‘Blu-ray or Bust’
WONDER (PG, 2017, 113
minutes, LIONSGATE/MANDEVILLE FILMS)
Author/writer/director Stephen Chbosky does it all. Hollywood trusted him with his own work back
in 2012, and the result was one of the best screen adaptations of a novel ever
committed to celluloid. THE PERKS OF
BEING A WALLFLOWER was a perfect little movie, based on Chbosky’s own perfect
little book.
Hollywood liked the results so much that they embraced the idea of the man
directing another classic book, “Wonder”, written by R.J. Palacio. The book (and film) centers around young
Auggie, a boy with Treacher Collins syndrome—a cranial displacement issue which
has caused him to have a deformed face.
After being home-schooled by his mother Isabel (Julia Roberts, who is
trustworthy in any role she plays) for several years, Auggie is ready to start
the fifth grade in an actual school. His
dad (Owen Wilson, who doesn’t use the word “wow” a single time in the film—yes,
I was totally waiting for it) meets this decision with trepidation, his sister
Via (the wonderful Izabela Vidovic) with aplomb. The lovely thing about this film is that it
is not just told from the boy’s point of view.
In the hands of Chbosky, you not only get an adaptation of the book
which sticks to the core elements, language, and tone, but you also get a
storyteller that cues you in on how the tale is told best.
And while each of the important players get their own turns to tell their
part of the story, it all ultimately leads back to Auggie. Played by the amazing Jacob Tremblay, you get
emotion from behind the facial deformity that you wouldn’t expect. Several adult actors have problems acting
from behind a mask and making it convincing; perhaps if some of them took
lessons from Jacob, they might have an easier time of it. He makes the story believable, and gives it
its heart. His emotional core is what we
are most concerned with, even though we are inevitably drawn into the emotions
and minds of the others as well.
The child actors steal this show (the adults do their job, of course, but
the standouts are Mandy Patinkin and the incredibly talented Daveed Diggs as
Mr. Brown). There is not a single voice
which seems forced, nor any performance which appears wooden. The first special feature on the disc is all
about directing child actors, and while most productions that feature a
predominantly young cast always seem to have trouble behind the scenes, everyone
here—especially under the playful direction of Chbosky—does such a natural job
that it is easy to forget you are watching a film and not playing witness to
the real-life struggles and joys of the lives you are seeing.
Not to say that there aren’t a few hiccups.
As a movie for kids, WONDER hits on several notes that will ring true
for any of their perspectives. Yet the
adults in the film are either good or bad; the kids all straddle those gray
areas usually meant for adults, while we get exactly from the adults what you
would expect from face value. Of course,
the kids are what this film is all about, so their moral decisions and actions
are what concern us the most. There just
isn’t a whole lot of depth to the adults (although Roberts tries her
darnedest).
Of course, I’m going to tell you have to purchase this on Blu-ray. No, no one blows up, there are no chase
scenes, and no one gets pummeled by a robot.
But this is such an immersive experience; you really should not trust it
to anything less than the best visual and audible presentation possible. There are some moments you should witness
with the right sound and visual texture, which is pretty much the entire film.
This is certainly a film to watch with your kids—or, let them watch it by
themselves. Sometimes it’s better to
watch them work some things out on their own, and the helping hand that Chbosky
and company lend here makes it an easy path for them to tread.
Film Grade: B+
Special Features: A (several detailed and long docs, and it is awesome to
see how much these kids were allowed to be kids during the production)
Blu-ray Necessary: Recommended
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