Wonderful World

Beware all you Matthew Broderick fans, this is NOT a funny movie, because it is a slowburning portrait about a grumpy, middle aged, divorced man, stuck in a a dead end job. Quite depressing...

The bad: this movie is slow, very SLOW and kinda depressing. I dont mind slow or even depressing when it is a heavy drama, but I DO mind boring and this movie is undoubtedly BORING.. There is no real drama either to speak of. So what's left? The acting isnt great either, I mean for such a character portrait movie like this, the acting should be up there, but the acting is just average.

More bad: although it is not meant to be comedy, there are still some tongue in cheek jokes, but they fall flat as well. This whole movie feels so uninspired and slow.

Not any good? Well, the movie has got a happy end, but in the end this is one of the weakest movies that Matthew Broderick has ever starred in. He just aint suited for making slowburning "dramas". Better watch any older (eighties/nineties) movie with Matthew Broderick in it, there are lots of them, which are truly hilariously funny!

If you've seen a recent Bill Murray movie (Broken Flowers, etc) maybe you know what I'm talking about. Movies like this carry a certain vibe that's hard to explain... they feel cold, lonely, witty but sad and slightly nostalgic.

I suppose it's because there's a lot of silence, not a lot of emotion (despite emotional circumstances), and the scenes are bright but not colourful. If you've ever been in a hospital waiting room, that's the feeling.

"Wonderful World" is one of those films about a-day-in-the-life-of-a-schmuck, which are generally fun to watch (the best being "Buffalo 66"... if you haven't seen it GO SEE IT NOW). But I was left a little unfulfilled by WW. I think it's because it portrays the world as a really nasty, unjust place. Sure, that's whole the point of a-day-in-the-life-of-a-schmuck movies, but in this case it was just torturous.

I also thought Matthew Broderick was slightly miscast. Through no fault of his own, he has too much of a youthful, innocent look to come across as a bitter cynic, which is what this film demanded. Still, his acting was excellent (absolutely brilliant in some scenes), and if you like Broderick it'll be fun to see him in this very uncharacteristic role.

If you like slow & heavy comedy-dramas like "The Weather Man" or "Magnolia" or possibly "The Majestic" (though these films are not really comedies), you might like "Wonderful World".

A dramatic gem. "Wonderful World" gives Matthew Broderick his meatiest and most interesting role in years, and showcases the remarkably assured directorial debut of Josh Goldin (who also wrote the classically spare and powerful screenplay). Goldin finds true uplift where most filmmakers might have stumbled into cliché. His story of culture clash and class disharmony, about someone who considers himself "the most negative man in the world," was never anything less than moving and gave me that rarest of experiences in a movie theater: I didn't just love the film, I came out of it wanting to be a better person.

The first half of this movie finds Broderick as an almost jarringly flawed character, an alienated children's singer, struggling with divorce, doing a mediocre job raising his teen daughter, and sinking into self- defeating pessimism. That he manages to overcome these obstacles, and truly regenerate himself, without our feeling as if the movie makers pandered to our craving for a happy ending, is truly remarkable. In part he finds hope in an offbeat relationship with his former-roommate's sister, played with earthy sexuality and witty grace by Sanaa Lathan. But this is really much more than a story of a depressed man being reborn through romance. Goldin has made a touching parable about taking action, about caring for others being the linchpin of happiness in this world.

I can't say too much more about the story, for fear of spoiling its powerful ending, but I defy anyone not to be moved.

Jodelle Ferland is a complete find as the daughter Broderick's character cannot seem to connect with. But it is Broderick himself who steals the show. He has long been one of our most underrated actors, a master of the ordinary devoid of on screen vanity. And not since "Election" have I seen him carry a film so worthy of his skills. His performance is the stuff folks give out awards for, and he should be nominated come Oscar season, along with his director, if this truly is... a wonderful world.

I saw this movie at the Tribeca Film Festival this past spring, and I was truly moved. It reminds me of "It's a Wonderful Life", one of those movies that really touches the soul. It's the story of a man who gets tripped up by his own negativity (reminds me of my husband!), but is actually a good person, and yearns to connect. It features Matthew Broderick's best performance since "Election", and I cried at the end. As did my two friends who came with me. We were totally unprepared to be so swept away by emotion. So many films these days are mindless crap, but this one is authentic and honest, and very very funny. I want the soundtrack too!

Also for "The Wire" fans, it also stars Omar, a.k.a Michael Williams, one of the greatest actors working today.

I found this film to very well written and directed. The story is about the life we all lead and all its obstacles, which are superbly edited to show them to us, but not too grimly.

It pats you on the back relatively quickly with elements that seem extraordinary but really are natural phenomenons and not to be taken seriously. It generously shows how seeing the world in such a way can impact harshly on you, but how you still learn from the experience.

It grasps upon the warmth and clarity that can be gained from truly compatible relationships when looking at the world through these eyes, in this way, it presents a seek and you shall find attitude.

The ending is... well when you find the end, there will be the beginning. One of my favorite films.