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overthinking entertainment
Movie: Wicked: For Good
Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West and her relationship with Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. The second of a two-part feature film adaptation of the Broadway musical. Previous half of the movie here.
posted by jenfullmoon on Nov 30, 2025 at 2:22 PM
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My wife & youngest daughter loved it. My second-oldest kid went with his girlfriend, and wasn't as impressed. My third-oldest kid was tepid, but I think got arm-twisted into effusing about it.
My wife & daughter have watched the first movie often, and did so again the night before they went to the theater; the boys haven't seen the first movie lately, I believe. So if you're riding the wave of the first one as a trufan, I think it hits home better than if you're a casual viewer.
(I haven't seen it, FWIW.)
posted by wenestvedt at 7:33 AM
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My daughter wants to see it, and I am worried about that given the extreme thinness of the lead actresses. I haven't come up with an age-appropriate way of talking to her about that (second grade) and am stalling. To me it's genuinely disturbing, and I don't want her to accept it uncritically as a desirable ideal.
posted by prefpara at 9:27 AM
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As will surprise no one who has seen the stage musical, the second movie is not as strong as the first, but I think it's not as weak by comparison as the second act of the stage musical is.
posted by jedicus at 10:02 AM
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I had the same issue, prepfara, though my kid is older. I did end up raising it with her on the way home. I was genuinely upset watching this film from a "who is taking care of these girls!!!!" mom perspective. I know they are old enough to be taking care of themselves but IMO this film is a disturbing enough watch that the production team should have figured out a way to get mental health and nutrition professionals in the mix to avoid the PR situation they're now in. I do think there are people who won't see it just because it's upsetting to watch young women who appear to be starving themselves to death, and because you don't want your kids to think this is what adult bodies are supposed to look like.
I didn't actually see the first movie but have seen the stage show so was familiar with the plot in general. I have to admit I didn't enjoy this movie that much (and TBH I don't really like the stage show either, and the movie made me like it less). I truly love the Wizard of Oz, and to me, anything I liked about this film was because it reminded me of that one. About a third of the way through I had the bitter realization that I could just be spending this time watching a movie I actually love. They spent so much time, effort, and money on this one but the 1939 classic means everything to me and this one felt sterile and heartless by comparison.
I didn't know the musical well enough to know which songs were added for the film, but it was pretty obvious to me from the lyrics which ones were written for a Trump-era movie, and I checked afterwards and was correct in my guesses. "No Place Like Home" in particular was a bit on the nose.
posted by potrzebie at 10:11 AM
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Like Part One, this is another really solid production of a long-lived musical made by people who want to do the best for a story that they've had in their lives for 20+ years. It hit me right in the feels. I commend it to you for viewing.
(I understand there's a conversation ongoing about the performers' health and physical appearance and the example they're setting. It's not my place to score their appearance and I would endorse happiness and safety as essential to get the best performance from people in a high performance workplace.)
I've seen the stage show more-than-one-hand's but less-than-two-hands' fingers and listened to the cast soundtrack enough times that its musical themes and motifs are earworms*. The source book is a very nineties revision to the Wizard of Oz book and movie, which I like for the nuance it carries and for being art that causes me to think about the system I live under and how much I can really do for good.
*: I have a spot on my home-office whiteboard for the meta-joke "It has been ___ days since I held space for the lyrics of Defying Gravity."
posted by k3ninho at 12:14 AM
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I enjoyed it. It's about what I expected for the second act of a movie that should have been 2 hours in the first place. The ah, passionate friendship between E and G still works like gangbusters, still like Fiyero even if he's all "wait, what, we're engaged? I guess...." The Wizard is tricksy and charming, Madame Morrible had the best outfits in it. I'm still trying to figure out how she wore a cage? Glad Elphaba and Fiyero got out, more or less. It was beautiful to look at.
It's interesting in that despite Elphaba being a villain dogooder or whatever, her rebellion did no good whatsoever. The Wizard pointing out that nobody would believe him if he told the truth, well, felt relevant to now. Her being a bad guy did nothing, really.
What I didn't like:
* I realize we have to have Fiyero in as Scarecrow, but lord, plotwise that made no sense and didn't work. Would you turn someone into a scarecrow so they don't die? Fire exists. Also, the last shot of him in the movie, I was all, "I do not know what to make of that look."
* Boq sucks. Why this guy? Why was he cast? Why was he written as such an idiot? He's the one with no brain.
Nessa, your powerful girlfriend: "THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE FOR ME."
Boq: "I wanna leave so I can chase after Glinda." DON'T TELL SOMEONE THAT, YOU IDIOT.
* Lion as handled doesn't make sense either, but he had two lines *shrug*
As for overly thin actresses, that's a Hollywood requirement.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:37 AM
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