Wonder

Starring: Jacob Tremblay, Owen Wilson, Julia Roberts, Izabela Vidovic, Noah Jupe, Mandy Patinkin, Bryce Gheisar, Elle McKinnon, Daveed Diggs, Sonia Braga
Directed by: Stephen Chbosky
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
2017

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A boy (Jacob Tremblay) with facial deformities struggles as he starts school for the first time.

Review:

Tim: I'll admit, I really didn't want to watch Wonder. Being a father now, it felt too uncomfortable to watch a story about a little boy with facial deformities starting school. I honestly dreaded watching the movie. It seemed like it would be weepy and emotional and I just didn't want to subject myself to it. However, it was well reviewed and this is what I do, so I watched it. And I was blown away by how much I loved it. I did a total 180- Wonder is one of the more touching, inspiring, beautiful movies I've seen in quite a while.

I marvel at the job director Stephen Chbosky did. This is his second directorial effort, and his second film I unexpectedly loved (the first was The Perks of Being a Wallflower). There's something so powerful about his style. He tells these powerful movies that never feel over-the-top or manipulative. They capture an essence of what it means to be human and they are so entertaining. Chbosky is quickly becoming a director I'll be keeping my eye on. He does a fantastic job here. He juggles the cast, the issues, and tells this remarkable story.

One of the unexpected things I loved about this movie is that it didn't just focus on Auggie. He's obviously the focal point, but the movie took time to examine the other people in his life. I found this refreshing and fascinating. It created not one compelling character- but multiple. It gave the movie a broader focus, it helped us to understand how Auggie's life was connected with others- for good and for ill. Chbosky does this fantastic job of weaving the different stories together so that we understand and love Auggie, but we also understand his family and friends. That was a remarkable feat and a big reason why I enjoyed this movie so much. I cannot stress enough how brilliant this approach was (I'm assuming it's taken from the novel, but still- the execution of it here elevated this film exponentially).

The cast blew me away. Jacob Tremblay is an exceptional actor for someone so young. He's now been in two great movies (Room was the other one). His performance as Auggie was magnificent- he plays him as a normal kid. He's too young to think of this as "Oscar bait" and so he just shows up and gives this authentic, normal performance. I loved that aspect of Tremblay here. Owen Wilson and Julia Roberts are quite good as his parents. Wilson impressed me more than Roberts, but both were really effective. They felt right as his parents and I believed them in their roles. I never thought of them as movie stars. Izabela Vidovic wowed me as well. Her part could have been overlooked- it's smaller and less glamorous than many of the others. However, she just does a fantastic job with it- you relate to her character and care deeply about her, even if she exists in the margins of her own family. The role called for restraint instead of flashiness and Vidovic delivered. I also have to mention Noah Jupe. This kid absolutely crushed me with his performance. I think his was my favorite of the entire film. Jupe was so likeable, so authentic in his performance. He turned a supporting role into one of the most remarkable of the film. He was quite mesmerizing in his portrayal of Will. I give Chbosky immense credit for pulling so many incredible performances out of his cast.

As I've said, Wonder very much surprised me. I had fun with the film, I enjoyed every minute of it. It was heartwarming and beautiful and entertaining. And I didn't want to watch it at the beginning. This is certainly one of the best movies of 2017. I think it deserved more than its lone Academy Award nomination (for Best Makeup). This is a great film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Perks of Being a Wallflower