Jon M. Chu’s ‘Wicked’ is the over-the-top distraction America needs right now

On By Littum

After months of relentless promotion (remember BEER?), “Wicked” has finally landed in theaters, delivering a lavish and insidiously political adaptation of the beloved musical. But beyond hoping to defy the box office gravity of the streaming era, the film’s colorful explosion of pinks and greens makes it the kind of movie that many can certainly use right now: lively escapism from a violent election cycle and the uncertain future that is back in its wake, with a whole lot of heart – and not a message, by the way.

Films take years to produce (director Jon M. Chu told NBC’s “TODAY” show he had three children during the process of making the film) so they are a highly imperfect instrument for addressing or divine public moods. Still, the arrival of “Wicked,” along with the sequels to “Gladiator” and the animated “Moana,” could tell us a lot about how festive the holiday will be for Hollywood, as well as how eager Americans are to embrace distractions right now.

With its resonant feminist message, “Wicked” is sure to provoke political conversations that the totally escapist might want to avoid.

Like “Barbie” (which also featured lots of pink and earned a whole lot of green), “Wicked” is a showcase for its female leads, Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, the would-be Wicked Witch of the West in the Oz story; and Glinda (Ariana Grande), the popular fashion label. Initially defined by hostility – or loathing, as the song puts it – their relationship serves as the backbone of the film as they gradually and sweetly bond until Elphaba’s opportunity to meet the legendary Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum, one questionable casting choice) sets in. . them on very different paths.

Much of the audience will surely know most of the songs by heart, but as with any musical translated to the screen, film allows Chu to expand the scope of the visuals in dazzling ways. The two-part format also allows this first chapter to explore Elphaba and Glinda’s characters more deeply, though at two hours and 40 minutes the length and more leisurely pace is perhaps the most obvious quibble. (The distributor of the film is Universal Pictures, as is MSNBC, a unit of NBCUniversal.)

On its face, “Wicked” works as a character-driven leap into a fantasy based on friendship and female empowerment, as shy, irreverent Elphaba finds her voice (and then some, thanks to Erivo) and sense of purpose. While it’s hard to match the theatrical experience, don’t be surprised if the opening weekend occasionally erupts into spontaneous applause.

Again like “Barbie,” with its resonant feminist message, “Wicked” is sure to provoke political conversations that the escapist might want to avoid. Because drawing from the book behind by Gregory Maguire (while taking certain liberties), the story incorporates “a powerful allegory of how societies can sleepwalk into fascism.” as the Toronto Star notedwhere a disenfranchised group is exploited to achieve these goals. It includes, in the most terrifying line, the observation that if the goal is to bring people together, “give them a really good enemy.”

Some of that nuance might be overlooked when Erivo (whose stage credits include a Tony Award for “The Color Purple”) unleashes that Broadway belt, but “Wicked’s” wickedly clever approach to turning the classic story on its head, which gets us to questioning what we think we know about good and evil, and the origins of these characters, feels both timeless and unreasonably current.

For Elphaba, that includes taking a principled stand, even if it means challenging authority and making personal sacrifices. It’s a classic hero’s journey, but again has undercurrents that won’t be lost on anyone who’s spent the last two weeks scrolling through the headlines.

Although the movie lands with positive reviewsa familiar title and a marketing blitz, some have tried to replicate the strange summer of “Barbenheimer” magic by touting “Wicked” and “Gladiator” as an unlikely double feature (“Liked it“, as Variety put it).

The pairing actually seems unlikely, even a bit lazy, as the two seem particularly well-matched demographically to complement each other. Where director Ridley Scott’s long-delayed Roman Empire sequel revels in visceral tension, the musical, while offering epic qualities, hits other emotional nerves.

In her show-stopping number, Elphaba famously remarks, “Everyone deserves the chance to fly.” Whether considered a flight of fancy or something deeper, “Wicked” deserves the chance to be seen and shared, which, given the film’s charm and current cultural moment, could leave the holiday season’s other box office hopefuls feeling green with envy.