“Wicked” Is A Riotously Humorous And Insightful Adaptation Of The Beloved Musical

Defying all odds (and gravity, while they’re at it), Wicked passes with flying colors. Director Jon M. Chu has given the Ozians what they want: an adaptation of the beloved musical that is both nostalgic and a work of art on its own. 

Why does Wicked work so well? It’s precisely because it doesn’t try to be different from the beloved Broadway play. Spellbinding visuals, a host of powerhouse performances, and its uncompromising loyalty to its source material makes it easily one of the best films of the year.

Wicked is a Loving Adaptation and a Feast for the Eyes

There’s always a risk when you watch a movie adaptation of a story you love. Things can be going so well. You recognize lines from your favorite book, and the actor really nails the accent of a particular character. But then you hit that moment - the “Oh great, and I was just enjoying myself so much” disappointment when the production team gets a little too creative.

In Wicked, this moment never comes. Jon Chu, the mastermind behind the wildly under-appreciated In the Heights, has crafted a truly reverent cinematic version of the original Broadway musical. Chu and his creative team have cut nothing out - not a single reprise or subtle moment of character development. If this is why it took ten years to finally get a Wicked movie, then I’m really glad we waited.

Chu is happy for his mark on the world of Wicked to be a sense of irrepressible joy and a stunning palette of colors. Chu’s Wicked is imbued with the same visual splendor and bold colors which made The Wizard of Oz an instant classic back in the 1930s. Here we have the same big song and dance numbers which made In the Heights so excellent, but Chu’s camerawork focuses on the subtle but talented emotional work of his two leads. From the first scene, where we watch Glinda burn an effigy of her former friend, it’s not the rousing group that catches our attention - it’s the haunted pauses in Grande's performance. 

For anyone like me, who adores the original Broadway musical and the female stars who made it famous, it was hard to imagine anyone playing these roles other than the iconic Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel. But by casting Broadway steady Cynthia Erivo, Chu secured a heroine who can belt the finest notes of 'Defying Gravity' and speak with a softness that could melt stone. As she always does, Erivo displays an ability to deliver truly grounded emotions which make her Elphaba impossible not to love.

And for the real surprise? Ariana Grande is truly some kind of scene-stealing, comedic genius. It is clear that every take, Grande is belting her songs because she loves the story and character even more than we do. Will she be nominated for awards this season? Almost certainly. But I think that for Grande, that’s not what Wicked was ever really about. Reportedly, Grande asked Kristin Chenoweth on the night, “Did I make you proud of me?” There’s a level of humility to the work of the role that is rare to find - and the resulting performance is an equally rare thing.

Jealousy, Intentionality & Female Friendships - Why Women Love Wicked

It would be easy to write the story of Wicked off as a woke reimagining of L. Frank Baum’s classic The Wizard of Oz. There’s plenty in the story to support the notion, too. Elphaba’s rejection due to her green skin is a pretty transparent metaphor for social racism, and the film’s subplot about the suppression of talking animals is an overt oppression narrative. 

But these subplots are just that - side notes to the central truth of the story. Wicked may masquerade as a woke oppression narrative, but the driving force of the story is the turbulent friendship between two women and the way in which their character flaws affect their entire community.

We begin with the classic tale of the popular girl vs. nerdy outcast. Glinda - pretty, pinkified, and popular - really seems like she gets everything she wants. But it doesn’t take long for us to discover that all the relationships in Glinda’s life are fake, which Grande captures beautifully in the few moments where she pauses her frenetic energy and stares haunted at what is just out of reach. Why does Glinda “loathe” her new roommate? It’s not really because Elphaba is brusque, awkward and uncool. Elphaba has the one thing Glinda really wants: professional respect. 

As for Elphaba? Glinda is right that Elphaba is actually bothered by all the terrible things people say about her. Elphaba wants to be accepted, if not by everyone, then unconditionally by at least one person. Throughout the film she is confronted with disappointment in this field, and her song about how “she’s not that girl” for the boy she likes - the boy Glinda is dating - feels like a metaphor with her relationships overall. 

What we’re left with is a whirlpool of envy that initially sweeps the two women away in a spirit of “loathing.” But after the two make peace, the envy is still there and the question remains: can they become more dedicated to each others’ good than they are to their own?

This experience is a sad part of making female friendships. The hard truth about female relationships is that they’re rarely as aggressive as that depicted in Mean Girls, and they’re even more rarely as supportive as that depicted in Wonder Woman. Real women can feel true devotion and friendship for each other, and sometimes those feelings will be poisoned by the great toxin of jealousy. Trying to navigate relationships that are infected by a spirit of competition isn’t easy, and it requires a level of intentional honesty and humility.

I think the reason women love and respond to Wicked, be it the Broadway play or movie, is because of the story’s nuanced approach to this female dynamic. Many women have experienced this mess of emotion. Wicked is ultimately a reminder that healthy friendships can only thrive with intentionality in motive and deed. It’s only when Elphaba and Glinda put aside their jealousy of one another that they discover what good friends they can be - and in fact, how much they truly need each others’ friendship.

What makes Wicked so deep is that it’s not satisfied with a picture perfect ending. We enjoy Glinda and Elphaba’s friendship so much that we want them to begin working together against the forces of injustice. But the reality of jealousies in their relationship undermine any solid foundation, and what we’re left with is a bittersweet emotion that many women in the audience, myself included, know all too well.