Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Written by Anna Harrison
70/100
“Wicked” is currently running on Broadway eight times a week at a cool two hours and forty-five minutes, including a fifteen intermission. “Wicked,” formerly “Wicked: Part One,” the long-awaited feature film adaptation of the stage musical—it in turn an adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s book, which is based on “The Wizard of Oz”—is, as its old name suggests, merely the first act of the show, and clocks in at a whopping two hours and forty minutes. And yet, somehow, “Wicked” avoids overstaying its welcome, turning what could have been a self-important snoozefest into one of the most culturally impactful movies in quite a while. Who among us has not talked about “holding space” in the past year? How many Glinda or Elphaba costumes did we see at Halloween this year? I can’t count the number of cars I’ve walked or driven past that were blaring a Stephen Schwartz tune (and it was never “Pippin”—except from my own car).
“Wicked” begins at the end, with all of Munchkinland singing and dancing for joy that the Wicked Witch is dead. Glinda the Good (Ariana Grande) seemingly rejoices with them, but one question from a resident sends her back to her school days at Shiz University, when the Wicked Witch was merely Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), and Glinda was Galinda, actually, with a “guh.” The two, naturally, despise each other at first; Glinda is too upbeat and blonde for Elphaba, and Elphaba’s sullen nature—not to mention her green skin—rub Glinda and just about everyone else the wrong way. And, just as naturally, they quickly become best friends after a bit of self-reflection and a wonderfully touching scene between the two women at the Ozdust Ballroom as they silently mend the rift between them via dance. From there, it is a cheery descent into authoritarianism as Elphaba, gifted with a natural talent for magic that is rarely seen these days in Oz, is chosen to assist with the Wizard’s (Jeff Goldblum) plan for Ozian domination.
Much of the success of “Wicked” rests on Erivo and Grande’s shoulders as they ably take over for Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth (both of whom have cameos in the film, alongside composer Schwartz). By utilizing the magic of closeups, which cannot be used onstage, Glinda and Elphaba become that much more real and fragile, and while Erivo had already established both her acting and vocal chops long before “Wicked,” it’s Grande who’s the real revelation here. I admit that I was a skeptic of her casting at first, but she quickly won me over long before “Popular,” where she nearly steals the entire show. (I would also be remiss not to mention Jonathan Bailey’s dashing Fiyero, whose number “Dancing Through Life” gets a major upgrade from the stage version. Seeing “As Long As You’re Mine” on Broadway when I was twelve was a major sexual awakening of mine, and I fear I might faint during “Wicked: For Good” when Bailey and Erivo start that duet.)
The costumes by Paul Tazewell and production design by Nathan Crowley are likewise excellent, bringing Oz to life in all its splendor. They are let down, however, by the poor lighting design that washes out the beautiful colors and renders triumphant moments such as “The Wizard and I” flat and devoid of joy. It is impossible not to compare the film to the dazzling technicolor of “The Wizard of Oz,” and that certainly does “Wicked” no favors. Reds become pinks, blacks become grays, oranges become yellows. (I mean, not really, but everything certainly looks a lot more drab.)
But the most baffling decision in “Wicked” is the addition of dialogue or entire scenes in the middle of songs. There’s a taste of this in “Popular,” but by far the most egregious offender is the iconic “Defying Gravity,” which closes act one of the show and the movie here. In the musical, the song is a nonstop crescendo until Elphaba lifts off the ground in triumph; Jon M. Chu, for some reason, decides to add a bunch of dialogue and scenes where there is no music at all, robbing the song of all of its momentum. Everything suddenly screeches to a halt, only to lurch back to life slowly several minutes later. Rinse and repeat. When I listen to the Broadway recording, the ramp up to the line, “So if you care to find me / Look to the western skies” makes me want to bang my head and pump my fist. When I watched “Wicked” on screen, I was about to doze off at this part. (Again, I mean, not really, but holy shit does it feel lame in comparison.)
For a film that so unabashedly embraces its musicality ninety percent of the time, the decision to add so much dialogue during its most iconic song is quite the head-scratcher. Was it an effort to lend more gravitas? To get people to take the film more seriously? Do we still abide by the belief that, in order to be a serious film, we must avoid embracing theatrics and songs at all cost? Yes, yes, there’s a whole added bit about Elphaba reclaiming her inner lost child or some nonsense, but go watch “Better Man” for another 2024 musical with a better sequence about learning to embrace your younger self.
It remains to be seen whether “Wicked: For Good” will remedy this, but I tell you now, if they add any stupid dialogue to “As Long As You’re Mine” and don’t just let the music and attractive actors wash over me, you’ll be hearing about it!
“Wicked” Trailer
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