Into The Woods is a lively tale that tells the story of some of the most well-known Grimm Brothers fairy tales, but with an unexpected twist. In the film we see the stories “The Baker and his Wife,” “Cinderella,” “Rapunzel,” “Red Riding Hood” and “Jack and the Beanstalk.” All of their lives intertwine, and it makes for a wild journey full of song, humor, heartbreak and wonderful lessons.
Into The Woods captures the feel of seeing a musical live, with the over-the-top theatrics and set design. It translates so well to the screen and allows the audience to fully immerse itself into this incredible story. The costumes and locations for this film are beautiful, and the music is excellent. I caught myself singing along with the movie more than once.
Something that I love about this film is that it isn’t the “classic” Disney version of these fairy tales that most of us grew up with. It goes back to the authentic stories from the Grimm Brothers themselves, with the obvious twist here and there. In this film, the bad stuff that tends to be cut out of modern fairy tales actually happens. For example, Cinderella’s stepsisters cut off bits of their feet to fit into the golden slipper, Rapunzel’s prince is blinded by blackberry thorns and there are no fairy godmothers. Rest assured, all of these misfortunes are done in very humorous ways. I also love that it takes all of these different fables and weaves them together so that everyone has a part in each other’s story. The final thing that really makes Into The Woods stand apart from other fairy tales is that not everyone gets a happy ending. You have to work with what you’re given and make the best of the situation.
The entire cast is wonderful and so talented. Meryl Streep plays The Witch; Anna Kendrick plays Cinderella; Emily Blunt, The Baker’s Wife; Johnny Depp, The Wolf and Chris Pine, Cinderella’s Prince. Every character has a solo, and I’m so impressed with all of these actors’ amazing voices. I had no idea they could sing. This film brings in names and faces that are very recognizable and also incorporates actors that most of us have probably never seen. So, it’s a really nice mix of people that make up this cast.
My favorite scene is when the two Princes sing “Agony.” It is the most hilarious scene in the film, and I laughed so hard, I cried. Prince Charming and his brother are lamenting over their princesses, Cinderella and Rapunzel, and it is the cheesiest, funniest thing I have seen in a long time. The Princes are the most melodramatic people, making everything a big deal, and this song highlights just how over-the-top they are. The entire audience was cracking up, and after the film was over, I could not stop singing “Agony.”
