Into the Woods: Scary Bad

Meryl Streep as the  Witchy Woman

Once a Broadway show with ticket prices in the triple digits, you can now see ITW for as little as $6 if you go on bargain Wednesdays in White Plains, NY. And the Movie Slut is sure glad she did, because that's about as much as the dud is worth.

The basic idea is fine: Weaving together a bunch of fairy tales into one mega-tale. You've got your witch (Meryl Streep); your wolf (Johnny Depp); a scullery maid (Anna Kendrik), with two wicked step sisters; a girl with loooooong blond hair; a little girl with a fondness for crimson hooded capes. Oh, yeah, you've also got a giant (two, actually), a beanstalk; a baker; a prince (Chris Pine) (Two of these, too.), etc., etc., etc.

The characters all have one thing in common. They long for something absent in their lives. But you know what they say about wishes. Be careful blah, blah, blah, blah.

All that could make for a fine flick, but in true Broadway style, the story had to be stretched until it was as thin as one gray hair on the head of a wicked witch. On and on  it went until the MS wanted her $6 back.