Well, here we are. Once again, I have been subjected to a movie musical, a thing I almost never enjoy. And guess what? I didn’t enjoy it! Again! Although, on the scale of “Cats to Not Cats”, the cinematic adaptation of perennially popular stage musical Wicked is “Not Cats”. In that sense, it’s a win for movies and my sanity. But is Wicked good in and of itself? That depends very much on your tolerance for movie musicals, in general, and any pre-existing affection you may have for this Broadway show, specifically.
As a film, Wicked is a mixed bag, bloated and overlong, and with an infuriating “to be continued” where its ending should be. There is absolutely no reason Wicked needed to be split into two parts beyond money, and nothing about this film justifies that decision…beyond the inevitable billion-dollar box office.
Stepping into the toe-curling shoes of the Wicked Witch of the West is theatrical powerhouse Cynthia Erivo, a Grammy and Tony Award-winning musical performer. She is easily the best thing about Wicked, bringing both superb vocals and a layered, rich performance to a complicated character. Known to family and her very (very) few friends as Elphaba, the once and future wicked witch is here imagined as a young person bursting with possibility and telekinetic power. Born with green skin, which makes her an outcast in the land of Oz, Elphaba never fits in and is a second-class citizen in her own home—she only gets to go to college to keep an eye on her sister, golden child Nessarose (Marissa Bode), who uses a wheelchair.
Though Wicked is adapted from the stage show (by Dana Fox and Winnie Holzman, who also wrote the musical’s book), they use the expanded runtime of the film to pull in some elements from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel that got this whole ball rolling, such as delving further into the political turmoil swallowing Oz. While Elphaba is a student at the unfortunately named Shiz U (fo shizz, fo shizz), a new edict dictates that the human and animal citizens of Oz must be segregated, and animals are no longer allowed to speak. This impacts Shiz U’s beloved professor Doctor Dillamond, a talking goat wonderfully voiced by Peter Dinklage. Outraged, Elphaba goes to the Emerald City to see the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and try to stop the advancement of fascism in Oz.
The thing about Wicked the book is that it forever alters The Wizard of Oz and makes it so that Glinda the Good Witch is a fascist and all Dorothy accomplishes is the decimation of an anti-fascist rebellion, leaving Oz completely and totally under the thumb of an unrepentant authoritarian and his sparkly pink tool of oppression, and by expanding on that plot from the book, the film version of Wicked now also inherits the ability to irrevocably alter The Wizard of Oz. It’s the film’s best trick.
While at Shiz U, Elphaba rooms with Glinda, or as she’s known then, Ga-linda, a magical mean girl who craves total and complete adoration and adulation from her peers, thus setting the stage for her later heel turn into authoritarianism. Glinda is played by pop star Ariana Grande-Butera (credited here by her full name), and while her soaring soprano voice is sickly sweet enough for a would-be good witch, Grande is frequently overmatched by her co-stars. Erivo out-sings and out-acts her at every turn, and she completely disappears into Jonathan Bailey’s wildly charismatic shadow. Worse, her slippery pop vocals often slide over lyrics, her lack of enunciation making it hard to decipher her solos at times. Sure, she’s hitting the high notes, but what the f-ck is she saying? If you don’t know the songs already, Grande will not help you understand them.
Other cast members include the aforementioned Bailey, who stars as Prince Fiyero, a role he plays with complete mastery of his screen persona, in turns sexy, carelessly cruel, and always compelling (he’s begging for a stint performing Sondheim). Bowen Yang and Michelle Yeoh, meanwhile, provide comedy and glamour, respectively, and Broadway star Ethan Slater is also present. Director Jon M. Chu, meanwhile, can’t pick a visual lane. The film honors some of the stage show’s biggest moments, and the film’s finale set piece is genuinely thrilling, but much of the film is muddy in a way that, to me, suggests a director uncomfortable with lighting scenes that include heavy computer effects. Not saying that is the issue for sure, but there’s a sort of flat, often grey look films have when the virtual lighting is bad, and Wicked looks like that.
The long runtime, combined with the uneven plotting of the story, eventually pushes the film into tiring territory. At no point does Wicked justify a second part, there is nothing so interesting happening that couldn’t be resolved in the already allotted two hours and forty minutes. Further, even though upping the anti-fascist leanings of the novel in the film adds a compelling dimension to the story, that combined with the stage show’s focus on sisterhood and friendship doesn’t work. It’s too wide of a tonal valley that the film never bridges. In the stage show, Winnie Holzman chose a specific version of the story to tell, yes, sacrificing some of the book’s more interesting elements, but also effectively condensing the story into one sitting. Here she and Dana Fox get to indulge more of the novel’s source text, but they never figure out how to turn it into a cohesive narrative.
It doesn’t ruin Wicked, the attempt is good overall, adding some depth to the story, I just wish it meshed better. As is, Wicked is uneven, and impression magnified by the runtime, which lets you stew in the film’s imperfections a little too long. But then there is always Cynthia Erivo, putting the entire film onto her back and carrying it like a seasoned veteran of theater. Aided by Jonathan Bailey’s tremendously fun performance, they actually make Wicked tolerable for stretches of time, though ultimately it all just goes on too long. There is simply too much time to think about how the two main plots don’t really fit, and to wonder what the hell Ariana Grande is singing about. Wicked will undoubtedly please pre-existing fans, but it might not equally win over newcomers.
Wicked is now playing exclusively in theaters.
