Customer Reviews

Next Stop Wonderland

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Do we really need another soppy romantic comedy about thirtysomethings in the big city? Watching NEXT STOP WONDERLAND, the answer is "Yes." As I prepared to be depressed beyond reason by two wonderful people ending up alone (and pleasantly disappointed), I ended up laughing unexpectedly at the humor cropping up in odd places. Alan Gelfant is charming and sympathetic in his hilarious aquarium-heist subplot. Philip Seymour Hoffman (as in every movie he's done) takes a character that could have been a bland stereotype and puts his own indelible stamp on it. H. Jon Benjamin (the slacker, layabout son Ben from the "Dr. Katz" show) is hilarious as one of Erin's loutish blind dates. Holland Taylor brings the frigid high-class sexiness of Judge Roberta Kittleson from "The Practice" and "Ally McBeal" to her role as Erin's mother. Roger Rees is hilarious and sleazy as the biology teacher. It's also refreshing that the movie takes place in Boston and not in New York (memories of YOU'VE GOT MAIL). The main attraction, of course, is Davis, who incarnates Erin better than most actresses could have dreamed of doing. Even though it's not in theatres anymore, this is an outstanding date movie (practically as good as FLIRTING).

This movie is an unexpected gem. I have just finished watching it for the 6th time, and I am still in awe of its subtle humour and the empathy with which it depicts all its characters.

The only thing I don't like about this video is its misleading cover. Hope Davis perches coyly atop a subway train, slit skirt revealing plenty of thigh and low-cut top framing lotsa cleavage. A strappy sandal dangles from one foot. But in fact, one of the myriad beauties of this film is that Erin (deftly played by Davis) is not a frisky, flirtatious kind of gal, and never appears in any outfit more revealing than a nubby turtleck and jeans. Erin is a sensitive soul who has been in pain ever since the death of her beloved father, and she masks her true nature with a prickly veneer. She wants to fall in love but fights it every step of the way.

The cover of the video implies yet another dumb, cutesie comedy with another giggly, adorable heroine (you know... the "You've got Mail" variety) But the movie inside is rich, delicate and highly intelligent. Don't let the packaging fool you.

This movie truly left its mark on me. It shows the tedium and courage it takes to sort through the frogs to get to the prince, and how important it is to be at peace with yourself in order to be able to be with someone else. Hope Davis and Alan Gelfant do such a wonderful job at showing how being alone does not necessarily mean being lonely. Roger Rees plays a small role but shines, as always. When you are feeling lonely and hopeless about love, this movie will renew your faith.

Next Stop Wonderland is a charming romantic comedy from independent director, Brad Anderson. This is his most accessible work to date. While I can use the word 'slight' in describing it, I must quickly add that the same adjective describes most such movies. You Have Mail, My Best Friend's Wedding, The Wedding Singer and many other big budget affairs are all entertaining, diverting and funny. Earthshaking they are not.

An independent movie like this one doesn't have the budget for the gloss and glamor of its big sisters. I personally see this as a refreshing change of pace, because as much as I enjoy the Meg Ryans, Julia Roberts and Cameron Diazes of Tinseltown, I can't transfer their screen behavior to real life.

The sparkling yet down to earth Hope Davis plays Erin, who returns to her downtown Boston home one afternoon to find her activist boyfriend loading up his car. He's leaving her. She is devastated. Being a very intelligent young woman, she supposes that men aren't worth the trouble and that being alone has its rewards. Even as she arrives at these conclusions, her expressive face shows plenty of doubt.

Across town lives Alan [Alan Gelfant], an immensely likable guy in his mid-thirties, who has gone back to school to study marine biology. He's currently a plumber like his Dad, but has come to believe he can improve upon his working-class life. He is a volunteer at the Boston Aquarium. Water, in particular the sea, plays an important part in the movie. Fish do also. You might say that a blowfish named Puff is one of the movie's stars.

One day Erin's ditzy, wealthy mother places an ad in the personal section of a Boston newspaper. The problem with this is that it's about Erin. At first outraged, Erin soon finds herself unable to resist listening to the messages that have been lefted in her voice mail. She decides to respond to a few. One of these involves Alan's brother. The fun has begun.

Wonderland plays out very much like Sleepless in Seattle, because our two lonely hearts keep coming very close to meeting - but don't - for much of the film.

The director and the stars are very assured and professional. They keep the humor rather dry. This is not intended to be a broad comedy. In fact, it explores a philosophical question. Does fate really have a hand in the events in our lives, or do things happen in a random way?

Next Stop Wonderland is the type of movie that plays especially well in DVD format. It's not a larger than life vehicle, so a big theater screen doesn't add much to it.

Hope Davis has become what I like to call a hidden success. Her movies don't make a gazillion dollars at the box office and you'd probably hardly notice her if she passed you on the street. But what she does -- and does well -- is create lovable and memorable characters on celluloid. Most recently she was paired with Greg Kinnear in THE MATADOR, a role in which her underused talents still shone brightly with every scene she appeared.

I decided to watch NEXT STOP WONDERLAND for the sole purpose of checking to see how well Mrs. Davis stood as an actress in a starring role. I wasn't disappointed.

The story is that of a nurse named Erin (Davis) who comes home one day to find her boyfriend, Sean (Philip Seymour Hoffman, CAPOTE) moving out. Angry and spiteful, Erin quickly decides that being alone is okay. In fact, she firmly entrenches the philosophy of aloneness within herself ...until...

Erin's domineering mother, Piper (Holland Taylor, THE TRUMAN SHOW), discovers her daughter's recent break-up and places a personals ad in the newspaper for her. Initially upset by this, Erin eventually decides to take on the task of dismissing all of the loathsome men who try to court her. The comedy here is striking and philosophical as the men do whatever they can to get into her pants only to be rebuffed by Erin's formidable intellect.

On the other side of Boston (where this story takes place) we find Alan Monteiro (Alan Gelfant, TURN OF FAITH), a plumber turned marine biologist who volunteers at the local aquarium. He's struggling with debt, school (still working on his biology degree), and an aggressive younger classman who's infatuated with him. Strangely enough, too, is the fact that his brother is one of the guy's trying to bed Erin via the personals ad.

As Erin and Alan mingle within their own circles, they come close to orbiting one another but never quite make contact. Brief glances, telephone calls that pass them by, invitations to the same restaurant parties, the two seemed destined to fall into one another's arms ...yet these encounters slip past. It's wonderfully frustrating to watch, and these "almost encounters" are never forced.

But in the end, director Brad Anderson doesn't let us down. Serendipity intervenes and the two strangers end up hugging one another on a transit train after a strange set of circumstances pulls them together.

Romantic comedies are okay if done right. You know the type that kind of make you feel, eh, just okay; You've Got Mail, Pretty Woman, Sleepless In Seattle. But this flick gives you more for less. Made as an independent film on a $1 million budget, Hope Davis' excellent acting and the perfect script make for some thought-provoking and downright funny moments. While those other RomComs I mentioned have a basic "feel-good" to them, NEXT STOP WONDERLAND has much more. The philosophy, romance, and comedy all build to a very satisfying conclusion and one that will invite discussions about the probabilities of fate versus happenstance.

If ever there was a movie I had a soft spot for, it would be Next Stop Wonderland. If I'm down or need to relax or just want to sit back and see familiar sights from the time of the movie, I pop this in and immediately feel better. It's like therapy to me.

In some ways it's tough for me to really define the movie or the characters & I don't want to give it all away. Erin struggles to overcome some of the losses in her life and to find a way to move forward while Alan is an individual who fights to fulfill his dreams, which he figured out later on in his own life, while maintaining his integrity. But the movie is so full of coincidences and near misses for these two very honest individuals that you are left waiting for the moment when they come together, and when they do, it is actually just the right time. From the dating service, to Alan seeing her while in the fish tank, to the photographer putting her in the picture... there are so many things in this movie that you may have missed after seeing it the first time that you'll catch the next few times around.

I definitely recommend the movie. I love it. Can't say that enough. And it takes place in Boston, and you get a good view of some of the sights and places in Boston. I've actually been the the Burren & still sometimes hang out in the Somerville/Cambridge area. And the New England Aquarium really has been renovated since then (1998) and is off of the Blue Line (the Wonderland stop is actually the last stop on the Blue Line - there's your symbolism!).

I also love the movie because the soundtrack, done by Claudio Ragazzi and Arto Lindsay, is nothing short of stellar. The original score perfectly fits the mood of the CD for both characters and other than the classic Bossa Nova by Elis Regina and Astrud Gilberto, you have some very nice works by Bebel Gilberto (daughter of Miucha and Joao Gilberto) before her feature album came out, that I haven't seen her release elsewhere, including a sensational version of "One Note Samba/Girl from Ipanema" with the amazing work of Vinicius Cantuaria.

Well, not really. But I did see it in the middle of a broken heart, and it made me laugh, cry, and believe in love again more than any film I've ever seen. Not only is it refreshingly original; it's the kind of flick you really can see over and over again and catch something new every time. (Example--it took me four viewings to figure out the parallels between how Erin's parents meet, and the scene at the end with the Brazilian guy on the plane.) And the music! Oh, the music! Buy the video (once it's cheaper, obviously), get the soundtrack NOW, and get totally swept away. Someone told me once that she didn't like it 'cause the so-called "independent" heroine still had to be with someone to be happy. But what's great about Hope Davis is that you (or at least I) truly believe that even if her character hadn't found a significant other, she still would've been content with her life--a lesson a lot of us should learn.

Once in awhile I come apon a small film (no huge stars, big budgets or special effects), that grabs my attention and just takes me away to another place. The end result is just a good feeling as the final credits roll. The small, romantic comedy "Next Stop Wonderland" is one of those movies. The film takes place in Boston. We are witness to Erin (a very good Hope Davis) being dumped on her own inner city door step by her flakey enviormentalist, activist boyfriend (the always amazing, Phillip Seymour Hoffman). This mid thirties, registered nurse is pretty, smart, intellectual and quite cynical about her relationships with people and especially the opposite sex. This is born out, when her busy-body mother (Holland Taylor) puts a 'personals ad' in a local paper for her. We watch as Erin has a series of 'dates' at the same bar with the rather loathsome respondants, who have no chance, when they try to make small talk, use their best lines and try to match wits with this verbally adept, cynical women. Simultaneously we also meet Alan (Alan Galfant), a former plumber, who is making a mid life career change by going to school full time to become a marine biologist. He is trying to stay on a straight and narrow path by studying hard. Unfortunately he gets in trouble with some loansharks, who are also involved in some controversial dealings with the local aquarium. Alan, who also happens to do an internship at the aquarium, is called apon by the loansharks for a special 'favor' to repay his debt. In a way this movie is really about how much fate & chance play in our lives and relationships. Several characters have out and out discussions about the subject. We watch as Erin & Alan's lives in one way or another, unknowingly intersect in many rather interesting ways, without the two ever meeting each other. Yes, we all know what's going to eventually happen by the end of the film between these two lost souls. But that isn't really a big deal. The fun of the movie is watching them get to that moment! On paper these two plotlines (the woman on endless bad dates & the guy in hock to gangsters) might sound a bit old and hokey. But Director/Writer, Brad Anderson's script seems fresh, quite witty and even downright philosophical in it's dialogue and presentation. The cast of this film is uniformly excellent. Hope Davis presents Erin as such an interesting yet flawed woman. You just wish you could have the chance of being one of those lunkheads being verbally demolished on those sad dates! Alan Gelfman gives a very good staight head performance as the no nonsense middle aged student. These two characters are surrounded by a whole ensemble of nosey friends, family, acquaintances and even enemies, who come and go into their lives. Special note should be made of excellent performances from actors Callie Thorne, Robert Klein, Phillipe Seymour Hoffman & Holland Taylor. Finally, mention should be made of the film's excellent soundtrack, which is made up of the classic Bossa Nova sound of Brazil. Several references are made in the movie of that country and it's wonderful culture. This music greatly contributes to the romantic and 'dreamy' tone of the film and gives it an almost continental feel. If you want to see a wonderful, romantic comedy, then I highly recommend that your next stop be "Next Stop Wonderland"!

Talented second-time director Brad Anderson has made a surprisingly smart, subtle, and funny film about romantic destiny vs. cynicism, loyalty to one's identity vs. risk-taking, and self-sufficiency vs. the desire to connect with others. Hope Davis and the wonderful supporting cast make every scene and character believable--and, more importantly, make you care deeply about their struggles. Anderson keeps the rich and complex plot simmering from the first frame, in which we see Davis's character walking down the street looking startled to find her boyfriend dumping his possessions out of her apartment window, to the last, a stunning and fateful encounter on a subway train. The personal ad dating sequences in the middle of the film are worth the price of admission alone, and the final scene will simply leave you breathless. No doubt in part through the help of the evocative bossa nova soundtrack that permeates every scene, Anderson manages to maintain a sense of playfulness and adventure in this film even while standing up for such unfashionable virtues as consistency, family loyalty, and traditional (vs. pragmatic) methods of meeting people.

While it does have moments of wry humor, Next Stop Wonderland transcends the "romantic comedy" genre: it's a slow, wistful romance perfectly matched to the Bossa Nova music that suffuses the soundtrack (available as Next Stop Wonderland: Music From The Miramax Motion Picture). How do we find our soulmate, it asks, is it through destiny or chance? If this movie catches you in the right mood, the question may haunt you for days.