Thursday 15 March 2018

Film: 'Wonder Wheel'

Woody Allen's 49th film as director and I've managed to see every single one of them on the cinema screen. No. 50 (a neat number to retire on if he wished) 'A Rainy Day in New York', is in the bag awaiting release, but may now not be given a cinema screening, perhaps going straight to Netflix - all fallout in the light of comments made by some of that film's participants (as well as Kate Winslet's implied criticism of Allen regarding this current film) to the effect that because of abuse allegations which have now vastly tipped the balance against the director/writer, they would not consider working with him ever again. 'Wonder Wheel' has fared poorly at the U.S. box office, almost certainly as a consequence, and looks as though it will not do much better in the U.K. (I was one of an audience of just seven!)
Up to now I'd managed to keep these lurid stories of Allen's conduct at bay by giving him the benefit of the doubt in assuming that they could be no more than spiteful creations of an ever-vengeful Mia Farrow - but who knows?. However, they've now reached such a clamour that it's practically impossible to ignore them and, even if they have been totally fabricated, it very much looks as though Allen's reputation is for a long time going to be tainted by association with these allegations. Now at the age of 82, even if he had intended to make yet more films, Allen couldn't have achieved much more than he already has. Whenever he retires, be it now while all this ugly mess surrounds him, or if he indeed soldiers on, I can only maintain that he has given me more pleasure in toto than practically any other film director I could name.  Out of his very substantial directing and writing output there are a mere handful of his films that I wouldn't care to see again, whilst many more than that number continue to reward me through multiple viewings. It's all turned so sad and regrettable.

'Wonder Wheel' is the name of the large Ferris Wheel which dominates the view from the Coney Island apartment in 1950 of married couple Kate Winslet and Jim Belushi and their 10-year old truant-playing, pyromanic son. Their marriage has gone off the boil - at least for her it has - she working as waitress at a clam-eatery while he takes care of a merry-go-round. His estranged mid-twenties daughter (Juno Temple) from a previous marriage unexpectedly turns up, having fled from having spent mad time with the 'mob' in New York, and they are now on the hunt for her.
Belushi is trying hard to stay on the wagon while migraine-complaining Winslet (she sometimes pronounces it 'my-graine', other times  'me-graine) is dissatisfied and bored with her hard-working life when she happens to meet a lifeguard (Justin Timberlake) on the beach - a few years younger than her, but a romance and affair develops. It's not very long before she finds that Belushi's daughter has, quite innocently, set a claim on the very same 'target', Winslet's jealousy at this discovery driving her to distraction. 

There are 'holes' in this no-laughs film, which is a pity because I think the main strand, the Winslet-Timberlake affair and its subsequent direction, is very strong indeed. Trouble is that Kate Winslet knows how to act - she's an object lesson, in fact - and, seen beside her intensity and commitment, Timberlake looks like his acting is only one inch deep. Whereas she shows credible passion without going completely bonkers, as well as impressive subtlety, his performance looks as though he couldn't really care all that much. Moreover, I think it was a serious error to have given him the job of being the film's narrator, both as off-screen voice-over, but also (and unaccountably), sometimes on-screen and direct-to-camera. His character is essentially subservient to, and less interesting than, Winslet's, and he doesn't have the screen presence to carry off the narrator's storyteller function. 
I'm also not sure about the kid making fires here and there in combustible areas, with (only potentially) catastrophic results. This seemed a needless distraction from the main storyline which didn't serve any useful purpose and didn't go anywhere.

The script was okay - if not really quite up there with Allen's very best, it's still far better than many are. Direction was also not bad at all. However, the colour photography is a marvel - one of Allen's best achievements in that field to date, and one of the big 'pluses' of this film.
It's a small cast with good acting - apart from the one exception - and with one stand-out part.

Will this be the last Woody Allen film we'll get to see on screen? I'm not giving up on #50 just yet - but if 'Wonder Wheel' really were to be his last to be seen by in this medium, he could have done worse - and, speaking for myself alone, I did come out from this one feeling quite satisfied................7


11 comments:

  1. I am not able to say that I've seen every Allen film in the cinema. This 49th Allen work, as far as I know, has not been screened locally as many of Allen's other have not. I did see it a few days ago, but on VOD and I really enjoyed it. A wonderful movie about the human condition, but was also impressed by the photography and the lighting. Much better than some of the Oscar nominations. Looking forward to his 50th.

    Allen has been tried in the press and found guilty! Whatever happened to "innocent until proven guilty"?

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    1. I rated it better than a lot of reviews I've seen have suggested, Paul. Whatever happens to him now, at his age I think this is a perfectly worthy 'sunset' film.

      Real shame about J.T. though, when any number of actors of his age I'm sure would have been more convincing. Perhaps you didn't think him that bad?

      Yes, the maxim that 'mud sticks' applies to him as much as anybody, even if it eventually turns out to be false accusations - though will we ever get to know it? Of course I'd love for him to be exonerated but I fear that if that does come about his reputation has been possibly irreparably sullied, especially to those who are not and have never been his fans. I'll find it very difficult to give up re-seeing his best films as before as there will now always be that cloud of uncertainty hanging over them. But I'm going to try to shut it out.

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  2. I do consider myself a Woody Allen fan, as I have LOVED several of his movies, but have found some to be bad (Celebrity) and of course he has several very good ones... Manhattan Murder Mystery is one of my favorites (and of course Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters, Love and Death, and Crimes and Misdemeanors). Falling in love and marrying your step daughter is kind of creepy (even though they weren't legally married, but she was the mother of his children). It is all very soap opera-like. I don't personally believe Allen is a child predator. Anyway.... I try not to think about these things in relation to the movies he has made that I like. I try not to be too judgemental.

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    1. For me he was at his consistent best in his films of the 80s and 90s, Mark.
      Of those films you mention I like them all a great deal - that is, except for 'Love and Death' which I watched again about a month ago and didn't find it more than very feebly amusing. However, I still rate 'Hannah and her Sisters' as his peak of perfection. (Talking about 'creepy' - do you remember that joke near the very start of that film, talking about child molestation and Allen says "Look, half the population's doing it!" - or words to that effect).

      His relationship with his adult step-daughter of course raises more than a few eye-brows, but as long as they weren't blood relatives I don't see that it matters to anyone else. Of course the age-gap is another matter, but again, so what?
      I want to think he's innocent of all the abuse allegations and unless there's conclusive evidence that he has been guilty of such I'll continue to be entertained by the majority of his work.

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  3. Timberlake always acts like he's in on some joke, but the joke is that he thinks he can act.

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    1. He must be good at SOMETHING, Bob, mustn't he? Maybe we should start eliminating them, beginning right here.

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  4. The Wonder Wheel could be seen from a number of my mother's (well, my family's) apartment windows including my bedroom. My sister and I used to love to ride the swinging cars. One of my truly sweet childhood memories. I plan to go for another ride the next time I'm in New York.

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    1. That's great, Mitch. At each of the many times we saw it in this film I was thinking how, like you, I'd LOVE to have a go on it - even if I would find it more than a little unnerving. If you see (saw?) this film you'd be consumed with nostalgia, I'm sure. If I ever get the chance of going to Coney Island, even as it's getting increasingly unlikely, this will be a MUST!

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  5. I was not aware Mr. Allen still made movies.

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    1. Yes indeed, Sir! And showing no signs of slowing down despite being several years older even than I am - though it remains to be seen whether current 'circumstances' will bring about a premature end to his workings.

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  6. Amazing characters, direction, lighting and script consistency; just enough to keep intrigued but nothing that couldn't be solved. Stand out acting by Belushi and Winslet. Excellent story as always on motivations through lenses of what-could've-been and how a myriad of stories play out. Melancholy bliss.

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