"Wonder Wheel"*** (out of ****)
Woody Allen's "Wonder Wheel" (2017) unfortunately, for the Mr. Allen and the movie, has been released at a time when the country is going through a major national dialogue concerning sexual harassment. Many women have come forward with stories "outing" film producer Harvey Weinstein, news anchors Charlie Rose and Matt Lauer, comedian Louis C.K., TV host Tavis Smiley, Garrison Keiller and Dustin Hoffman for their inexcusable behavior. Somehow or another Woody Allen's name has been thrown into the fire. And so "Wonder Wheel" is at a cultural disadvantage. To review this movie you need to talk about Mr. Allen the man and the movie.
The Man & the Culture
Every year I hate to read what the sheep (movie critics) have to say about the latest Woody Allen movie. Lets be honest. A lot of people don't like Woody Allen. A lot of that has to do with allegations Mr. Allen molested one of his ex-lover's, Mia Farrow, adopted children. Mr. Allen then dated and eventually married another of Ms. Farrow's adopted daughters. There may have been those in the public that didn't like Mr. Allen even before this scandal broke out in 1992. They may have thought Mr. Allen simply wasn't funny and / or narcissistic. Or create any reason and justification for a feeling they couldn't quite put in any language.
These feelings, even held by "professional critics" find their way into "reviews" of Mr. Allen's movies. Usually not to Mr. Allen's advantage. Naturally people don't have to like Woody Allen or his movies. People don't even have to come up with good reasons not to like him. The general public is under no obligation to see Mr. Allen's movies. What I personally object to, year in and year out, is the unprofessional manner in which "movie critics" conduct themselves, spewing their personal feelings against Mr. Allen into their "reviews" criticizing his every movie. Rarely, nothing in life is 100%, do critics stick to discussing the acting, editing, cinematography, writing and directing in Mr. Allen's movies exclusively. A Woody Allen movie doesn't fail or succeed based on its merits. It all comes down to your personal opinion of the man. Not the movie but the man behind the camera.
Within itself that is an obstacle Mr. Allen must overcome film after film. Yes, there are exceptions. Mr. Allen's "Midnight in Paris" (2011) was well received by "movie critics" and embraced by the public. But in this current social climate "Wonder Wheel" and Mr. Allen are up against even larger odds. This climate gives the "movie critics" and the public another opportunity to sharpen their knives and attack Woody Allen the man. The quality of the movie is immaterial, just as long as the individual gets to throw in their jabs against Mr. Allen.
You see there are those in the media, in their attempt to be movers and shakers, that have tried to stir a debate around Mr. Allen. Why, they say, have Charlie Rose and Harvey Weinstein and others been immediately outcast from society but Mr. Allen is given a pass? The accusations against people like Mr. Weinstein, Mr. Rose, Mr. Hoffman...etc are much different than the accusation against Mr. Allen. No actress has come forward to state Mr. Allen molested them on-set. No actress has come forward to state Mr. Allen called someone in his dressing room and then exposed himself. No actress has suggested they were declined a role in one of his movies because they would not grant Mr. Allen sexual favors. That is a major difference. I thought that is what we are all talking about. Sexual harassment. Men pressuring women into corners, engaging in inappropriate behavior.
In the case of Mr. Allen he was accused of molesting Ms. Farrow's adopted daughter. An investigation ensued and charges against Mr. Allen were dropped. Others claim Mr. Allen married his daughter. First, there are laws against such things. When presented with this fact, those that don't like Mr. Allen will say, well, I meant he married his step-daughter. Again, not true. Mr. Allen and Ms. Farrow were never married. Mr. Allen did not live with Ms. Farrow and her children. Mr. Allen did not adopt Soon-Yi, whom he did marry.
Would I want Mr. Allen to babysit my children? No. But, that has nothing to do with Mr. Allen's movies. If you cannot separate your personal feelings towards Mr. Allen and his movies then you should recluse yourself from reviewing one of his movies. Those in the public that do not like Mr. Allen, that's fine. Don't see his movies. But, don't use this serious moment in the culture and our discussion of sexual harassment as an opportunity for you to air your grievances against Mr. Allen.
This is all unfortunate that someone has to discuss all of this in order to simply write a movie review. Artists in general may sometimes not be nice people. Should we, as an audience, use their personal lives against them and have our own feelings cloud our judgement when assessing their work? For me the answer is no. But I understand for some the answer is yes. That's fine but don't conflate Mr. Allen with those that have been accused of sexual harassment. Even if you don't like him personally.
The Movie
"Wonder Wheel" is one of Mr. Allen's period pieces and admittedly goes over similar ideas presented in Mr. Allen's previous films. That doesn't bother me as much as it does other "critics". Various filmmakers (Ingmar Bergman, Martin Scorsese, Eric Rohmer, Alfred Hitchcock and Quentin Tarantino) can be accused of making the same movie over and over again. Of course, their names aren't Woody Allen, which makes a big difference. Artists sometimes like to work with familiar themes and find new ways to ultimately convey the same message. That is how I interpret Mr. Allen's movies.
The setting is 1950s New York and largely takes place in Coney Island, the famed amusement park. An onscreen narrator (Justin Timberlake) tells of the story of Ginny (Kate Winslet), a waitress. The narrator, Mickey, is a lifeguard, that begins a love affair with Ginny.
Ginny is on her second husband, Humpty (Jim Belushi), and has a child from her first marriage, Richie (Jack Gore). Ginny was an aspiring actress in school who met a jazz drummer, whom she had a child with, and eventually cheated on. She now regrets that action as she realizes he was the love of her life. Since that time life has not turned out as Ginny would have liked. She wants more out of life. She doesn't want to be a waitress forever. She is in a loveless marriage. Ginny desperately seeks someone to carry her away, to show her the world. She wants to find someone she can give all the love she feels inside her, just waiting for the right person to come along.
Adding to Ginny's problems is the return of Humpty's estrange daughter, Caroline (Juno Temple), whom he had from a prior marriage. Caroline married a mobster against her father's wishes and is now on the run from him. The return of Caroline changes Humpty. All is forgiven and he becomes a new man. He saves the money he earns, working the carousel ride at Coney Island, so his daughter can go to night school and not be a waitress the rest of her life, after Ginny gets her a job in a restaurant.
The movie's title comes from the giant ferris wheel in the amusement park that obstructs the view in Ginny and Humpty's apartment, also in Coney Island.
If you are a Woody Allen fan, you can see how "Wonder Wheel" combines ideas and characters from other movies. In "Annie Hall" (1977) Allen's character believed he grew up in a house underneath a roller coaster in an amusement park. In "The Purple Rose of Cairo" (1984) the lead character was a woman unhappy with her life, she finds escape in the movies. Humpty accuses Ginny of the same thing. Humpty likes to go fishing and brings home what he catches, for Ginny to clean. This is similar to a character in "Radio Days" (1987). How many of Mr. Allen's movies have had gangster characters? Too many to list here. The character Richie likes to start fires, something Mr. Allen says he used to do as a child. And finally, luck plays a part in the movie just as it did in "Match Point" (2005).
Although I was never one to call Kate Winslet a great actress, she does give an excellent performance. The kind of performance that should garner an Academy Award nomination. Technically the story is Mickey's, since he's the narrator. but Ginny (and Ms. Winslet's performance) carries the movie. We understand Ginny's problems and we believe Ms. Winslet is Ginny. The character requires a performance that covers an emotional range. "Critics" can write it all off as saying, Ginny is just a typical neurotic Woody Allen female character, but they are missing out on a lot if that is all they see.
Mr. Allen usually gets exceptional performances from his actors and often is able to show us actors in a new light. I am reminded of Andrew Dice Clay in "Blue Jasmine" (2013). This time around it is Jim Belushi that deserves a second look. You may not think Mr. Belushi can act but often all it takes is the right script to come along to bring out an actor's talent. "Wonder Wheel" is such a script for Mr. Belushi who plays the working class slob perfectly and has moments of intense drama. Who knew Mr. Belushi could act?
Even though I am color blind I could still tell "Wonder Wheel" is a marvel to look at thanks to the cinematography of Vittorio Storaro, my favorite cinematographer, who worked on Mr. Allen's "Cafe Society" (2016) as well as "The Last Emperor" (1987), "Apocalypse Now" (1979) and "Last Tango in Paris" (1972). I can't tell you all the colors in the movie but I enjoyed the lighting and the way shadows are used.
In fact the cinematography and the subject matter should remind some of the films of Douglas Sirk and titles like "All That Heaven Allows" (1955) and "Written on the Wind" (1956). And of course, the plays of Tennessee Williams.
Some have complained "Wonder Wheel" feels like a stage play and the dialogue isn't good. That last point was a major concern for the Chicago Tribune "movie critic" who gave the movie one star. Lets assume the movie does feel like a play. So what? Did that stop anyone from appreciating "Fences" (2016) with Denzel Washington? I thought it was a wonderful movie. I even placed it on my top ten list. Was their a strong critical backlash because it felt like a play? Not that I can recall. It was even nominated for multiple Academy Awards. As for the dialogue, I never felt Woody Allen wrote great dramatic dialogue. I prefer his comedy writing. However, it also depends on what the dialogue is meant to achieve. The dialogue in "Wonder Wheel" isn't meant to sound realistic. It is poetic. Some "critics" couldn't / can't wrap their minds around this concept. The characters throw out references to Hamlet and Eugene O' Neil. Those references aren't thrown out just for the Hell of it. They are supposed to mean something. Allen's screenplay is "poetic". If you don't like that kind of dialogue, fine. But don't fault it for not being what you wanted it to be.
"Wonder Wheel" isn't one of Allen's great dramas but it is a pretty darn good one. I liked it a bit more than "Cafe Society" and "Irrational Man" (2015) but don't think it is as good as "Blue Jasmine" or "Midnight in Paris". It lacked an emotional connection for me, even though I could relate to the Ginny character. There is more to the movie than audiences are giving it credit for. It was just released at the wrong time. As Mr. Allen would say, luck plays a bigger part in our life than we would like to admit. "Wonder Wheel" wasn't lucky with its release date.
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