Wonder Wheel (2017)

Directed by Woody Allen · Drama

Starring Kate Winslet, Juno Temple, Justin Timberlake, Jim Belushi, Max Casella, Geneva Carr, David Krumholtz, Tony Sirico, Steve Schirripa, Bobby Slayton, Gregory Dann, Bobby Slayton, Michael Zegarski, John Doumanian, Jack Gore, Robert C. Kirk, Maddie Corman, Jacob Berger, Tommy Nohilly, Debi Mazar, Danielle Ferland, Tom Guiry, Ed Jewett, Jacob Berger, Jenna Stern, Michael Striano, John Mainieri, Candice A. Buenrostro, Marko Caka, Amelie McKendry, Tod Rainey, Jillian Shields, Nancy Ellen Shore, Cooper Carrell, John Druzba, Neil Fleischer, Brittini Schreiber, Hannah Hartwell, Haley Klausmeyer, Frankie Petrosino, Olivia Twarowski, Max Ripley, Vincent Paolicelli, Gregory O Nicolas, Matthew Maher, Julia Losner, Evin Cross, John Michael Bradshaw, Jeremy Francis Bell, Marshall Axt, Dominic Albano, Ziada Zienna

IHBM8.5Excellent

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, Ginnys rough-hewn carousel operator husband; Mickey, a handsome young lifeguard who dreams of becoming a playwright; and Carolina, Humptys long-estranged daughter, who is now hiding out from gangsters at her fathers apartment.

My review · Reviewed 03/10/2018

There was a point about halfway through the film where I said to myself "this is actually a sneakily good film". For the first half of the film it felt like standard Woody Allen fare - the music, the font, the dialog, the brief conversations about art, morality and philosophy. It reminded me of several of his previous films but it felt most like a mix of "Interiors" (another underrated film) and "Blue Jasmine" (in my opinion overrated save for the brilliant performance by Cate Blanchett). Like "Jasmine", this film is a vehicle for the amazing Kate Winslet (who was supposed to be the lead in "Match Point"). I've never been a fan of Juno Temple but she and Timberlake play their roles perfectly. Hell, even Jim Belushi is very good (although his resemblance to John Goodman was a little distracting). I think Winslet is best in movies that feel like plays and this is definitely that kind of film. I think this film and "VickyChristinaBarcelona" may be Allen's two most underrated works.

underrated, Woody Allen