Ordinarily I don't go in for this sort of thing. Sickly sentimental flicks that usually show up between February and April with an A-lister or two to deliver some kind of sermon about love and family and friendship. Kids and pets are usually interchangeable, adults do mean adult things, and the star comes of age by learning to be his best self or be true to herself or using an odd quirk to save someone and be a hero. Sometimes they're sweet, sometimes they're trash, and I usually avoid them.
I'm not even sure Wonder is any different. But I loved every moment.
There's something to be said for a film that knows what it's doing (because everyone knows what it's doing) and still pumps it out with artistic integrity. This isn't just another dramedy. This one has intense conviction. It's not just yanking your heartstrings to make you cry; it's literally begging you to be human. In our age of social media, clickbait headlines, and obsessive labelling, this movie holds fast to its convictions that we're better than that. This movie doesn't just steer our emotional logic. It tells us exactly what we should feel every step of the way. It's manipulative and calculated and dangerously specific.
But it also takes time and effort to remind us why we should feel that way, a gamble that pays off riches in the end. Its sincerity in portraying realistic and idealistic love between parents, siblings, children, and friends is astounding. I cried my way through the movie because it's a portrait of absolute kindness and love. It's not even all about Auggie (an unrecognizable Jacob Tremblay), the lead who was born with serious facial deformities and is now scarred from 27 surgeries. It's also about his sister, who feels neglected by her mother and best friend but finds attraction in a young man from drama club. It's about his mother, who put her life on hold to care for her children. It's about a young man, balancing between popularity at school and genuine friendship. It's about an old friend, changing as she comes of age and navigating a difficult family life of her own. It's about young people banding together as oddballs to make community.
And, ultimately, it's an ensemble drama about how all these lives correspond and overlap. Whereas other big ensemble pieces find pleasure in the connections and no more, Wonder goes above and beyond. This movie shows how these interrelated lives not only connect but strengthen each other, build each other up, and empower us all to be our best selves. If every movie in this nebulous genre had this level of emotional intelligence and honesty paired with social conviction and sentimental sincerity, I might be able to fault this film for other flaws. But here we are, and I will simply sing its praises. If ever I enjoyed being emotionally manipulated, it was during Wonder.
IMDb: Wonder
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