Wonder Wheel

2017 "Come along for the ride."
6.2| 1h41m| PG-13| en
Details

The story of four characters whose lives intertwine amid the hustle and bustle of the Coney Island amusement park in the 1950s: Ginny, an emotionally volatile former actress now working as a waitress in a clam house; Humpty, Ginny’s rough-hewn carousel operator husband; Mickey, a handsome young lifeguard who dreams of becoming a playwright; and Carolina, Humpty’s long-estranged daughter, who is now hiding out from gangsters at her father’s apartment.

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Reviews

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film
Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.
Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
sonrisaparatu Disappointed is an understatement with this movie. Sad to see such great talents over act and do such a horrible story. I should have known better, every time I've tried watching a Woody Allen movie, it feels like a waste of time. The ending is even unsatisfying.
soitgos Kate Winslet gives a magnificent performance, worthy of an Academy Award. The screenplay is another Woody Allen masterpiece. It's too bad that more people don't recognize what an incredible talent he is. We are lucky to be gifted with so many wonderful movies, each a piece of our own psyche. Each a mirror into our own soul.
czsme Stops without ending, thereby negating some excellent performances. Plot was good 'till they couldn't figure away to close.
bkoganbing The best thing I like about Wonder Wheel is Woody Allen marvelous re-creation of the Coney Island scene in the 50s where and when he and I both grew up in Brooklyn. The cyclone rollercoaster, the parachute drop, and of course the storied Wonder Wheel are all still there as is Nathan's hotdogs which we never did see. But as Justin Timberlake whose character narrates the film the fabled sandbar amusement park with the old Boardwalk was starting to show signs of decay and seediness. It reached its heights in the 80s but is now turning around. They've built a baseball stadium for the Single A Brooklyn Cyclones now and they draw very well. Given the area a much needed growth spurt. A couple Jim Belushi and Kate Winslet live at and run a carousel concession and business is always in streaks. Implied quite truthfully is that this is a six month business. Coney Island closes down for the most part, No one there to ride Belushi's carousel and Timberlake's services as a lifeguard on the beach are not needed.Which works out perfectly for Timberlake who is going to graduate school most likely on the GI bill and lifeguarding supplements his income. He's a World War II navy veteran and he's lived a glamorous life at least in the eyes stepmother Kate Winslet and stepdaughter Juno Temple whom the hunky lifeguard gets involved with.Winslet is married to Temple's father Belushi. It's the second marriage for both and she has a son Jack Gore by her first marriage who is in some serious need of mental health therapy. The boy likes to start fires and might even burn them out of house, home and carousel the little pyromaniac.Temple is on the run from the gangster husband she married. She was most indiscreet in a business which discretion is the lifeblood.Winslet gets the acting honors her portrayal of a woman in love with love who blows up one marriage with her lustful habits and is getting ready to blow up another with her affair with Timberlake. Timberlake's role is a strange one. Imagine a hunky Woody Allen and you've got his character. All the constant self analyzing in Allen protagonists are present here. It's in character as Timberlake is an English major looking to write. He's both involved in the story, but also trying to keep a certain distant perspective. I also have to say that as a Brooklynite, Timberlake does well but just doesn't ring true Brooklyn in spots.I must say Jim Belushi brings a certain layer of depth to his character. He's a broken down middle-aged failure, going to seed as is the area that surrounds him. He's a drunk and a wife beater, but you do feel sorry for him. I lived it there and I can certainly attest to the ambience that my fellow Brooklyn born Woody Allen brings to this film.