Fame or Famine

Ok, first things first: Yes, it’s Christmas, and yes, Johnny Depp has played Willy Wonka and Jack Sparrow and even Gilbert Grape and Benny and all manner of likeable characters.

This, however, is not one of them. So unless you are ready to see a musical with the graphic portrayal of a serial killer literally splattering blood across the camera lens, wait for his next vehicle, when he’ll play George Jetson or somesuch.

(no, I don’t actually know who’s playing the lead in the Jetsons or even if they’re making a movie version. But really, how could they not?)

It’s hard to write a review of Sweeney Todd, though, because it’s a musical I’ve always wanted to like. There’s no disputing the genius of Sondheim,  but I gotta be honest: I don’t especially like his music. It’s a little too contemporary, hard for me to like for more than an instant before the phrases change and I’ve lost the melody somewhere else.

That being said…I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Not for the music, though – for the vision of London that Tim Burton brought to life. See, that’s the other problem with the music – Depp and Bonham-Carter and the rest of the cast (with the exception of Jamie Campbell Bower) are only mediocre singers, and so while I was amused by the songs (such as Mrs. Lovett’s introductory pie song, or the duet about women sung by Alan Rickman and Johnny Depp) I was more intrigued by the story. It is told well, and simply, and the actors are often able to express more with a simple raised eyebrow than most movies have in their entire cast (kind of like Denzel Washington’s powerful “mmmm…HMMM.” Oscar winning onomatopoeia).

My girlfriend, who saw it with me, was unprepared for the gore – hence the warning at the beginning of this review – and was also dissatisfied with the story arc itself, which really doesn’t offer much in the way of redemption – well, not of the Hollywood style, but that’s all I’ll say for risk of spoiling things. But while it may not be the cheerful holiday family movie, it’s well worth seeing, and if you can, do it on the big screen with the good sound – some of the melodic structures really do deserve your complete attention, as the story is told through the deft twining of word and note.

Two razors up!

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