Wonderful World Movie Review

Matthew Broderick stars as the failed children’s folk singer and newly unemployed proofreader at a law firm, Ben Singer. Divorced with his wife, Ben spends time with his 11-year-old daughter (Jodelle Federland) on weekends however he cares less on her apparent loneliness and school struggles. Their time together is mostly consumed on Ben’s rants about the imaginary “The Man”, the rise of selfishness, and the American life teeming with greed. Yes, apparently Ben is a cynic attuned to the dark side. His only consolation and means of enjoyment comes from playing chess with his Senegalese roommate Ibou (Michael Kenneth Williams) but when he retires off to bed, Ben opts to smoke pot by himself.

Unfortunately Ibou turns ill from a complication caused by his diabetes. Ben attempts to help and rush him to the hospital but is enraged when he discovers his car is being hauled away. Desperately he tries to convince the man in authority to allow him to use his can for a medical emergency. However the man refuses and continues to take away the car instead. Frustrated with the unjust turn of events, Ben focuses on filing a lawsuit against the city for depraved indifference.

On the positive note, Ibou’s sister Khadi (Sanaa Lathan) surprisingly arrives from Senegal to take care of her ill brother. Ben’s life takes a 180 turn when the wise woman brings in beauty and fresh air into his life spiraling downwards to complete darkness. As the story goes on, Ben realizes how much Khadi has managed to impact him more one a positive note rather than his imagination “The Man” (Philip Baker Hall).

The greatest strength of this film is Broderick himself who delivers an undeniably great performance to date. His vast experience for many years as an actor has converted him into a trusted and reliable veteran up for any challenging role he’s given and succeeding. What I love most about his portrayal is how he takes into heart the role of Ben by slackening his natural baby face into a permanent sulk and removing the charm from his puppy-dog eyes. This may sound easy but in reality, it’s not. It’s just right to say that Broderick carries the film on his shoulders.

Apparently it’s not surprising screenwriter Joshua Goldin’s directorial debut excels in storytelling as he ornaments his script with a variety of lovely music complementing the tone, mood, and background of his film. His personal thoughts and commentaries on the film are also subtly visibly through the meaningful lines delivered by Ben. Though the film has slacking and boring moments, the ending where Ben travels to Senegal was a major saving grace.

Though Goldin proves to be promising as a director, his first feature is not free from flaws. The story fails to address important aspects cited in the film. This inconsistency is highly apparent in how the storyline never fully blends with Ben’s rediscovery of his artistic voice with his personal renewal. Viewers are also left hanging and curious as to why Ben became a children’s performer in the first place. These simple yet major note were simply not addressed and left a gaping hole to what would have been a fantastic screenplay.

Another major mishap for the film was the creation of the unnecessary dream figure presence known as “The Man”. If he were a highly important figure in the film, his character should have been established more. Instead he appeared infrequently in the film with remarks so forgettable that you’d really feel like you were just dreaming when you saw him on-screen but in reality he actually existed as part of the movie.

I believe “Wonderful World” is a great eye-opener to many who are slowly succumbing to the hardships and terrors of life.