Just saw "Into the Woods"

[MIB41]

What an amazing film. Talk about an incredible metaphor on life! It's half musical, half fairy tale collage utilized to define the journeys we make in life and the people whom we often encounter. I strongly encourage to anyone who enjoys an entertaining ride mixed with a very healthy message. Very clever and very smart. Meryl Streep and Chris Pine steal the show. Johnny Depp is in it but only for about five minutes (but his five minutes definitely count). The wife and I got a chance to get away from the kids and this was the perfect tonic.

[PNGwynne]

Huge fan of this show as staged---looking forward to the film. Anything that brings Sondheim to a larger audience is worthwhile IMO, and "Into the Woods" is one of his wittiest, most poignant shows.

Glad to hear you liked it, Tom.

[Earth 2 Chris]

We want to take the kids to see this next weekend. How would it be for a 7 year old girl...who watches fantasy stuff like Doctor Who?

Chris

[MIB41]

Chris, I think young kids will love this movie. We saw a number of them fitting that age group and they were wearing smiles at the end. Now your son might struggle with it early on because it leans on the musical side of things, (quite a bit of dialogue is sung). But as the movie progresses into the woods, it becomes a glorious journey into magic, witches, and even giants. And not all the dialogue is sung so that piece finds a healthy balance in the storytelling which you'll adapt to quickly anyway (like anyone who saw Frozen did). You'll note Johnny Depp's "wolf" has a Broadway sensibility to his look, but his purpose and contribution is essential to the overall story as it unfolds. The effects are wonderful and the world feels both real and surreal all at the same time. It's Alice in Wonderland meets Lord of the Rings. All of that surface environment and the core story is easy to follow and will completely keep the kids enchanted. But the subtext of all this (for the adults) becomes apparent in the final third of the film. That's when you'll find yourself going, "Oh wow. That was clever." And then suddenly everything you've been watching will line up with an entirely different meaning. The kids will enjoy the adventure which is engaging and the adults will be smiling at the charm and wisdom of the story (and lessons) lurking right below the surface. It's a great ride. I'll be going back to see this again.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Thanks Tom. We may sneak in a showing today. If not, for sure by next weekend!

Chris