl Streep as the witch, Emily Blunt as the baker’s wife, Anna Kendrick as Cinderella, Chris Pine as Prince Charming, and Billy Magnussen as Rapunzel’s prince.

The movie would have been nearly perfect if it had stopped at the 90-minute mark. However, the last half hour of the two-hour film hampers it a bit. At the 90-minute mark, all the stories are wrapped up with a happy ending. In the last half hour, Prince Charming has an affair with the baker’s wife, although she goes back to the baker in the end and knows she was wrong. In addition, a few characters die and, well, as Prince Charming himself says, “I am charming, not sincere.” I think the affair, not to mention a few other plot points, do not serve the story at all. For example, Cinderella moves on and is once again alone. On a positive note, this talented cast can sing and there are a lot of rhyming songs, not to mention the funny scenes. It did get tiring seeing Jack’s mother (as in Jack and the Beanstalk) whack him in the head several times.

Overall this is an entertaining, funny film with a twist on various fairy tales. We are happy to award it our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal for ages twelve plus. This movie takes you into a world of imagination as you journey “into the woods.”

Dove Rating Details

Young man is hit on the head by his mother several times and it is played for laughs; young man is grabbed by the ear a couple of times; it is not shown but supposedly two women have their toes and heels cut off to fit into Cinderella's slippers; girl brandishes knife for protection; giant woman is hit in the head with a stone from a slingshot and she falls over and dies.

Kissing by a few couples; prince has an affair with the baker's wife but they break it off and she returns to the baker, sorry for what has happened.

OMG-1; Fool-1.

There are several scenes which feature cleavage.

A witch uses spell to become young again; it is said a curse was placed by a witch but she gets hers in the end; spell brings dead cow back to life; snakes are seen in the water; tension between characters.

More Information

Film information, dove content.

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INTO THE WOODS

"lost in the woods".

What You Need To Know:

(PaPaPa, FRFR, RoRo, BB, C, OO, L, VV, S, MM) Very eclectic, mixed pagan worldview with magical pagan thinking some strong relativism, some strong Romanticism, some strong moral consequences, a redemptive element of forgiveness, occult content includes witchcraft and spells and characters believe witch can solve plot problems through her spells; one light OMG profanity; some very mean violence includes witch blinds a man, birds attack, boy shoots rocks at female giant with slingshot, wolf eats girl, cow dies, wicked stepmother cuts toe off daughter, and then when the prince sees the blood in the slipper, she cuts the heal off the other daughter so she can wear the slipper; prince commits adultery with baker’s wife, light discussion about baker and his wife are trying to have a child; low-cut blouses on women; and, lying, deception, magical thinking.

More Detail:

INTO THE WOODS was a musical play that should not have been turned into a movie, or the filmmakers should have completely restructured the play to make it work as a movie. As it is, INTO THE WOODS is a very dark musical fantasy that has plot points that seem like intermissions and that stops halfway through, only to start again with a new premise.

The movie opens with a song saying, “I wish,” where several people are wishing for several things in their life. The baker and his are wishing for as son. Jack of beanstalk fame is wishing for something else. Cinderella is wishing for something else. They all conclude their lyrics saying they’d be willing to give up their life to attain their wishes.

A witch appears to the baker and his wife and says she’s willing to remove the curse she pronounced on the baker’s parents. She cursed his noble parents into poverty because they were taking some of her prized vegetables from her garden. One of the things the baker’s father stole from the witch was some magic beans. She will remove the curse if the baker gets her four things: a cow as white as milk, hair as yellow as corn, a cape as red as blood, and a gold slipper. The baker and his wife must go into the woods to find these things.

In the woods, the baker sees Little Red Riding Hood going into her grandmother’s house. He forcefully takes her cape as red as blood, but eventually returns it to her after she screams and hollers. Little Red Riding Hood has already met the wolf, played by Johnny Depp, who sings about her as a delicious, plump meal. The wolf eats Little Red Riding Hood, but the baker cuts open the wolf and rescues her and her grandmother. She’s so grateful that she gives the baker her cape.

The baker meets Jack, who’s taking his cow to sell it. The cow is barren and won’t give any milk, but the cow is as white as milk, so the baker gives Jack five magic beans for the cow. When Jack gets home, his mother is furious. She throws the beans out the window, and the next day there is the beanstalk to the clouds. Sometime later, Jack climbs the beanstalk, steals the golden egg from the Giant and finally kills the Giant after stealing the harp. Jack wants his cow back, so he tries to buy it back from the baker with the gold. The baker won’t sell, and the cow dies.

Meanwhile, one of the two prince brothers has found Rapunzel, the girl whom the witch holds prisoner in the tower. The Prince plans to rescue her. The baker’s wife sees that Rapunzel’s hair is as yellow as corn. So, when the prince leaves, she steals some of Rap’s hair.

Meanwhile, Cinderella cleans the fireplace at the house of her wicked stepmother and two wicked daughters. They say she can go to the ball if she cleans up the house and the fireplace. Cinderella has the ability to talk to birds, in this case blackbirds, and they clean things up for her. Through a little magic, she gets dressed in a beautiful gown and goes to the ball. The prince falls for her, but she runs away just before midnight. The baker’s wife sees her in her golden slippers and tries to steal them from her. Cinderella is very indecisive, but she returns to the ball the next night. Then she runs again. Eventually, the baker’s wife gets one of the slippers.

So now, an hour into the movie, the baker and his wife have everything they need to break the curse. The witch revives the cow, breaks the curse, gives the baker and his wife a baby, and becomes young again. Now, the story has to start all over again since the first plot problem has been solved.

The second plot problem is the Giant’s wife, who’s looking for Jack to take revenge. Some of the characters want to turn Jack over to the giant’s wife. Others want to protect him. Jack runs away. The baker and his wife split up to find him. The baker’s wife meets one of the two princes. They have an adulterous affair. The baker’s wife falls off a cliff as if she is being punished for her sin. The movie meanders, until, by the grace of running out of ideas, the movie ends.

The sets, direction and acting in INTO THE WOODS are very good. The problem is, the songs reveal several contradictory worldviews. The first song, “I wish,” feeds the theme of witchcraft and occultism. Another song talks about forgiveness. Another romantic song says you decide what’s right. Another song implies you’re never alone. Another song affirms marriage. All these viewpoints are presented without any reflection that they may be contradictory. In some ways, the Walt Disney Company seems to be trying to revisit its fairy tales by showing the obverse, or dark side, of their princess stories and fairy tales. At the same time, since this is Disney, it almost seems as if someone said we need to put some positive points of view into the movie.

The movie’s many plotlines get tedious. One person walked out of the screening. Another person kept saying how boring the movie was.

Whatever the reason, INTO THE WOODS is a disappointment. Ultimately it seems to conclude, as one of its songs says, “Witches can be right; giants can be good. You decide what’s right; you decide what’s good.”

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Into the woods, common sense media reviewers.

Sondheim's fairy tale musical is dark, complex, sublime.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Teamwork is necessary for success in life, and esp

Main characters are all well-known fairy tale icon

(Spoiler alert!) Central characters die, and other

Kissing and flirting. Some suggestive song lyrics.

One "oh my God."

Some revelry and carousing during a celebration.

Positive Messages

Teamwork is necessary for success in life, and especially in a marriage. Choices have consequences, sometimes unexpected, and you have to accept them. Love can't be forced; it just has to happen. In order to grow, you have to be brave and take chances, but you also have to consider others' safety and well-being. Family can come in unexpected forms. Parenting is a tricky business. It's not worth pointing fingers when trouble arises; better to deal with the problem together.

Positive Role Models

Main characters are all well-known fairy tale icons -- presented here as generally well-meaning but also very flawed. A baker and his wife work together toward a worthy common goal, but they deceive and steal to get there. A prince is charming but easily distracted. A would-be princess dreams of grandeur but is scared of change. A witch loves her child (whom she stole) but treats her like a jailer. A boy takes big risks to save a friend but causes larger trouble.

Violence & Scariness

(Spoiler alert!) Central characters die, and others mourn their loss; children are left without parents. Frequent, heightened sense of menace and peril. A lascivious wolf preys upon a young girl; he eventually eats her. A man rescues her by cutting the wolf's stomach open (portrayed with shadows). Villagers attempt to slay a giant after it lays waste to the kingdom (discussed but not shown); the giant's movements cause tremors, falling trees, and other scary situations. The witch can be scary; she comes and goes very abruptly (sometimes with loud noises/smoke) and yells a lot. Jack's mother hits him on the head a couple of times; he's in peril several times. He also has to say goodbye to his beloved pet cow; the cow dies but is resurrected. A prince is cast into thorn bushes and blinded. A baby could be seen as being in peril; his father appears to abandon him because he doesn't think he's cut out to be a dad, but he changes his mind. Cinderella's stepsisters and stepmother are cruel and vicious; the stepmother mutilates her own daughters to further their cause with the prince. Birds come after their eyes.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Kissing and flirting. Some suggestive song lyrics. Implication that two characters have a tryst in the woods; both are married to others at the time. Some cleavage-baring/racy-looking outfits on Cinderella's stepsisters.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Into the Woods is a beautiful, clever, frequently funny, sometimes somber, and ultimately uplifting take on classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales, based on the beloved musical by Stephen Sondheim. Its presentation of characters like Cinderella, Prince Charming, and more as very flawed people may be confusing or upsetting for younger kids; there's lots to think about here, but it's pretty emotionally complicated stuff. A lascivious wolf preys on a young girl, children lose and are separated from their parents, sympathetic characters die, handsome princes aren't all they appear to be, and there's no promise of happy ending for anyone. Meryl Streep 's wicked witch might terrify younger kids, and giants wreak havoc upon the land and terrorize its residents -- but for the most part, the scares are mild. There's no strong language to speak of (though some of the brilliant lyrics are tricky to follow); characters do kiss, and there's an illicit tryst between a couple who are married to others. But teamwork is valued, family is found in unexpected places, and characters tackle moral dilemmas in ways that will resonate with viewers. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

Parents say (94)
Kids say (123)

Based on 94 parent reviews

One of the worst films we have ever seen

Not the best but it’s okay, what's the story.

In a magical kingdom far, far away lives a baker ( James Corden ) and his wife ( Emily Blunt ). Unable to have children, they strike a bargain with the witch next door ( Meryl Streep ), who sends them on a mission to find a handful of objects that will help them break a curse. Meanwhile, Cinderella ( Anna Kendrick ) desperately wants to go to the ball hosted by the prince ( Chris Pine ), and a young girl in a red cape (Lilla Crawford) is on her way to her grandmother's house when she encounters the Big Bad Wolf ( Johnny Depp ). Then there's young Jack (Daniel Huttlestone), who has to sell his cow and winds up trading her not for money but for magic beans, which ultimately leads to a big problem for the whole kingdom. They all converge as they head INTO THE WOODS.

Is It Any Good?

Fans of Stephen Sondheim's beloved musical have nothing to fear from this finely tuned and beautifully rendered cinematic version. The set will draw you in; the music, as expected, will leave you at once melancholy and thoughtful; and the acting will surprise and please. The weakest link, if he can be called that, is actually Depp, who could have benefited from a touch of understatement. But almost everyone else is a delight: Streep, especially -- despite having been in scores of memorable movies for decades -- reminds us that she has the power to morph into something we've yet to see. She amazes. And Pine proves he has a gift for comedy in the hilarious song "Agony."

But best of all is Sondheim's music: It's complicated and compelling. This is no run-of-the-mill children's musical. Though it may sport a stylized (and gorgeously rendered) set, the music grounds Into the Woods in a truly human -- and humane -- scale. Musicals don't often teach nuanced life lessons. But if, as one song goes, "children will listen," they'll hear plenty of words to guide them here.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about fairy tales. How does Into the Woods play with the standard formula? Do any of the characters actually live happily ever after? Is that OK?

What audience do you think this movie is intended for? It's about fairy tale characters, but is it for kids? Do you think young children can understand the nuances of Sondheim?

Are the characters role models? Can you relate to their dilemmas and problems? What do they learn over the course of the movie? What choices and mistakes do they make, and how does that affect their story?

How are parents depicted? Are the mothers and fathers in the movie good parents? What does it take to be a good parent?

Movie Details

In theaters : December 25, 2014
On DVD or streaming : March 24, 2015
Cast : Meryl Streep , Anna Kendrick , James Corden , Emily Blunt
Director : Rob Marshall
Inclusion Information : Gay directors, Female actors
Studio : Buena Vista
Genre : Musical
Topics : Magic and Fantasy , Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More , Adventures , Fairy Tales , Music and Sing-Along
Run time : 124 minutes
MPAA rating : PG
MPAA explanation : thematic elements, fantasy action and peril, and some suggestive material
Last updated : April 19, 2023

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Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a christian worldview.

Movie Review ~ Into the Woods

December 26, 2014 by Bill Pence Leave a comment

This delightful and very entertaining film, is based on Stephen Sondheim’s 1987 stage production that brings a new twist to some of the most popular of the Brother Grimm’s fairy tales of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Jack and the Beanstalk in a musical setting. It is directed by Rob Marshall, who was nominated for Best Director for Chicago in 2002. The film features a strong cast, led by one of our greatest actresses, Meryl Streep, as the Witch.

The film begins with the Baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt). They have just given Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford) a lot of free bread and sweets, to take to her grandmother in the woods, or so she says. They are closing up shop, when the Witch appears. The Baker and his wife long to have children, but have not been able to. The Witch finally tells them that they have not been able to because she put a curse on them as a result of something the Baker’s father did years ago. However, if they can gather three four things over the next few days – “a cow as white as milk, a cloak as red as blood, a slipper as pure as gold, some hair as yellow as corn”, and bring them back to the Witch, she will lift the curse and grant them a child. And thus the Baker and his wife set off into the woods on a search for these four items.

It is in the woods that the lives of Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf (Johnny Depp), Jack (Daniel Huttlestone, who was the street urchin Gavroche in the 2012 film Les Miserables ), and his mother (Tracey Ullman), Cinderella (Anna Kendrick) and her stepmother (Christine Baranski) and stepsisters, and the Prince (Chris Pine) and Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy) all converge.

The woods change those who enter them. Of the woods, critic Susan Wloszczyna writes: “It’s a scary place where many of the characters lose their bearings, both morally, ethically and otherwise, and danger regularly lurks”.

We are told that “right and wrong don’t matter in the woods, only feelings” and “You decide what’s right, you decide what’s good”. There are also positive messages about being there for your children.

This film had excellent music (much singing), and very impressive sets and costumes. There was also some good humor slipped in throughout. I did feel that it ran a bit long at 125 minutes and could have been tightened up. Overall, it was one of the best films I’ve seen this year.

Author: Bill Pence

I’m Bill Pence – married to my best friend Tammy, a graduate of Covenant Seminary, St. Louis Cardinals fan, formerly a manager at a Fortune 50 organization, and in leadership at my local church. I am a life-long learner and have a passion to help people develop, and to use their strengths to their fullest potential. I am an INTJ on Myers-Briggs, 3 on the Enneagram, my top five Strengthsfinder themes are: Belief, Responsibility, Learner, Harmony, and Achiever, and my two StandOut strength roles are Creator and Equalizer. My favorite book is the Bible, with Romans my favorite book of the Bible, and Colossians 3:23 and 2 Corinthians 5:21 being my favorite verses. Some of my other favorite books are The Holiness of God and Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul, and Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper. I enjoy music in a variety of genres, including modern hymns, Christian hip-hop and classic rock. My book Called to Lead: Living and Leading for Jesus in the Workplace and Tammy’s book Study, Savor and Share Scripture: Becoming What We Behold are available in paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon. amazon.com/author/billpence amazon.com/author/tammypence

Into the Woods: Movie Review

Hannah Goodwyn

Share This article

"I wish more than anything, more than life, more than jewels…" I wish Into the Woods was more suitable for younger audiences. With its PG rating, Disney backing, big marketing push for its Christmas Day release and innocent-looking movie trailer, newcomers to this storyline wouldn't know the adult-leaning themes Into the Woods gets into (more explanation shared below).

THE MOVIE IN A MINUTE

The Baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) have one wish. They wish to have a child. Unable to start a family on their own, they strike a deal with their next-door neighbor, The Witch (Meryl Streep). She promises to reverse "the curse" if they do exactly as she says. They must go into the woods and bring her back items the end up being the possessions of Jack (of beanstalk fame), Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Cinderella (Anna Kendrick). With each in the woods after their own wish, the task proves much harder than initially thought, especially as their wishes being to collide, bringing even more trouble to the dark woods.

THE GOOD AND BAD IN INTO THE WOODS

About The Author

Hannah Goodwyn served as a Senior Producer for CBN.com, managing and writing for the award-winning website. After her undergraduate studies at Christopher Newport University, Hannah went on to study Journalism at the graduate level. In 2005, she graduated summa cum laude with her Master's from Regent University and was honored with an Outstanding Student Award. From there, Hannah began work as a content producer for CBN.com. For ten years, she acted as the managing producer for the website's Family and Entertainment sections. A movie buff, Hannah felt right at home working as CBN.com's More

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Into the Woods Video Movie Review

Updated Dec 29, 2014

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How did Disney do with their adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim stage musical Into the Woods? Is it dark, depressing, deep, or delightful? Crosswalk's Debbie Holloway and Shawn McEvoy talk about how it's a little of all of the above. Read Christa Banister's full-text review for Crosswalk.com here .

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Into the Woods

Review by brian eggert december 17, 2014.

Brothers Grimm fairy tales come to living, singing life in Into the Woods , a long-in-development adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning Broadway musical from 1986. The original and much-celebrated production featured Bernadette Peters and Joanna Gleason in key roles, but Walt Disney Pictures spent a pretty penny ($50 million) on the film and its showy cast: Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, and Johnny Depp are just a few of the big names involved. Also showy are the glowing production values, which, in every scene, demonstrate the top-notch skill and visual sense impelling this feature version. Nevertheless, musical purists may feel betrayed by Sondheim and co-writer James Lapine, who have added new musical material and, in some cases, rewrote plot points to satisfy Disney’s family-friendly needs. But therein lies the crucial downfall of such big-screen fare: the filmmakers are so desperate to deliver a universally consumable product (and Oscar-friendly to boot) that the result feels somewhat bland and unfantastical.

The storybook mash-up contains elements from Grimm’s Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel; although, the main throughline revolves around a baker and his wife (James Corden and Emily Blunt). They want to have a child but cannot, as his family has been cursed by a neighboring Witch (Meryl Streep). In order to break the curse, within three days, they must gather a few items for said Witch: a red cape, a golden shoe, a white cow, and some golden hair. So they search for these items in the woods and intersect with characters such as Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), the eventually golden-shoed Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) who trades his white cow for the Witch’s magic beans, and the golden-haired Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy). Each of the stories works out as you might expect—according to tradition—but then the story takes several unforeseen turns in the last act, pondering what happens when life doesn’t work out like a storybook.

Talk of an Into the Woods adaptation has stirred through Hollywood since the 1990s, but musicals were out of fashion then and, for one reason or another, it never materialized. Not until Rob Marshall directed Chicago in 2002 and it won the Oscar for Best Picture were musicals chic again. Moreover, Marshall seemed like the perfect choice to champion Sondheim’s musical on film because, along with the lesser Memoirs of a Geisha and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides to his credit, he’s versed in elaborate productions, and at least a couple of them musicals (Marshall also helmed Nine , but don’t hold that against him; Disney didn’t). With Sondheim closely involved in the adaptation and Marshall directing, the production also boasts three-time Oscar-winning costumer Colleen Atwood, production designer Dennis Gassner, and plenty of special FX to boot. And, Marshall’s cinematographer on Memoirs of a Geisha and Nine , Dion Beebe, brings a showy Tim Burton-esque atmosphere to dark woodlands and old castles, not unlike portions of Alice in Wonderland .

But while laboring over aesthetic details, Marshall and Sondheim’s handling fails to resonate with the same dramatic involvement as the stage rendition did. Indeed, the 2012 version of Les Misérables went through a similar process, where so much attention was given to actors and set-pieces that the narrative took a back seat. What’s more, much too much screen time is spent developing the standard Grimm storylines, whereas Into the Woods doesn’t become novel or really interesting until the final act, when things stop working out in expected storybook fashion (think Enchanted ). Moreover, Sondheim’s Disney-ization of his material has led to him toning down the innuendo and death in his story; hints of intercourse in the woods have been modified, and at least one character lives when originally they died. Because the musical’s edgy tone has been reduced, the adaptation feels only just serviceable early on and picks up only when the venerable stories start diverting from their standard trajectories—about three-fourths into the film.

Fortunately, strong casting choices distract from or otherwise enhance the middling treatment of the story. Johnny Depp appears in two brief scenes as Red Riding Hood’s Big Bad Wolf, whose underage sexual proclivities from the stage version have been curbed slightly. Chris Pine appears as Prince Charming, who later pronounces to his significant other that he was raised to be “charming not faithful.” Pine shares the amusing song “Agony” alongside Billy Magnussen, who plays the lesser-defined prince interested in Rapunzel. Christine Baransky, Lucy Punch, and Tammy Blanchard appear as Cinderella’s wicked Stepmother and Stepsisters, all appropriately over-the-top. But the film belongs to Streep and Blunt, whose characters are the most expressive and dynamic in a roster of one-dimensional roles. The Witch and the Baker’s Wife also have the best songs, few of which are truly memorable besides “Into the Woods” and “No One is Alone”.

The long history of Walt Disney mining storybooks for family-friendly motion pictures, animated or live-action, continues with Into the Woods ; though, Sondheim’s overall message is far more satirical and grounded than a standard fairy tale. Still, the film version doesn’t feel as playful or revisionist as the stage musical. Those unfamiliar may not notice the differences referenced in this review and, regardless, may find the impressive production captivating and filled with charm in its current state. But those versed in Sondheim’s Sweeny Todd , adapted to expert effect by Tim Burton in 2007, know there’s a comical-macabre streak running through Sondheim’s work that is largely absent here and, as a result, leaves this feeling neutered. And yet, with production values so high and the general pleasantness of the songs and converging, familiar storylines, it’s difficult to find Into the Woods anything but admirable, just not something that deserves wild enthusiasm.

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Film Review: ‘Into the Woods’

Wolves howl, giants roar and a cast of fairy-tale all-stars seek enlightenment in this solid, satisfying film version of Stephen Sondheim's beloved Broadway musical.

By Scott Foundas

Scott Foundas

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“Be careful what you wish for” warn the ads for “Into the Woods” — an apt summary of the movie’s theme, and also the mindset of many a Stephen Sondheim fan ever since it was announced that the composer’s popular 1987 Broadway musical was being turned into a film. But such fears are swiftly allayed by director Rob Marshall , who, um, marshals Sondheim’s cavalcade of fairy-tale all-stars on to the screen in a faithful, never particularly inspired, but supremely respectable version — one that outclasses Marshall’s prior “Chicago” and “Nine,” to say nothing of this season’s two-ton musical monstrosity, “Annie.” Strong reviews and family appeal should earn Disney much more than a bunch of magic beans at the holiday box office, with a long shelf life to follow.

It certainly took Hollywood long enough to see the forest for the trees where “Into the Woods” was concerned. A film version was first bandied about in the mid-’90s at Sony (with Goldie Hawn, Cher and Steve Martin among the potential cast), then put into development deep-freeze for the next two decades. During that time, “Woods” was revived twice on the New York stage (including director Timothy Sheader’s brilliant open-air production in Central Park in 2012) and could be felt as an influence on the “Shrek” movies and (especially) Disney’s “Enchanted.” But the announcement that Disney was finally making “Woods” still brought with it no shortage of anxieties (some fueled by a misquoted Sondheim interview): namely, that the Mouse House would sand down the less family-friendly elements of the show, including its lascivious pederast wolf, an episode of marital infidelity, and a second-act body count to rival Sondheim’s own “Sweeney Todd.”

For all those reasons and more, the chief virtue of this “Into the Woods” is a feeling of relief. Marshall hasn’t made one of the great movie musicals here, but he hasn’t bungled it, either — far from it. Aficionados who know the show by heart will fully recognize what they see here (and actually be able to see it, after the frantic, seizure-inducing editing of “Chicago” and “Nine”), while new audiences will more than get the gist, a touch condensed and Disneyfied perhaps, but to little overall detriment. If so much as one tween viewer adds Sondheim to his or her iPod playlist alongside the likes of “Let it Go,” all will have been worthwhile.

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Taking greater inspiration from “The Uses of Enchantment” author Bruno Bettelheim than from Uncle Walt, Sondheim and book writer James Lapine (who also earns a screenplay credit here) pluck a dozen or so characters from the iconic fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, add in a few of their own invention, and set them on a tragicomic collision course in which “happily ever after” comes with a litany of fine-print conditions.

The lineup includes a humble baker (the very appealing James Corden ) and his wife ( Emily Blunt ), whose bake shop is frequented by a bratty, shoplifting Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), and who live next door to a haggard old witch ( Meryl Streep ) with many axes to grind. Long ago, the witch abducted the baker’s infant sister, Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy), and cursed the baker himself with sterile genes — punishment for the sins of his estranged father (who stole magic beans from the witch’s garden, once upon a time). But the curse can be reversed, the witch announces, provided the baker and his wife procure the necessary ingredients in the span of 72 hours: a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold.

It is that quest which leads the childless couple into said woods, and into contact with all manner of fellow travelers running to or away from something: the farm boy Jack (Daniel Huttlestone), reluctantly off to market to sell his beloved but milk-dry cow; Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), giving chase to a confounded Prince Charming (Chris Pine); and Little Red herself, weighing mother’s advice about strangers against the dandyish charms of a certain Mr. Wolf (a lip-smacking Johnny Depp , in slanted fedora and a kind of hirsute smoking jacket). For Sondheim and Lapine, these woods are as much a psychological space as a physical one — an existential crucible where innocence is lost, wisdom gained and the difficulty felt of walking a mile in someone else’s shoes, be they golden or giant-sized. Freed from the literal belly of the beast, Red Riding Hood sings that her lupine adventure made her feel scared, yes, but also excited, before concluding, “Isn’t it nice to know a lot?/And a little bit not.” Meanwhile, after her own illicit wooded liaison, the baker’s wife wonders, “Is it always ‘or?’/Is it never ‘and?’” — one of those deceptively simple Sondheim lyrics that feels like a definitive expression of life’s unending compromise.

Marshall, who’s never seemed to know quite what to do with a movie camera and an editing machine, is helped considerably here by the fact that “Woods” (unlike his previous musical films) has no major dances to flash-cut into incoherence. And where both “Chicago” and “Nine” labored to present their musical numbers as fantasy sequences, lest multiplex-goers be alarmed by the sight of actors suddenly bursting into song, “Woods” harbors no such concerns, embracing its theatricality down to the smallest details of costume and set design. (“The trees are just wood,” Sondheim’s characters sing, but the ones in Marshall’s film, care of production designer Dennis Gassner, look closer to fiberglass.) We’re a long — and probably wise — way here from the bigger-budget version of the film originally proposed, complete with elaborate creature effects from the Jim Henson workshop. The movie doesn’t need the extra razzle-dazzle because the real magic is there in Sondheim’s music, which Marshall allows to come through mostly unimpeded (save for a few deleted reprises) in Jonathan Tunick’s marvelous original orchestrations, conducted by longtime Sondheim collaborator Paul Gemignani.

Both men also worked on Tim Burton’s 2007 film version of “Sweeney Todd” (starring Depp as the eponymous demon barber), a stylistically bolder and more accomplished film than “Into the Woods.” If comparisons must be made, however, then “Woods” is the better sung of the two, by a generally superb cast who catch the tricky tonal shifts from cheeky satire to pathos and back again. Decked out with a long gray mane and a face of Grand Canyon crags, Streep brings a most amusing petulance to the witch (whom Bernadette Peters played as more of a cloying Jewish mother in the original Broadway production). Pine makes for a hilariously preening, clueless Prince, as does Billy Magnussen as his equally charming and insincere princely brother (who longs for fair Rapunzel). Their witty duet, “Agony,” performed in the midst of a babbling brook, is one of the film’s most dynamic numbers. But as onstage, the richest part here is that of the baker’s wife, a loyal helpmeet who can’t help but wonder if she’s cut out for grander things, and who pays dearly for that curiosity. And Blunt (once again under Streep’s thumb, as in “The Devil Wears Prada”) has just the right nurturing yet wistful air to make the character heartbreaking in spite of (or rather, because of) her all-too-human flaws.

For the screen, Lapine has somewhat condensed the show’s second half, diluting the sense that the characters, having achieved their ostensible goals by intermission, still long for something more. Mostly, though, the second-act doozies are still here: the deaths, the betrayals and the buck-passing standoff with a very angry female giant (Frances de la Tour). All of that should send wise children and their parents out into the night mulling the complex nature of love and loss, taking responsibility for one’s own actions, and the things both good and ill we pass on from one generation to the next. “Anything can happen in the woods,” goes one Sondheim lyric, and the same might be said of Hollywood musicals. Sometimes, by happy luck, they manage to get one right.

Reviewed at DGA Theater, New York, Nov. 28, 2014. MPAA Rating: PG. Running time: 124 MIN.

Production: A Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures release of a Lucamar/Marc Platt production. Produced by John DeLuca, Rob Marshall, Marc Platt, Callum McDougall. Co-producers, Angus More Gordon, Michael Zimmer.
Crew: Directed by Rob Marshall. Screenplay, James Lapine, based on the musical by Stephen Sondheim, Lapine. Camera (color, Arri Alexa HD, Fotokem prints), Dion Beebe; editor, Wyatt Smith; music and lyrics, Sondheim; orchestrations, Jonathan Tunick; score adaptation, David Krane; music producer, Mike Higham; music supervisors, Paul Gemignani, Mike Higham; musical staging, John DeLuca, Rob Marshall; production designer, Dennis Gassner; supervising art director, Chris Lowe; art directors, Andrew Bennett, Ben Collins, Mary Mackenzie; set decorator, Anna Pinnock; costume designer, Colleen Atwood; make-up and hair designer, Peter Swords King; sound (Dolby Digital), John Casali; supervising sound editors, Renee Tondelli, Blake Leyh; re-recording mixers, Mike Prestwood Smith, Michael Keller; visual effects supervisor, Matt Johnson; visual effects producer, Kenrick Wallace; visual effects, MPC, Atomic Arts, Digital Dimension, Soho VFX; special effects supervisor, Stefano Pepin; stunt coordinator, Mark Mottram; assistant director, Ben Howarth; second unit directors, John DeLuca, Thomas Napper; second unit camera, Alan Stewart; casting, Francine Maisler.
With: Anna Kendrick, Daniel Huttlestone, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Christine Baranski, Tammy Blanchard, Lucy Punch, Tracey Ullman, Lilla Crawford, Meryl Streep, Simon Ruddell Beale, Joanna Riding, Johnny Depp, Billy Magnussen, Mackenzie Mauzy, Annette Crosbie, Chris Pine, Richard Glover, Frances de la Tour.

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Movies | Review: ‘Into the Woods’

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For years, composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim’s 1987 fairy tale mashup, written with librettist James Lapine, has hacked its way through the thicket of Hollywood development. And the movie now before us? Here’s a relief: It’s good.

It’s also a little harried. The stage version always was heavily plotted verging on chaos, and director Rob Marshall tends to push the camera too close to the bustle. But it works. It’s full of wit and feeling, guided by strong performers clearly devoted to the material and to Sondheim’s sparkling craftsmanship.

By now, dark-underbelly revisions of fairy tales are nothing new, so that storytelling aspect of “Into the Woods” isn’t what it once was. (Bruno Bettelheim’s “The Uses of Enchantment” was an inspiration.) But like the popular, oft-revived stage version, Marshall’s film will likely find a wide audience, ranging from kids old enough to handle a little grief with their ever-after, to older folk (with or without children) who’ve experienced more of life’s adversities and compromises.

In creating the stage show, Lapine and Sondheim combined several fairy tales, particularly those of the Brothers Grimm. To the tales of Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood, they added new characters, chief among them a baker (James Corden in the film, terrific) and his wife (Emily Blunt, also terrific). Their desire to have a child has been forestalled by a curse laid on them by the witch next door (Meryl Streep), whose back story never was the most compelling thing about “Into the Woods.”

Little matter; Streep kills it and has serious fun with Sondheim’s intricate patter songs. To undo the curse, baker and wife venture into the woods in search of four objects: a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn and a slipper as pure as gold. Anna Kendrick shines as a conflicted Cinderella; Chris Pine has the great fortune to sing (with fellow prince, played by Billy Magnussen) the hilariously egocentric duet “Agony,” which got applause at the screening I attended. Daniel Huttlestone, last seen singing on the barricades in “Les Miserables,” portrays the giant-slaying Jack, with Tracey Ullman as his testy, careworn mother. Christine Baranski goes to town and back again as Cinderella’s stepmother. It’s a large ensemble, constantly in motion.

Everyone’s wishes come true in “Into the Woods,” but the price is steep. Jack slays the giant in the sky, but the giant’s wife craves revenge. Cinderella gets her prince, but the prince is a charming cad and at one point dallies, in a PG sort of way, with the baker’s wife. (“This is ridiculous/ What am I doing here/ I’m in the wrong story!” she talk-sings in romantic dismay.) Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford) runs afoul of the vaguely lascivious Big Bad Wolf (Johnny Depp, outfitted like a zoot-suited menace), and after being eaten and then rescued, she sings “I Know Things Now,” in which Sondheim provocatively equates Red’s ordeal with an uneasy awakening leaving her both “excited” and “scared.”

“Into the Woods” is a diptych, structured much like the Sondheim/Lapine show preceding it, “Sunday in the Park With George.” Act 1 ends with happily ever after but a portent of doom. Act 2 is laden with consequences, the deaths of key characters and, in the end, an acknowledgment that community responsibility must be heeded, and everyone must share in the joy and the hard work of living.

I wish the film were 10 or 15 minutes longer; as is, it’s a tightly packed 124 minutes, but there’s some connective tissue missing between the material’s violent mood swings. Marshall’s camera eye is more functional than inspired, and too often he contents himself with scrambling after whoever’s singing while skipping or running or arguing. He’s not one for careful composition. Sondheim has said the Sondheim show this most closely resembles is “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” with its multiple storylines crisscrossing and converging just so. But with “Into the Woods” it’s not merely comedy tonight; it’s comedy tonight plus tragedy tomorrow. The Sondheim melodies are meant to be skittish, the way Carl Stalling’s music for the old Warner Brothers cartoons kept changing direction, delightfully. And then, just when the survivors of the story need it most, along come the songs “No One Is Alone” and “Children Will Listen” to reassure the frayed nerves of both the storybook legends and the paying customers.

“Into the Woods” was a natural for the movies, with its transformation scenes, its jump-cut-friendly storytelling, hopping from one set of characters to another and back again. The movie works best whenever Corden and Blunt, performers of nearly limitless appeal and sweet-natured vulnerability, take the story back from their cohorts, though Kendrick is no less beguiling. I wish I could say Marshall is a savior of the screen musical, but in truth, though he scored with “Chicago,” his film version of “Nine” wasn’t much better than his nonmusicals “Memoirs of a Geisha” and “Pirates of the Caribbean 4.” “Into the Woods” brightens the record.

“Into the Woods” – 3 stars

MPAA rating: PG (for thematic elements, fantasy action and peril, and some suggestive material)

Running time: 2:04

Opens: Thursday

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Must watch videos, into the woods movie – a dad’s critical review.

I just took my family to see the most philosophically pernicious Disney movie of all time: Into the Woods . As the story warns you: “Careful the tale you tell…Children will listen.” Read on to find out why…

My almost-11-years-old twin daughters Mary Claire and Rose were dying to see Disney’s Into the Woods. In case you don’t have twin daughters keeping you in the know, Into the Woods is a mashup fairytale of Jack in the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel.

What was Great about Into the Woods

The film was beautiful with an all-star cast: Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, and Tracey Ullman. It’s a film adaptation of the 1987 Broadway musical “Into the Woods.” I ain’t gonna lie. When Chris Pine did his musical number on the waterfall, I was laughing and loving it. It reminded me of something from my favorite musical: Pirates of Penzance.

I was so into the film that at one point I even thought to myself, “This is great. I should buy stock in Disney. This is so well done!” The music was fun and fantastic. The story moved quickly and held my attention. I wasn’t getting up to go the bathroom.

From a story-telling point of view, the musical weaves together various classic fairytales into one giant meta-narrative so that each character was interconnected. And at last, all the happier ever after’s happened. The Prince married Cinderella. Little Red Riding Hood lived. The baker’s wife had a baby. The witch was appeased. Rapunzel got her man, too. Jack kleptoed the giant’s gold and chopped the beanstalk to kill him.

But then the pernicious twist…

What was Wrong about Into the Woods

For 60 years Disney has made beautiful “happily ever after” cartoons. I don’t know if it’s feminism or just Western jadedness, but “happily ever after” is just soooo not cool anymore. Moreover, it’s now fashionable to reveal the prince as evil and the princess as romantically frozen or emotionally tangled. There can be no love at first sight. Oh, and if there is, it will be crushed. The wounded girl will go on to become a maleficent benevolent heroine.

I get it. Happy endings can be more like the aftermath of Helm’s Deep. Life is messy. Not everything is “A Dream is a Wish that Your Heart Makes.”

So Into the Woods creatively deconstructs the “happily” narrative of each story. At one point Cinderella’s prince-husband (?) begins to seduce the baker’s wife who just had a baby. One of my daughters leans over and says, “Daddy, what is happening?” I lean in and say, “The Prince is trying to commit adultery with her.” Yikes. This was not the delicately whispered conversation that I had hoped to have during a holiday trek to the the cinema. All I can say, “It’s a good thing we’ve gone over the 10 Commandments as a family.” I have explained the elusive “Thou shalt not commit adultery” as “When you try to marry someone who is not your husband/wife.” Now we have a kids movie to help us understand it more deeply. Thanks Disney!

Into the Woods as a Secular Sermonizing

So, yeah, there was the awkward Baker’s wife and Prince kiss scene and then the wife’s perplexity over it. But that’s not really what made me dislike the film.

I’m a philosopher. I’m a prof. That’s my trade. So it was the not-so-subtle sermon at the end of the film that got my goat.

There is a final scene in which all the characters play the blame game. They each take turn blaming the others for the unhappy ending in which they find themselves. The witch finally reveals that finding blame is unhelpful. Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody screwed up. Everybody is to blame. So just move on with your life. Pick up the pieces and try to make something of it.

Into the Woods as Philosophical Nominalism

Ultimately, Into the Woods is an apologetic for the philosophical school of nominalism – an error going back before the days of Socrates and Plato. Nominalism holds that there is not real essence or form out there in the world. There is no real substance or nature out there. Instead, we humans create and apply the names ( nomina in Latin, hence nominalism) to things and actions out there.

With nominalism, there is ultimately no meaning. There is no purpose. There is only the meaning and purpose that we create in our own hearts. There is no such thing as natural law. We can decide what we want things to be. If we want to change the nomen or definition of “marriage” than we can do so. If we want to change the nomen or definition of good and evil, we can do that, too.

Here’s the final (nominalist) sermon from Into the Woods. I wanted to cover the ears of my dear children when I heard these words sung to a beautiful melody:

“Wrong things, right things … Who can say what’s true? … Do things, fight things … You decide, but … You are not alone … Witches can be right. Giants can be good. You decide what’s right. You decide what’s good.”

This is the final answer to the pain of the characters. “You decide what’s good.” But that’s the problem. All the bad guys are already playing that game. They have decided what is “right for me” and they are hurting you.

Out of the Woods: Let’s Turn from Nominalism Back to Realism

The opposite of nominalism is realism. Realism holds that there are absolute, non-changing forms, substances, and ideas in the universe. There are natural, pre-established laws that are real and not man-made . Humans don’t get make up their own definitions. There is no “You decide what’s right. You decide what’s good.” Instead, human persons must discover the true definitions within the fabric of a real world. We don’t create meaning and purpose. We discover what was already real before we showed up.

If you’ve jumped ahead of me and have concluded that Nominalism leads to secularism and atheism and that Realism leads to religion and theism, you are very intelligent. You can see past the meta-narrative of Into the Woods.

So let’s get “out of the woods.” The nominalist worldview of the woods that proclaims, “You decide what’s right. You decide what’s good,” is ultimately bleak. It leaves you with the feeling that I had walking out of that movie theatre with my kids.

[reminder]Have you seen the film yet? What were your thoughts?[/reminder]

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What Is Cinema?

Into the Woods Is a Fairy-Tale Musical Without Much Magic

By Richard Lawson

Image may contain Clothing Apparel James Corden Human Person Coat Vegetation Plant Outdoors Overcoat and Nature

When Disney says they are making a big, star-studded movie version of something you’ve loved since you were eight years old, I suppose you could have one of two reactions. The first, the one Disney hopes you’ll have, is, of course, excitement, an eagerness to see what Hollywood resources can do for your beloved old thing. The other, perhaps more predictable reaction, is an instant horror that softens over time, eventually alternating between weary disdain and occasional fits of cautious optimism. The latter, I must disclose, was my reaction upon hearing that director Rob Marshall was adapting my beloved Into the Woods , perhaps the most whimsical and humane of Stephen Sondheim’s many brilliant musicals. I’ve loved this fairytale jumble of a show since I saw the 1991 televised version of the original Broadway production, a glimmering, sad, exciting piece of theater that initially grabbed me with its fractured fairy tales, but over time has offered a lot more—it’s a show about life, so naturally as you get older, you understand more of it.

I was always going to be a tough customer when it came to an Into the Woods movie, having been burned by this kind of thing before. I'll never be eager to re-experience the terror and dismay of watching the Rent movie mangle the whole of my teenage years. But even if I don’t see the movie version, other people will, and like Rent , it will become the defining version of that thing for a generation. Which is a terrible thought. So I hope you’ll bear my obvious bias in mind when I tell you that, well, I was about half right to worry about Into the Woods .

Let’s talk about the good stuff first. There is good stuff! The orchestrations, by Jonathan Tunick , are grand and lush, Paul Gemignani’s orchestra sounding rich, polished. The film does great justice to Sondheim’s alternately rousing and aching score, swelling it to fit the proportions of film, without losing the pluck and wit. There is none of Rent ’s odd tinniness here, nor does the music sound like a canned afterthought. It lifts and propels the movie along, epic and intimate all at once. Marshall may have his faults, but he certainly understands and appreciates scores well enough to give them their due.

He’s also made some clever casting choices. Though she doesn’t have much to do, Tracey Ullman was an inspired choice to play Jack’s mother. Christine Baranski is also well chosen, appropriately daffy and imperious as Cinderella’s stepmother. As that forlorn hearth sweep, Anna Kendrick shows a knack for Sondheim’s particular phrasing, and sings both nimbly and sweetly in “On the Steps of the Palace” and “No One Is Alone.” Emily Blunt isn’t quite as vocally gifted, but she gives the Baker’s Wife the required amount of earthy spunk. I had my doubts about Chris Pine , who plays Prince Charming, but he and Broadway vet Billy Magnussen do a wonderful “Agony” together, that blissfully goofy song best surviving the stage-to-screen translation.

So, there. Happily ever after, right? Well, as any fan of this musical knows, that isn’t where it ends at all. Darkness seeps into the story, as it must in this review. Because as good as those disparate parts are, the whole of Marshall’s Into the Woods is, sadly but not surprisingly, a lifeless muddle, not quite bad but certainly not good. There are many practical things wrong with the film. For one, Jack and Red Riding Hood are played by actors who are a little too young. While Lilla Crawford is a charming Red, “I Know Things Now,” a bouncy and wistful song about first sexual encounters, takes on an uncomfortable edge when it’s Crawford being preyed on by Johnny Depp’s lascivious Wolf. That song is always a little uncomfortable, and it’s supposed to be, but it works better when Red is more firmly in her adolescence. Jack’s “Giants in the Sky” is a song about youthful wanderlust that makes more sense when a young man sings it, and while Daniel Huttlestone is a scrappy little fellow (who’s actually 15 years old), he reads just a bit too childish to sing convincingly about getting a first taste of the bigger, broader, scarier, more exciting world.

Elsewhere, James Corden’s Baker barely registers, partly because the plotline about his father has mostly been stripped away. Similarly, the relationship between the Witch ( Meryl Streep ) and her captive adopted daughter Rapunzel ( Mackenzie Mauzy ) loses much of its oomph because a major plot point has been excised. Streep snarls and coos and glowers perfectly well, but her casting is too expected, somehow. That’s not her fault, but her presence is distracting, a casting coup that speaks too loudly. While the film respectably keeps some of the original show’s darkness, it skimps on the Witch’s character arc and so Streep simply vanishes toward the end of the film, not getting to deliver the Witch’s true gut punch of a song. I also don’t like the way she’s costumed—her glam second-act makeover has her looking like Madame Morrible’s blue sister, not the sudden seductress she’s supposed to be.

But these are quibbles next to the film’s harder to define central problem, which is that there simply is so little heat or passion to be found anywhere. Marshall has made a technically assured film that does the difficult work of taking Sondheim’s tricky music out of its original context. But it rarely feels imaginative. It’s cautious and reserved, cramped where the stage show, when done right (and, honestly, even when not done right ), is expansive. After all this is a show that’s all about life , the experience of being alive, the lessons and trials and journeys and setbacks. All that elemental, universal stuff, shrewdly molded into tweaks of familiar fairy tales. It’s an ingenious show, and a profound one. But in film form, in this particular film form anyway, the story is small and inert, it’s too specifically about these people, when really the show is supposed to be about all of us. That problem is owed partly to the film’s rushed pacing and too-stringent edits, but there’s something more ineffable going wrong here, too. There’s no genuine heart beating at the center of the film. It’s a dutiful but perfunctory adaptation, sapped of vim and spirit.

Maybe this movie was always going to let me down, or, more accurately, confirm my suspicions about it. And maybe that makes me an unfair critic. But the few moments in the film that gave me shivers were probably enough indication that even an Into the Woods fanatic could potentially be satisfied, and more, by the right movie adaptation. One that is sharp and thoughtful where this film is broad and, I daresay, pandering. I believe that this film was made with good intentions, and seems to have been guided by Sondheim the whole way. But it’s off, it doesn’t capture the crucial, poignant essence of the show. Which is really a shame. When the film ended, I did leave the theater with an “I wish!” ringing in my ears, just not the one the filmmakers intended.

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Like a parched soul left adrift on a desert isle where all Broadway show tunes have been banished, I now realize how thirsty I have been for movie musical refreshment. “Les Miserables” feels as if it came out ages ago and, as much as I wore out my Four Seasons “Gold Vault of Hits” LP in my youth, this Sherry bay-ay-bee could not abide by Clint Eastwood ’s underwhelming “ Jersey Boys .”

As for the now-playing update of “Annie,” well, let’s just say there is always tomorrow for “Tomorrow.”

But then like a siren’s song caressing my needy eardrums, I heard the opening notes of the “Act One Prologue” of ”Into the Woods” with its hypnotic staccato-like lyrics and the insistent refrain of “I wish… I wish… I wish.” And, suddenly, my very being felt quenched just by being in the misty midst of this much-delayed cinematic rendering of one of Stephen Sondheim ’s most popular shows.

Disney is behind the film adaptation of this melody-laden fracturing of fairy-tale myths, which onstage could be quite grim indeed as it upends the traditional notion that “once upon a time” always leads to “happily ever after.” There has been much speculation about the second half and whether certain key adult-oriented elements that might not conform to a PG rating would make the cut.

Rabid Sondheim-ites might quibble over how the violence has been softened or kept off-screen, and despair that the ending isn’t quite as bleak. But this is definitely no Mickey Mouse affair. The casting feels mostly flawless (nicely modulating the potential comic-diva overload of having both Christine Baranski and Tracey Ullman , whose part is actually more serious, in the same film). The singing is often splendid. The bits of humor are deftly handled. The pace is relatively swift. And it never feels like a static rendition of a theatrical event dumbed down for a younger demographic.

And, most importantly, the themes concerning the unrealistic fantasies and desires that parents instill in their children that often result in unwanted consequences comes through loud and clear, thanks to James Lapine ’s adapted screenplay that’s based on his own stage version.

This effort might not get director Rob Marshall entirely off the hook for his botched “ Nine ” in 2009 and it is nowhere near as star-packed, sophisticated and sexy as his 2002 feature debut “ Chicago .” But he does a good job of keeping the essential integrity of the piece intact. Plus, for those of us who are never happier than when there are a lot of people singing at one time, “Into the Woods” regularly manages to be quite enchanting in its disenchantment about what life offers–or doesn’t.

The clever plot with its interwoven fables is propelled by the Baker and his wife (a well-matched James Corden and Emily Blunt ), whose attempts to have a baby have sadly failed. Into their shop whirls the Witch ( Meryl Streep , clearly enjoying herself even more than when she jumped on that bed in “Mamma Mia!”), who explains how she cursed the couple in retaliation for a wrong done to her by the Baker’s father. She adds that they can undo their bad luck by collecting four objects in three days: “The cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, and the slipper as pure as gold."

The cow comes courtesy of Jack of beanstalk fame, gamely portrayed by Daniel Huttlestone , the very same lad who was street urchin Gavroche in the big-screen “Les Mis.” The cape refers to the apparel donned by Little Red Riding Hood, amusingly embodied by Broadway vet Lilla Campbell with plenty of brink-of-puberty brattiness. The hair, as you might guess, is provided by a tower-dwelling Rapunzel ( MacKenzie Mauzy , somewhat of a weak link in this lineup), who was raised by the Witch as her own daughter. And, naturally, the shoe comes courtesy of Cinderella, done to a pitch-perfect hilt by Anna Kendrick , who is turning into quite the movie-musical mascot.

All their paths eventually lead, as the title says, into the woods. It’s a scary place where many of the characters lose their bearings, both morally, ethically and otherwise, and danger regularly lurks—most notably in the form of Johnny Depp as the Wolf. He hungrily exhibits lupine lustiness towards Red Riding Hood, well-fed herself after conning the Baker out of more than a few sweet samples. The actor’s most effective assets are his lascivious vocals, Dali-esque whiskers and snazzy zoot suit with tantalizing faux gray-blue fur as designed by the great Colleen Atwood .

But his appearance is brief and actually quite non-disruptive as far as zany Depp-ian interludes go. It’s a rare role where he serves the work rather than the other way around.

Eventually, everyone’s wish comes true in one form or another. Then, in the final act, everything falls apart, a matter aggravated by the tree-menacing intrusion of an angry she-giant (an awkwardly done visual effect with a human actress) who seeks revenge after Jack causes her equally large husband to meet his demise. Death, infidelity, disillusionment and finger-pointing eventually result in a communal healing process that certainly will ring true to audiences who are regularly exposed to such real-life aftermaths in the wake of tragic disasters both natural and man-made these days.

But “ Into the Woods” wants to entertain as much as it wants to enlighten, thank goodness, and two standouts among the actors do more than their share to make sure that the first goal is certainly met. Of course, Le Streep leaves practically everyone else in the dust and by design. Much like the Wicked Witch of the West (with a sprinkling of Glinda on the side), this is one ugly crone who knows how to make an entrance and an exit as if she were an unwelcome weather event.

Oscar’s favorite actress breathes emotional fire into two of the show’s best songs, the maternal lament “Stay With Me” and the tour-de force “Last Midnight ,” during which she haughtily proclaims, “I'm not good, I'm not nice, I'm just right. I'm the witch. You're the world.” The mighty Meryl also works her magic with the dialogue, giddily exclaiming “Oh my God” at one point as if she was a text-happy teenybopper.

More surprising are the essential contributions of Chris Pine , whose preening, poising and pompadoured prince initially struggles to sweep Kendrick’s Cinderella off her slipper-shod feet. His experience as that self-adoring intergalactic womanizer Capt. Kirk in the current “ Star Trek ” franchise more than serves him well. “Agony,” the duet he shares with Rapunzel’s prince ( Billy Magnussen ) as they compare their female troubles, is the one number during the film that draws actual applause—usually a rare event in movie theaters and one that I experienced as well at my packed screening.

If nothing else, “ Into the Woods” will provide edifying sustenance for holiday crowds desperate to find a fitting movie to share with their family after the gift-opening and feasting is over. Plus, it will act as a harmonic palate cleanser for all those stale Christmas carols that have been playing since Halloween.

Susan Wloszczyna

Susan Wloszczyna spent much of her nearly thirty years at USA TODAY as a senior entertainment reporter. Now unchained from the grind of daily journalism, she is ready to view the world of movies with fresh eyes.

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Into the Woods (2014)

Rated PG for thematic elements, fantasy action and peril, and some suggestive material

125 minutes

Anna Kendrick as Cinderella

James Corden as The Baker

Chris Pine as Cinderella's Prince

Johnny Depp as The Wolf

Emily Blunt as The Baker's Wife

Meryl Streep as The Witch

Lucy Punch as Lucinda

Christine Baranski as Cinderella's Stepmother

Tracey Ullman as Jack's Mother

Simon Russell Beale as The Baker's Father

Rob Marshall
James Lapine

Director of Photography

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‘Into the Woods’ Review: Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt Shine in Sondheim’s Storybook Musical

While it’s not a perfect adaptation, newcomers and fans alike should come away feeling happy ever after

The stage musical “Into the Woods” delightfully reminded audiences that while happy endings are possible, you should always be careful about what you’ve wished for. Now comes the movie version, and it’s a singing and dancing manifestation of both of those ideas.

Fans of the show finally get to see Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s wonderful fable brought to the big screen with the great score (mostly) intact and performed by a (mostly) perfect cast. Then there are the parts that don’t work, and those missteps turn out to be very much a reflection of who fulfilled the wish of making the film: Disney and director Rob Marshall. More on them in a moment.

In this fairy-tale mashup, a childless baker (James Corden) and his wife ( Emily Blunt ) learn that their inability to reproduce dates back to a curse that the witch next door ( Meryl Streep ) placed on the baker’s father. He crept into her garden and stole not only greens but also her magic beans, and she’s willing to reverse the curse if the Baker can supply her with four items that will allow her to cast a spell.

Those items involve other residents of the kingdom: the crimson cloak belonging to Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford); the white cow that Jack (Daniel Huttlestone, “Les Misérables”) must take to market at the insistence of his mother (Tracey Ullman); the blonde hair that grows all the way down the height of the tower where Rapunzel (Mackenzie Mauzy) has spent her life imprisoned by the witch; and the beautiful golden slipper that Cinderella ( Anna Kendrick ) wears to the king’s festival after wishing at her mother’s gravesite.

The first half of “Into the Woods” follows the pursuit of “happily ever after,” but the second half asks what comes after, and at what price do we pursue our wishes, and wonders whether we should have wished for those things in the first place. It’s a tricky shift in tone, but screenwriter James Lapine nails the transition as skillfully on screen as he did in the original stage production.

It’s the Stephen Sondheim songs, of course, that have played such a key role in making “Woods” such a beloved theatrical standard, and they’re performed skillfully here, for the most part. Sondheim’s compositions demand a lot from performers, who have to have the pipes to handle the intricate music but also the ability to race through the witty verbal gymnastics of his lyrics. Streep, to no one’s surprise, rises to the challenge, as does the theatrically trained Kendrick (whose first screen appearance involved tearing into Sondheim’s “Ladies Who Lunch” in the movie “Camp,” when the actress was just in her mid-teens).

The unexpected standouts here are Blunt, who manages the songs, the comedy and the despair of the baker’s wife with utter brilliance, and Chris Pine (channeling all the inner Shatner that he’s kept out of the “Star Trek” movies) and Billy Magnussen ( “Damsels in Distress” ) as the charming princes whose duet on “Agony” is a comic highlight. Preening, pouting and posing their way through a catalog of angst, these two showboat like contestants in a Fabio-hosted reality show dance-off.

The places where “Into the Woods” falls short feel like the result of Disney corporate tinkering. For one thing, Rapunzel comes to a far more blandly happy ending than her stage counterpart; one imagines bean-counters in Burbank concerned that leaving the character to her original fate might dig into the profits of “Tangled 3” or the sales of princess dresses. (There’s also no “Agony” reprise, apparently to let two other Disney princesses remain unblemished by the proceedings.)

Then there’s the miscasting of Crawford and Huttlestone: Both actors are so young that it removes the undercurrent of sexual awakening from the piece. This isn’t a from-left-field reading of the material, either; when Red Riding Hood sings about being “excited and scared” by her encounter with the Wolf, or Jack mentions the giant breast of the woman in the sky, you don’t have to be Bruno Bettelheim to connect the dots.

Onstage, Jack matures from being a young dolt to a slightly less dense young man after his sojourn in the sky; his movie counterpart starts out as a brash, gee-whiz, song-belting “Newsies” auditioner and then doesn’t change noticeably after climbing the beanstalk. And while Crawford doesn’t have Huttlestone’s annoying sing-to-the-back-mezzanine demeanor, she’s still a few years too young for her interactions with the Wolf to have the required resonance. Depp, for his part, finally has a role that can accommodate all the wacky tics he’s brought to every screen performance of late.

(Fans of the show who worried about specific changes hinted at by Sondheim in a New Yorker interview earlier this year can relax, and if that interview was Sondheim’s way of making the studio keep some of the darker material, then more power to him.)

Marshall deserves credit for knowing how to shoot and cut (alongside editor Wyatt Smith, “Thor: The Dark World” ) a musical number, and his work here ranks much closer to his success with “Chicago” than to his dismal “Nine.” As with both of those previous musicals, however, Marshall has a tendency to make the film feel exceedingly claustrophobic, even when it’s set almost entirely outdoors.

The closed-in feeling worked for “Chicago” — the whole movie is supposed to be unspooling inside the feverish imagination of Roxie Hart, after all — but then completely sunk “Nine.” Yes, the woods should be foreboding and dank, but the setting never feels subsuming (as in, say, Neil Jordan’s “The Company of Wolves,” a much more highly sexualized take on the Red Riding Hood story) nor does it feel organically spacious; with few exceptions, the woods just feel like a set so small that it’s hemming in the action rather than a thicket that’s entrapping the characters.

Overall, however, “Into the Woods” does justice to the extraordinary source material, and it allows its seasoned ensemble (which also includes Lucy Punch and Tammy Blanchard as Cinderella’s wicked stepsisters) the chance to dig into the memorable songs and the clever wordplay. It might not be everything that fans had wished for over the years, but as both Sondheim and Mick Jagger have taught us, you can’t always get what you want.

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CHRISTIAN MOVIE REVIEW

Review: into the woods, by hannah goodwyn senior producer.

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THE GOOD AND BAD IN INTO THE WOODS

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COMMENTS

Into the Woods (2014)
"Into the Woods" the musical officially premiered at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California in 1986. The show ran over 50 performances and became such a success that in the following year "Into the Woods" made its debut on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on November 5, 1987, providing 750 performances before the show closed.
Into the Woods
Movie Review. All roads lead into the woods. That nearby and thickly treed thatch of gnarled branches and winding paths may not look like much but, well, on a wish and a prayer, everyone seems to be going there for some fresh air. ... After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio ...
Into the Woods: Christian Movie Review < Movies
CHRISTIAN MOVIE REVIEW Review: Into the Woods By Hannah Goodwyn Senior Producer. CBN.com - "I wish more than anything, more than life, more than jewels…" I wish Into the Woods was more suitable for younger audiences. With its PG rating, Disney backing, big marketing push for its Christmas Day release and innocent-looking movie trailer, newcomers to this storyline wouldn't know the adult ...
A Diversion Into the Woods Can be Dark but Delightful
Violence: The movie has a dark, macabre, and occasionally, violent, tone throughout. Jack's mother routinely slaps her son for being in her words, "dim-witted." The whole exchange between Red ...
Into the Woods
Dove Review. "Into the Woods" is a humorous and imaginative film. It's not flawless, but it has some funny moments, including a scene in which two princes (Cinderella's prince and Rapunzel's prince) are over the top in singing about their love for Cinderella and Rapunzel. They attempt to be sexy as they sing and it's hilarious at times.
Into the Woods
Directed By. Rob Marshall. Run Time. 2 hours 5 minutes. Cast. Anna Kendrick, Meryl Streep, Chris Pine. Theatre Release. December 25, 2014 by Walt Disney Pictures. Retelling fairy tales is a tricky ...
INTO THE WOODS
The movie meanders, until, by the grace of running out of ideas, the movie ends. The sets, direction and acting in INTO THE WOODS are very good. The problem is, the songs reveal several contradictory worldviews. The first song, "I wish," feeds the theme of witchcraft and occultism. Another song talks about forgiveness.
Into the Woods Movie Review
Parents need to know that Into the Woods is a beautiful, clever, frequently funny, sometimes somber, and ultimately uplifting take on classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales, based on the beloved musical by Stephen Sondheim. Its presentation of characters like Cinderella, Prince Charming, and more as very flawed….
Film in review
It's more difficult to evaluate a musical than a "regular" movie. The whole experience is on an entirely different plane. Characters burst out into song at any moment and everyone else acts like that's perfectly normal. You don't see the background orchestra or the conductor, so it's not a fully fleshed-out musical performance, either. In some ways, it needs to be evaluated both ...
Movie Review ~ Into the Woods
Into the Woods, rated PG *** ½ This delightful and very entertaining film, is based on Stephen Sondheim's 1987 stage production that brings a new twist to some of the most popular of the Brother Grimm's fairy tales of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Jack and the Beanstalk in a musical setting. It is…
Into The Woods (2014) by Rob Marshal
Into the Woods (2014) Directed by: Rob Marshall Written by: James Lapine (screenplay & musical) Stars: Anna Kendrick, Daniel Huttlestone, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Mackenzie Mauzy, Chris Pine, Lilla Crawford, Tammy Blanchard and Lucy Punch Run Time: 125min Rated: PG (Canada), Rated PG(MPAA) for thematic elements, fantasy action and peril, and some suggestive ...
Into the Woods: Movie Review
Into the Woods makes a lot of them. Officially, Into the Woods has a PG rating for "thematic elements, fantasy action and peril, and some suggestive material". But, do not let this "kid-friendly" rating mislead you into thinking this movie is suitable for younger children. Even with the changes made to soften this version, the implied and sung ...
Into the Woods Video Movie Review
Read Into the Woods Video Movie Review - and more of the latest on movies and films from a Christian perspective.
Into the Woods (2014)
Brothers Grimm fairy tales come to living, singing life in Into the Woods, a long-in-development adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Tony Award-winning Broadway musical from 1986.The original and much-celebrated production featured Bernadette Peters and Joanna Gleason in key roles, but Walt Disney Pictures spent a pretty penny ($50 million) on the film and its showy cast: Meryl Streep, Emily ...
Into The Woods (2014) Review
The movie has its unbalanced flaws, most notably in its lengthy runtime, failing to expand beyond its giving source material, and hurriedly final act, but its overall enjoyment is entertaining. Whether you love the play or just simply love fairy tales, Into the Woods offers a cheeky, yet sardonic look in this storybook world of make believe ...
'Into the Woods' Review: Be Careful What You Wish For
Film Review: 'Into the Woods'. Wolves howl, giants roar and a cast of fairy-tale all-stars seek enlightenment in this solid, satisfying film version of Stephen Sondheim's beloved Broadway ...
Review: 'Into the Woods'
In the generation since "Into the Woods" opened on Broadway, the entertainment world has recycled a forest's worth of enchantress-based, princess-dependent and fairy tale-steeped mythology ...
Into the Woods Movie
The film was beautiful with an all-star cast: Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, and Tracey Ullman. It's a film adaptation of the 1987 Broadway musical "Into the Woods.". I ain't gonna lie. When Chris Pine did his musical number on the waterfall, I was laughing and loving it.
Into the Woods Review
Into the Woods. Is a Fairy-Tale Musical Without Much Magic. Though it sounds great, the Disney adaptation of the beloved Stephen Sondheim musical is lacking in soul. When Disney says they are ...
Into the Woods movie review & film summary (2014)
The casting feels mostly flawless (nicely modulating the potential comic-diva overload of having both Christine Baranski and Tracey Ullman, whose part is actually more serious, in the same film). The singing is often splendid. The bits of humor are deftly handled. The pace is relatively swift.
'Into the Woods' Review: Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt Shine in Sondheim's
The places where "Into the Woods" falls short feel like the result of Disney corporate tinkering. For one thing, Rapunzel comes to a far more blandly happy ending than her stage counterpart ...
Movie Review: 'Into the Woods' (2014)
As Prince Charming, Chris Pine's approach to the material is the strangest of the entire film. In a disastrously campy sequence he and "The Other Prince" splash around in a stream, the purpose of this sequence apparently to demonstrate the shallow and vapid nature of fairy tale damsels' suitors.
Into the Woods: Christian Movie Review < Movies
CHRISTIAN MOVIE REVIEW Review: Into the Woods By Hannah Goodwyn Senior Producer. CBN.com - "I wish more than anything, more than life, more than jewels…" I wish Into the Woods was more suitable for younger audiences. With its PG rating, Disney backing, big marketing push for its Christmas Day release and innocent-looking movie trailer, newcomers to this storyline wouldn't know the adult ...

Into the Woods

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