After months of hype, the film adaptation of Broadway’s Wicked has more than fulfilled expectations with a $114 million opening weekend. Showstopping vocal performances from stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are bound to secure a place in the Oscars conversation for the movie, directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights).
For younger viewers, Wicked could be the entry point for a crash course in media history and intertextuality. The musical, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman, is loosely based on the novel of the same name, itself a revisionist take on L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by part-time Vermont author Gregory Maguire.
The deal
Perhaps you recall how Dorothy Gale proved herself by slaying the Wicked Witch of the West. But who was this witch, anyway? How did she become so wicked? Whether you’re a curious Munchkin or not, Glinda the Good (Grande) is here to narrate the witch’s origin story for you.
Elphaba Thropp (Erivo) is born with green skin and a talent for magic, rare even in the fantastical land of Oz. While her looks make her an outcast, her power earns her a welcome at Shiz University, where she’s assigned to room with popular Galinda, aka Glinda.
Elphaba yearns for an invitation to the Emerald City to meet the Wonderful Wizard (Jeff Goldblum), who might just have the power to change her appearance. Meanwhile, her empathy for the downtrodden inspires her to aid the sentient animals of Oz, such as goat professor Dr. Dillamond (voice of Peter Dinklage), whose freedoms are threatened by new laws of the land.
Initially jealous and cruel, Galinda comes to admire Elphaba. A friendship blossoms between the two, even as they both pine for devil-may-care prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey). For these girls, a trip to see the Wizard could change everything, but not necessarily in the ways they expect.
Will you like it?
Anecdotal evidence suggests that if you love the musical Wicked, you’ll love the movie. Fans have been waiting years for it, and Chu gives ample time to every character and number in what is technically Wicked Part 1, the first half of a duology. At my packed screening, applause greeted cameos by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who originated the roles of Elphaba and Galinda on Broadway.
I’m not one of those fans: This was my first exposure to the Wicked-verse. I was thrilled by the subtle, soaring performances of Erivo and Grande, both of whom deserve every accolade, and by Bailey’s comedic charisma. The costume and production design were appropriately whimsical, the depiction of Oz was refreshingly inclusive, the script was witty, and the themes resonated. As a whole, though, the movie felt … long.
For a nonfan, two hours and 40 minutes is a while to spend watching the first half of an antiheroic origin story set in a world full of computer-generated backdrops that look like Florida condo complexes. While Wicked‘s small-scale, practical designs are creative, the overall look of its simulated environments fits right into a Universal theme park.
The film’s length doesn’t serve the plot, either. Because the characters’ arcs have been chopped in half, Wicked features considerable foreshadowing without payoff. A pivotal midpoint scene — Elphaba and Galinda’s transition from enmity to friendship — is presented with the breathless reverence of a climax, lessening its impact for this casual viewer. And the actual climax has been loaded with blockbuster-style action that feels unnecessary, tiring us out before we reach Erivo’s awe-inspiring final number.
Still, the performers rise above the fluff. Erivo gives wonderful layers to her portrayal of someone who is forced into an antagonist’s role while secretly longing to be the heroine. We read Elphaba’s conflict — conform to the dominant narrative or proudly rebel? — in her thoughtful interpretation of the lyrics of “The Wizard and I.”
On the surface, Grande’s role is much less likable. Canonical Glinda is unbearably saccharine, so it’s no shocker to learn that she started as a spoiled mean girl. Perhaps the biggest triumph of the performance and even the movie is that we end up caring about young Galinda, because Grande shows us that she craves love enough to sell her soul for it. As Galinda simpers through life, performing her own virtuousness like the most annoying person you know on social media, there’s terror in her eyes.
There should be, because this Oz is a scary place, once you get beyond the pastels and cute neologisms (“distressful,” “horrendible”). The politics of the story are very simple — nay, heavy-handed — but that doesn’t make them less relevant. As a Wicked novice, I would have preferred a slimmer, less extravagant production that zeroed in on the story’s central friendship. But countless viewers are clearly finding Wicked an empowering experience, and more power to them.
If you like this, try…
Into the Woods (2014; Disney+, rentable): Less successful than Wicked was this star-studded film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s revisionist look at fairy tales, featuring standout performances from Meryl Streep and Chris Pine.
Bad Times at the El Royale (2018; Disney+, rentable): If Erivo wowed you in Wicked, savor her singing and acting talents in this underrated neo-noir for an adult audience. She also stars in Harriet and Widows.
Oz the Great and Powerful (2013; Disney+, YouTube Primetime, rentable): The Wizard (James Franco) got his own sympathetic origin story in this fantasy from Sam Raimi. All I liked about it was a deliciously imperious turn by Rachel Weisz as the Wicked Witch of the East.
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This article appears in Nov 27 – Dec 3, 2024.
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