Wonder

LANDON **1/2
Based off the book by the same name, "Wonder" tells the story of a 10-year old boy born with Treacher Collins syndrome going to a public school for the first time and struggling to make friends and fit in.  At least that's what it's mostly about.  This is where the film loses a lot of steam for me.  It insists that it must also tell the story of the boy's older sister and her perspective of neglect from her parents.  And even a little of perspective from her best friend as well.  This all would've been fine if it had been wrapped together in a unified conclusion, but it never does.  It's pointless filler.  It's only purpose is to fill in time.  It also doesn't help that when it does focus on our young protagonist, it's usually very syrupy and aggressively-sweet.  I hate to make it sound like I'm ragging on this movie, because this is by no means a mediocre film.  It has a cast of very good actors and actresses (especially Jacob Tremblay, quickly becoming a star after his brilliant performance in "Room").  And even with the syrup, it does manage to bring out some pretty raw emotion.  It doesn't resonate as well as it should have, but you understand why most characters act the way they do.  I guess that is the goal of the filmmakers is to help audience understand these people, so they accomplished their goal.  This a very decent film honestly.  If you liked the book or if you want a wholesome movie to bring your family or a date to, this is probably a good choice.

BRYCE ***
Yeesh.  I'm surprised you gave it two and a half stars after that review!  To me, the fact that the story focused on other key people in the boy's life was actually a strength and not filler.  I think a typical movie in this vein would've focused entirely on the plight of the boy, with everyone else relegated to the periphery.  I think the film is effective in showing how having this kind of physical abnormality is really challenging not just for him, but for everyone close to him.  Some people handle it really well, some handle it terribly and most are somewhere in between.  That being said, I agree that it was a bit syrupy and trite at times, especially towards the end as is common in these kinds of family-friendly dramas.  It's nothing groundbreaking, but I thought it was engaging and sincere and definitely worth checking out.

BANGERANG SCORE: **1/2