Rent Wonder (2017)
3.8 of 5 from 655 ratings
1h 48min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Based on the beloved best-selling novel, 'Wonder' follows the inspiring story of the Pullman family, whose youngest child, Auggie (Jacob Tremblay), is a boy born with facial differences. When Auggie enters mainstream school for the first time, his extraordinary journey unites his family, his school, and his community, and proves that you can'b blend in when you were born to stand out.
- Actors:
- Jacob Tremblay, Owen Wilson, Izabela Vidovic, Julia Roberts, Mark Dozlaw, Rukiya Bernard, Jennifer March, Mandy Patinkin, Noah Jupe, Bryce Gheisar, Elle McKinnon, Daveed Diggs, Ty Consiglio, Kyle Harrison Breitkopf, James A Hughes, J. Douglas Stewart, Millie Davis, Ali Liebert, Joseph Gordon, Cameron Roberts
- Directors:
- Stephen Chbosky
- Producers:
- Todd Lieberman
- Voiced By:
- Brooke D. Singleton
- Writers:
- Stephen Chbosky, Steve Conrad, Jack Thorne, R.J. Palacio
- Others:
- Robert A. Pandini, Arjen Tuiten, Naomi Bakstad
- Studio:
- Lionsgate Films
- Genres:
- Children & Family, Drama
- Collections:
- Back to School: Best Films Featuring Teachers, Films & TV by topic, Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: Helen Mirren
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 26/03/2018
- Run Time:
- 113 minutes
- Languages:
- English Audio Description, English Dolby Digital Late Night Listening 2.0, English Dolby TrueHD 7.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles:
- English, English Hard of Hearing, Spanish
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.40:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Audio Commentary with Stephen Chbosky and R.J. Palacio
- Summer of Fun Multi-Part Documentary
- A Child's Sense of 'Wonder' Featurette
- What a Wonderful World Featurette
- "Brand New Eyes" Music Video
- Wonder - Soundtrack Behind the Scenes Featurette
- Theatrical Trailers
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 26/03/2018
- Run Time:
- 113 minutes
- Languages:
- English Audio Description, English Dolby Digital Late Night Listening 2.0, English Dolby TrueHD 7.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles:
- English, English Hard of Hearing, Spanish
- DVD Regions:
- Region 2
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.40:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Audio Commentary with Stephen Chbosky and R.J. Palacio
- Summer of Fun Multi-Part Documentary
- A Child's Sense of 'Wonder' Featurette
- What a Wonderful World Featurette
- "Brand New Eyes" Music Video
- Wonder - Soundtrack Behind the Scenes Featurette
- Theatrical Trailers
More like Wonder
Reviews (10) of Wonder
OK - Wonder review by MH
This is a rather superficial look at what is a really difficult problem. Children are, until they learn differently, unkind and natural bullies. And they have in spades that unfortunate human inclination to distrust and dislike anyone who is not like them. Strangers, foreigners, the disabled - it's all one to children: they're different. The book/film attempt to show that they can be won round by patience and perseverance, and the story is well told, with very good child actors and an almost unrecognisable Julia Roberts.
Although I can in all honesty give it only 3 stars, I did enjoy it and can recommend it to you.
8 out of 8 members found this review helpful.
Syrupy, silly goo - Wonder review by CS
My wife and I had to fast forward chunks of this to avoid the danger of getting diabetes as a consequence of too much sickly sweet goo. intake. The premise was very noble - disfigured kid struggles heroically against bullying on starting school - but this was a paint by numbers narrative in which no turmoil was to big to overcome and life turned out ok in the end. I'm sure there's a time and a place for this, but I felt compelled to follow it up with the horror film 'Hereditary' just to cleanse my palate.
2 out of 3 members found this review helpful.
A very sweet & genuine film, which looks at a difficult subject with a tender touch - Wonder review by TB
Wonder is about a boy called Auggie, who was born with mandibulofacial dysostosis, which even after multiple surgeries has left him with significant facial disfigurements. He has led a sheltered & protected life full of love with his parents, but now is starting school. Part of the protection he enjoyed at home was a space helmet which he wore when he was out in order to shield him from looks & stares. However, his parents have decided that he needs to face the world & not wear this. The film follows Auggie as he starts school & deals with the various difficulties life throws his way.
For many people, this film & it's themes of happiness, love & care are too sweet, overbearing & saccharine. And whilst there was some elements of that which did occasionally grate, I am always honest in these reviews. For me, this was a profoundly moving film showing the raw emotions of the entire family, whether it is the mother who you can tell has almost broken herself in order to show her son every bit of love humanly capable and knows that the world outside is going to be incredibly difficult & judgemental; through to Auggie himself, who is scared but also knows that he is going to have face this world & there will be good people within it who will not judge him.
I also respected the showing of the casual cruelty that children can be capable of, without fully appreciating or understanding the devastating consequences this can have. In one horrible scene, Auggie overhears people he thought were his friends being horrible about him. And then you watch as he slowly, with the help of his family, pick himself back up, supported with love & compassion.
The performances are great. I have loved Jacob Tremblay in everything I've seen him in and this is no exception. He perfectly balances the emotions of a scared but also strong little boy, whilst always showing his vulnerability. Julia Roberts & Owen Wilson are also excellent, their chemistry really complimenting each other. The other child actors are also great as well.
For me, this is a film which shows the power of the most important & powerful thing we as humans have: love. It makes you cry in all the right places, whilst also showing you that the world has horrible people in it. But who you are as a person, and the people that you surround yourself with, is the most important thing.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.
Critic review
Wonder review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso
There’s a satisfying saccharine nature to the warmth of Wonder. It’s a touchingly simple and yet effective tale of growing up different and inspiring confidence. Sure, it piles on the emotional sweetness of one little boy trying to fit into a word that may not accept him, almost by the numbers with emotional beats. But I’ll be damned if it doesn’t work, maybe not at bringing the tears but certainly doing its best weave a sugary smile of good vibes. Sometimes you’re just in the mood for something simply sweet on the heartstrings.
The story centers around the little boy Auggie Pullman (Jacob Tremblay), born with problems that led to several problems and an odd looking face. His supportive family of his mother Isabel (Julia Roberts) and his father Nate (Owen Wilson) keep him comfy and sure of himself by homeschooling him, playing with him, and letting him seek sanctuary within a space helmet. He enjoys all the same things most kids enjoy; Minecraft, Star Wars, Halloween. But when he finally attends public school, it won’t be an easy transition.
With such a nice and easy plot, you can most likely pinpoint where all this is going. There will be a bully who makes fun of Auggie that will find himself regretting his actions later on. There will be the one boy who takes a liking to Auggie, only to betray him around his friends and realize how much of a jerk move that was. And mom will naturally be at a loss for words when she is stricken with the emotional moment of her son asking if a friend can come over to play.
This is all territory quite familiar that it’s almost a throwback of sorts to the simpler time of light and gentle heartwarming family tales from the 1990s. Still, there’s a few unique angles here and there that doesn’t make it so one note. Auggie’s older sister Via (Izabela Vidovic) feels rejected and alone when Auggie’s condition hogs the spotlight, forcing her to jump for the literal spotlight of getting into drama club. There’s another girl who is closer to Auggie, Summer (Millie Davis), but she feels an odd distance as the boy grows up and comes into his home. I also appreciated how the bully Julian (Bryce Gheisar) is very well-rounded where the distaste of Auggie mostly comes from his parents that photoshop the weird looking kid out of the class photos and argue that society shouldn’t have to bend to avoid hurting feelings.
Director Stephen Chbosky certainly puts in a little extra effort to make us feel more for Auggie, even if the beats come with writing most standard that borders on Afterschool Special territory. One charming visual addition is Auggie’s imagination of astronauts and Star Wars that follows him to school, where Chewbacca can open a door for you and Darth Sidious can comment on how cold a put-down can be. There’s a remarkable commitment to little details of youth, from Auggie’s accurate Minecraft server to the authentic nature of that Chewy costume. It’s these little aspects that make the loose and playful nature of Wonder more inviting than phoned in.
Wonder doesn’t exactly redefine the genre of feel-good stories about a family coming together despite physical differences and emotional distances but there’s a lovable aspect all the same. It’s that diet bit of drama where you just want to curl up and feel good that the world is filled with caring people that can mostly work through their differences and have a good time. And thanks to some tactful decisions in the writing and direction, I had a good time as well, even if not entirely fulfilled emotionally.