Wonderful World (2009 film)
| Wonderful World | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Joshua Goldin |
| Written by | Joshua Goldin |
| Produced by | Miranda Bailey Matthew Leutwyler Glenn Williamson |
| Starring | Matthew Broderick Sanaa Lathan Michael K. Williams Jodelle Ferland Jesse Tyler Ferguson Ally Walker Philip Baker Hall |
| Cinematography | Daniel Shulman |
| Edited by | Jeff Canavan |
| Music by | Craig Richey |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Magnolia Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3 million[1] |
| Box office | $9,309[2] |
Wonderful World is a 2010 dark
The film was produced by Ambush Entertainment, Back Lot Pictures and Cold Iron Pictures, with K5 International handling the world sales. Filming took place over 21 days in
Plot
 | This article needs an improved plot summary. (November 2015) |
Ben Singer is a former children's folk singer whose
Cast
- Matthew Broderick as Ben Singer
- Sanaa Lathan as Khadi
- Michael K. Williams as Ibou
- Jodelle Ferland as Sandra
- Philip Baker Hall as The Man
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Cyril
- Patrick Carney as Evan
- Ally Walker as Eliza
- Dan Zanes as Sweeny
- David L. J. George as the Male Nurse
Production
Michael K. Williams initially didn't audition for the role of Ibou because he felt the phone messages from writer-director Joshua Goldin's representatives were "a mass call", saying: "I thought, I'm not going to waste my time. Then Josh called me back a few times and said he wanted me. So I went in."[3] Williams had already worked on the character's Senegalese accent while in Tuscany filming Spike Lee's Miracle at St. Anna (2008), befriending someone to help portray the character and pronounce the Senegal language.[3] After Matthew Broderick signed on to Goldin's project to play Ben Singer, he got some financiers to back the film through his Creative Arts agency. Four days before pre-production, half of the film's budget was cut after its Canadian investors backed out of the project. Producer Miranda Bailey was able to finance the whole film through her production company Ambush Entertainment.[1] The filmmakers moved the project to Shreveport, Louisiana to make use of its tax incentives, and shot the movie over 21 days.[1][4]
Reception
Wonderful World garnered mixed reviews from critics. On the
The A.V. Club's Scott Tobias and Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman both gave the film an overall C grade, the former calling it "a paint-by-numbers tale of redemption for a man whose wounds are mostly self-inflicted" and the latter saying, "[I]t's all very sincere, but watching a dweebish depressive learn that Life Is Good is a lesson of diminishing returns."[7][8] Nick Schager of Slant Magazine called it "a checklist-indie that offers up clichés with gusto equal to that of its earnestness", criticizing Dan Zanes' "sorrowful score" and Ben's overall arc feeling "stock" and having "doggedly implausible" circumstances that lead to a "preordained conclusion", concluding that: "Goldin's mush about learning to stop and smell the roses is pretty close to being bottom-of-the-barrel."[9]
Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter praised the performances of Broderick, Ferland and Lathan, and wrote about Wonderful World overall: "While the film easily might have gone in an overly treacly direction, Goldin manages to avoid it, thanks to some unpredictable plot twists that subvert our expectations based on years of feel-good movies."[11] New York film critic David Edelstein, gave the film a positive review stating "the movie is unfailingly likable and finally impressive."[12] Stephen Holden of The New York Times praised Broderick for emitting "the right attitude" for his role and the soundtrack's mixture of "African guitar music" and "folk-pop songs" for giving off "little dashes of ebullience" and "a whimsical sweetness" respectively, but was critical of Philip Baker Hall's "infrequent" appearances throughout the movie, concluding that "he throws this delicate, intelligent film, which at its best suggests a muted hybrid of The Visitor and It's a Wonderful Life, off balance."[13] Dan Kois of The Washington Post wrote: "If the components of Wonderful World seem a little tired, the film still has its own low-key pleasures, thanks to Broderick's restrained performance and a script that punctuates the inescapable saccharine of its storyline with tart little bursts of anger."[14]
Soundtrack
All music is composed by Craig Richey
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Main Title" | 1:57 |
| 2. | "Ben Meets The Man" | 2:09 |
| 3. | "Ibu Lies In The Street" | 2:07 |
| 4. | "Ben Find's Khadi's Picture" | 1:42 |
| 5. | "Ben Gets Fired" | 1:34 |
| 6. | "My Name Is Khadi" | 0:39 |
| 7. | "Khadi Buys Shoes" | 1:04 |
| 8. | "Sandra At The Window" | 1:02 |
| 9. | "Ben Makes A U-Turn" | 0:40 |
| 10. | "Khadi's Ritual" | 2:54 |
| 11. | "Ben & Khadi's Kiss" | 0:51 |
| 12. | "Ben Confronts His Ex" | 2:07 |
| 13. | "Out Of Gas" | 0:51 |
| 14. | "You Wore Her Out" | 1:29 |
| 15. | "I Am Greedy" | 1:53 |
| 16. | "Ben's Closing Argument" | 1:43 |
| 17. | "The Note" | 0:20 |
| 18. | "A False Accusation" | 2:07 |
| 19. | "Ibe Dies" | 2:00 |
| 20. | "Goodbye Khadi" | 1:58 |
| 21. | "It Rains Fish" | 2:42 |
| 22. | "What About The Man" | 1:21 |
| Total length: | 25:44 | |
See also
References
- ^ a b c Weiner, Jonah (December 30, 2009). "A Long Journey From Obscurity". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 21, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ "Wonderful World (2010)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
- ^ a b Fine, Marshall (March 18, 2010). "Michael Kenneth Williams Talks Wonderful World and Omar of The Wire". HuffPost. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ Tinkham, Chris (January 9, 2010). "Matthew Broderick". Under the Radar. Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ "Wonderful World". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- Fandom, Inc.Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ Tobias, Scott (January 7, 2010). "Wonderful World". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ Gleiberman, Owen (January 15, 2010). "Wonderful World". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ Schager, Nick (January 5, 2010). "Review: Wonderful World". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ Berardinelli, James (January 14, 2010). "Wonderful World". Reelviews. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
- ^ Scheck, Frank (May 7, 2009). "Wonderful World – Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ Edelstein, David. "No Happiness Please, We're British". New York. Archived from the original on January 14, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (January 7, 2010). "Crankier Than Thou, but Open to New Love". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ Kois, Dan (January 29, 2010). "Wonderful World". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
