Wonder Wheel got completely shafted and buried upon its release, primarily due to controversies surrounding Woody Allen. Despite this, it remains a pretty entertaining movie. While it doesn’t reach the heights of say, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Match Point, Midnight in Paris, or even Blue Jasmine. Nevertheless, it stands out as one of my favorite Woody Allen films from the past two decades. Though it may not appeal to everyone, its merits deserve recognition.
The movie opens up with Mickey (Justin Timberlake) as the narrator and also a writer who works in Coney island as a lifeguard. He explains and sets up the story for the viewers. Timberlake brings solid energy into this movie, which is probably his best acting role since The Social Network (2010).
Cafe Society (2016) was Woody Allen’s first digitally shot movie, and he continues the same digital trend with Wonder Wheel. Allen uses CGI to recreate Coney Island of the 1950s — Home of the world-famous coney island Ferris wheel. Woody Allen has a unique skill to always shoot New York beautifully, and here he manages to superbly capture and depict life in a post-world war II New York City.
The performances are excellent: Ginny (Kate Winslet) is a bored and frustrated housewife — married to her second husband, Humpty (James Belushi), who is a recovering alcoholic. Belushi’s performance is outstanding. Ginny was an actor and now works as a waitress on the coney island Boardwalk, while at the same time, she is having an affair with Mickey — which is ironic because her first marriage ended due to her also having an affair. Ginny has a teenage son from her previous marriage, who is a pyromaniac. Kate Winslet’s performance is brilliant, I heard she had a tough time with the part, but I thought she completely owned this character.
This movie offers numerous layers to dissect, featuring powerful performances from the entire ensemble cast. Each scene is infused with great tension, making the drama riveting and compelling.
The irony of the whole thing is that Mickey is a writer who falls in love with Ginny’s step-daughter (Juno Temple); Ginny is this frustrated actor who is unhappy and miserable, and possibly mentally unstable. Ginny’s son is hellbent on burning anything he gets his hands on — it is like he is on a mission to destroy everything in his path. I don’t know about most people, but I see a strong Ronan and Mia Farrow connection here.
Regardless of your feelings about Woody Allen as a person, his exceptional work as a filmmaker is undeniable. And Wonder Wheel deserves to be seen and analyzed deeply.
Three out Five Popcorn Bags 🍿🍿🍿
WONDER WHEEL (2017). Streaming on Prime
Rod Rioja 