WONDER

NO WONDER IT'S LIKED

Film Review by FIORE

WONDER is receiving many knowledgeable, perhaps I should say hopeful, nods for year’s end honors.  It’s easy to understand why.  On its surface, WONDER is a cute movie, almost Disneyesque in its template.  In reality, the film is trite and cliched, plays too many stereotypical scenarios and spews too much of the progressive agenda.

Scripted by Director Stephen Chbosky and edited by Mark Livolsi, WONDER is too long.  After it makes its point, that we should accept people for what and who they are rather than their outward appearance, the film continues to beat the theme like the proverbial dead horse.  The script celebrates uniqueness.  Its enemies are the rich, the conceited, the superficial, rednecks, and the upper class.   

Of course, while celebrating the common man and denigrating the aristocratic, WONDER chooses to ignore the lower class.  It’s always easier to disparage the upper class to the middle class, but virtually impossible to raise the lower class to the middle class in film.  For example:  For absolutely no reason, other than cast diversity, the movie features an interracial romance.  The black boy in the film is an “Uncle Tom”.  If he were any ‘whiter’ in his portrayal, the black community would disavow any knowledge of his existence.  This is not someone from the hood, no gang banger, no victimized racist; this is a white character in black skin.

Auggie, played by Jacob Tremblay, is born deformed.  It takes nearly thirty operations for him to look somewhat normal.  His parents, played by Owen Wilson and Julia Roberts, shelter the boy as best is possible, but opt to stop home schooling him and send him to school.  This is not a public school, but rather a private prep school where Auggie can experience all the hostility of the Stepford society.  WONDER displays the story from Auggie’s perspective, as well as the viewpoints of his family and friends.  The audience is treated to events through the eyes of Auggie’s sister, Via, played by Izabela Vidovic; and his best friend Jack Will, played by Noah Jupe.  Also in the film are: Mandy Paninkin; Bryce Gheisar; and Elle McKinnon.

One thing WONDER does well is present a positive image of the traditional family unit.  Some of the sub characters are envious of Auggie’s home life, while others clearly do not have the loving environment Auggie does. It is suggested Auggie’s family stability makes his comrades envious, serving as the spawning of their rude behavior.  This support of the family unit is refreshing.

WONDER, and other films of its ilk, definitely have an audience.  They are generally the people who enjoy watching the nonsense on the Lifetime Movie Network.  Unfortunately, these film do nothing for me, and I do not find them entertaining.