Review of Into the Woods (2014) by Patrick L — 19 Aug 2015

"I don't see any magic in these woods".

DVD Movie Review: Into the Woods.

Date Viewed: March 24 2015.

Directed By Rob Marshall (Chicago, Memoirs of a Geisha and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides).

Screenplay By James Lapine, Based on the Broadway musical by James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim.

Starring: Meryl Streep, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Chris Pine, Anna Kendrick, Tracey Ullman, Christine Baranski, Lilla Crawford, Daniel Huttlestone, MacKenzie Mauzy, Billy Magnussen, Lucy Punch, Frances de la Tour,.

Richard Glover and Johnny Depp.

"Into the Woods" is a charmless musical from Disney. I didn't see any magic in these woods. Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt do sing well but the story is all over the map. It involves a baker and his wife who get tied up with Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Giant Beanstalk and Rapunzel in an original but messy fairy tale.

Based on the Broadway musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine (who penned the screenplay), "Into the Woods" tells the story of a baker (James Corden) and his wife (Blunt), they want to have a child but the evil witch (Meryl Streep) has put a curse on them and they have until midnight to get a cow, Rapunzel's long hair, Little Red's red hood and a glass slipper for the witch in order to break the curse. Anna Kendrick makes a charming Cinderella but Chris Pine is bland as her Prince. The cast also includes Christine Baranski as Cinderella's wicked stepmother, Tracey Ullman as Jack's mother and Johnny Depp in a small role as The Big Bad Wolf.

As expected, Streep got her 19th Oscar nomination as the evil witch. Really! You old, sad sack Academy members couldn't replace her with Jessica Chastain for "A Most Violent Year"? It's official ladies and gentlemen, I don't care about the Academy Awards anymore. ARE YOU KIDDING ME! No, I'm not kidding John Boehner, I lost faith in the Oscars when they failed to nominate "The LEGO Movie" for Best Animated Feature and Best Picture.

Director Rob Marshall's (Chicago and Memoirs of a Geisha) overlong musical does have fine costumes and good special effects but "Into the Woods" is too dark for kids and too boring for older teens.