We just took our daughter to see Into the Woods and I guarantee your family may be mixed on reviews. My daughter LOVED it, my husband fell asleep through part of it (he does that on occasion) and I enjoyed most of it. There were a few things that were not to my ‘happily ever after’ ideal. But, for the most part there was fun music, great casting, funny songs, fairytales…
But, I am a true believer that you can always learn something from most movies, so I wanted to share with you some of the lessons we learned (I took a few thoughts from my daughter as well). Hopefully there are not too many spoilers. 🙂
The ‘Golden Rule’ Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The witch was wronged and this led to spells and cruelty. If you always strive to live the golden rule within your life—good things will come and witches will stay away.
Don’t be misled, just go straight ahead. This is a great rule for life. Many things can be a great distraction on our journey called life, so be aware of your direction, the places you want to go, the people you surround yourself with, the lessons you are meant to learn along the way. Keep your focus on good things, good people and don’t be misled by distractions all around you.
Be careful and don’t talk to strangers. Because Good isn’t Nice! Some people may seem like they are good, but that does not mean they are also nice. I know this sounds a little crazy, but it does make crazy sense. There can be people who seem to be good, who have good intentions, but it does not mean they are necessarily nice. In the end, they will be out for themselves.
Agony isn’t always as it seems. Many people will LOVE one of the best scenes in the movie…the two princes singing “Agony” after they have lost their beautiful maidens, in one way or another. Agony is upon them, but their agony turns into a competition of who is in more pain. Funny scene. Lesson—everyone has a different level of agony in their life, it doesn’t need to turn into a match of who is in worse shape or who has a more terrible circumstance. That does not do any good for anyone. We all have a tendency to do this once in awhile with the stories we tell. We like to outdo another. Respect the agony–give up on the storytelling.
Would you do whatever it takes to get something you want? Would you give up your values? Would you lie, cheat and steal for something you want? How far would you go?? The lesson is within the question. Would you?? In the movie the baker and the bakers wife (love Emily Blunt) want something so badly that they have to face these moral dilemmas.
It takes two!! This was a great scene and life is just that, leaning on another, learning about yourself, finding someone to trust, to help you along in any circumstance.
Don’t be afraid to be yourself!! Cinderella’s story throughout the movie was one of running from the prince, pretending to be someone she wasn’t, and having conversations in the woods, but in the end she learned about who she truly was and wanted to be.
Keep your child safe, but is a tower really necessary? As a mother you want your children to be safe, but no matter what, they will find the real world and create their own destiny. What you do as a mother will stay with them for the rest of their life, so love and nurture them, keep them close, but not too close that they can’t spread their own wings and learn to truly fly.
If someone dares you to do something—would you do it? Despite the consequences. In the movie Jack is dared by Little Red to climb back up the bean stalk to steal something from the giants and the consequences are great. Ask yourself, what values do you hold and if someone gave you a dare—how would you respond. Sometimes our ego gets in the way and we feel we need to be someone we are not, do something that is not who we are and the consequences are often heavy.
Does Courage Change you? Absolutely! The baker and his wife have a great scene where they are sharing with one another how this adventure into the woods had changed them for the better. In life, we often need change to spur us to action, to mold our character, to strengthen our values, to help move us in a better life direction. Change is a good thing, if we can acknowledge that and learn from it!
Be grateful for what you have. Don’t allow a wandering eye for someone else’s affection shift your clarity. Don’t get stuck in the curiosity of greener pastures or thinking that a different life, spouse, house, job will make our life better. When you are grateful, you already live in the greenest grasses, the most beautiful pastures. You see the beauty in what you have.
Well, I hope this gets you interested to see the movie and make your own interpretations about this movie. There are some wonderful things, some dark things, some magical storytelling. Enjoy everything & look for the lessons held within.
Enjoy your beautiful day. -H
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