Into the Woods

Nico Stoerner

“Be careful what you wish for.”

Desire. It’s among the most instinctive — and powerful — emotions we know, and it’s the brush with which the magical “Into the Woods” was illustrated. Seamlessly marrying the stories of Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel, this is a movie musical of mammoth proportions that invites you to revel in your imagination once more. Written long before “Wicked,” James Lapine brought this beautiful story to life on Broadway in 1987. Similarly, the work invites the watcher to peer behind the curtain to better understand the fairy tale by examining the motivation and true nature of each character. As if that wasn’t enough, this captivating film is set to the tune of a breathtaking score by Stephen Sondheim who is arguably the greatest living composer of our time.

Vivid, haunting, and powerful, Meryl Streep enigmatically portrays the Witch who brings together the ensemble of characters in her quest to reverse a curse placed on her. While it may appear a superficial desire to be beautiful again, we learn that she’s actually afraid that her daughter Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy) is ashamed of her appearance. This insecurity contrasts with the incredible love she feels as a mother struggling with her own humanity and loneliness, which is palpable in her performance of the piece “Stay With Me.” Streep explained her interest in the role stating in a press conference last month, “[…] this Witch is quite different. First of all, she transforms. Her whole reason for being is to reverse a curse that has been placed on her; she sets in motion all sorts of devices and causes a dramatic upheaval in everybody’s lives.”

Emily Blunt, who plays the Baker’s Wife, explained: “My character has a desperate yearning for a child. Because of the curse placed on her family, she must venture into the woods to secure a list of items given to her and her husband by the Witch, so she becomes this tenacious and determined character who is willing to go to any lengths to get what she wants. Eventually we see her unraveling. She is an innately good person, but gets swept up by the woods and their potential.” James Corden, who plays her husband the Baker, has an amazing journey through the woods as well, with many twists and turns along the way that move the story along.

Anna Kendrick, who you’ll recognize from “Pitch Perfect” and “Up in the Air,” is cast as Cinderella and shares that her attraction to this role stemmed from the difference in its archetypal portrayal of the fairy tale. “What is unique is that this ‘Cinderella’ story comes directly from the Grimm version, where the tree at the grave of her mother gifts her the dress and shoes that she wears to the festival, so in some ways she has access to a kind of magic when she really needs it.” Kendrick’s character also speaks to the theme of modern love and the unmistakably flawed nature of dating today, confronting the stereotypical desire for a ‘handsome, rich Prince Charming.’ “What happens after she marries the Prince is where it gets interesting,” says Kendrick. “Cinderella really starts to find her voice and rejects what she thought she wanted, which also means admitting she made a mistake. She’s not a blameless victim, though; she has to own the fact that she wanted something so badly without really thinking about what it was she really needed.”

Now you might say, “Who doesn’t need Chris Pine?!” His portrayal of Prince Charming, complete with a campy performance of the piece “Agony” with his brother (played by Billy Magnussen) is nothing short of hilarious. Pine’s delivery and overconfident acting seems textbook David Hasselhoff, and in this case it worked. A character you’ll find familiar, Prince Charming is the boy who has it all, yet lacks true character and dignity. Pine said: “The Prince is one of those characters we all think we know, but in truth we don’t really know that much about. One of my favorite lines in the script is when Cinderella tells him that he needs to step up to the plate and be a good king and his response is, ‘I was raised to be charming — not sincere,’ which basically sums up who he is.”

This film is an epic retelling of classic stories you’ll immediately fall in love with. With life lessons ranging from infidelity, family, dreams of grandeur, and more, it’s an instant classic. As producer Marc Platt states: “Inside the story there is a tremendous metaphor about life and loss, parents and children, and whether we repeat the sins of our fathers or choose another path. That metaphor is very relatable and relevant to everyone, young and old. When you take all those elements and dress them up in the telling of fairy tales with music and comedy, you get a wonderful, satisfying cinematic experience.” Treat yourself to this incredible story this holiday season, and remember: “Be careful what you wish for.”