The Road to Wellville (1994)

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

The Road to WellvilleThe key to getting fit is wearing athletic apparel everywhere you go in public.Others, like those in this dramedy, maintain exercise and diet is the key.Breakfast cereal magnate Dr. Kellogg (Anthony Hopkins) operates a wellness center in the Michigan woods where the world's wealthiest (Matthew Broderick, Bridget Fonda) come for treatment for an assortment of ailments.Surprisingly, most of the cures come from sexual and business liaisons with a hodgepodge of eccentrics (Lara Flynn Boyle, John Cusack, Dana Carvey) instead of coming from Kellogg's brand of abstinence and colon cleansing.But it's those extracurricular activities that threaten the retreat's existence. A star-studded affair that was both a critical and financial flop, this perverted depiction of Kellogg's clean living criteria from 1994 is more lecherous than humorous. And that includes Hopkins' cringe worthy turn as the cornflake maker. Besides, who wants to swim in a pool full of milk?Red Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

Based on T. C. Boyle's novel of the same name, The Road to Wellville tells the story of Dr. John Harvey Kellogg and his famous Sanitarium at Battle Creek, Michigan. It is a very broad satire, freeing mixing fact and fiction to create a humorous take on American health practices around the turn of the century, as well as the Battle Creek cereal boom, which lasted from 1900 to 1905. Many wonder if this is based on real history, and indeed elements of it are, but as usual, the real history turns out to be far more interesting than the Hollywood version (see, for example, the new book, "Dr. John Harvey Kellogg and the Religion of Biologic Living" for an lively overview of the true story). Anthony Hopkins does a bizarre, but entertaining turn as the Dr. Kellogg, and the supporting cast (including Matthew Broderick and Bridget Fonda) gamely run through the frequently scatological and sexual situations of a rather untidy script. For those who like their historical movies broad and colorful and full sophomoric humor, this movie is for them. (By the way, The Road to Wellville was actually a pamphlet written not by Kellogg, but by C. W. Post, who for years inserted it in every box of Post Toasties.)

Try stepping back in time to the days when health retreats were the rage for those who could afford them. Buckle your seat belts for an unbelievably funny comedy. Can't say enough how much I liked this one as well as the performance by the entire cast. There are multiple plots and sub-plots and, collectively, they form a 3 ring circus of entertainment. Enjoy and laugh out loud.The only problem is that I can't stop wanting to watch this again. Just like Ferris Beuller's Day Off!Once you have seen the movie, go visit the Mohonk Mountain House in upstate NY.

Did you find funny any film involving characters named "Focker"? How about "The Hangover"? Did you think "Avatar" was well-acted or well-written? Was any "Lord of the Rings" or "Harry Potter" film silly? Was "Titanic" without historic inaccuracies? Just curious. The above questions embody the primary criticisms of Wellville. Leaving out, of course, the obligatory "poop jokes are gross" remarks. I'm certain those who lodge this complaint never were amused by scatological humor. Or ever told such a joke. Of course not.If someone you liked told you a joke, then, presuming the delivery was similar, were told the same joke by someone you despise, would you laugh both times? Be truthful.Point being this: Is the movie really as bad as you say, or are you unable (or maybe unwilling?) to suspend your disbelief because you're pre-programmed so to do? Taste may be subjective, but is also subject to manipulation.So now ask yourself: What was the last movie you thought was great, whether others liked it or not?