Next Stop Wonderland (1998)

Powerful

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Love that jerky camera work. Not.Love the going nowhere story. Not.Wait, does that leave anything? Nope.Now to pad this review to the appropriate length...This movie is currently rated 6.3 out of 10. Given that it is a 1 or 2 out of 10, that must mean that the votes higher than that are studio shill votes. Well done lads and lassies.Seriously, what on Earth is to like here? It is filmed in the most amateurish way imaginable. There is no story, none. There is no character that we care about. Music is non existent or forgettable.This movie is great for taking a shower to. Or to view while shredding a large number of credit card offers. Or while taking a long walk.Save yourself the disappointment a rental will bring.No stars out of 4.

Erin's boyfriend leaves her after years together with nothing more than a video tape featuring the reasons why he has left. Finding herself single again, Erin is forced back into the market when her mother puts her in the classified ads. Meanwhile Alan is a plumber pursuing his dream of becoming a marine biologist. However volunteering at the local aquarium doesn't earn him any money which is a problem given the gambling depths that his father has amassed with loan shark Frank.A very slight film, this indie-romance will appeal to those who see the false sentiment of Hollywood romcoms as below them but yet also yearn for the sweet, fated romance that they normally contain. This compromise is well delivered in this film that will appeal to the same audience that seek this mix. The plot has the elements of the contrived hand of fate and it is amusing the way the two characters drift around one another. It doesn't have a great deal of substance to it and it will annoy some viewers because of how knowingly "kooky" it all it is. It is rarely hilarious but it is sweet and amusing throughout. The presence of Anderson as writer and director drew me to this film as I know him as a name from Homicide, The Shield and the brilliant The Wire. This film has little in common with these but is still worth a look for doing what it does do well.The cast help matters greatly by turning in "indie" performances while delivering the rather sentimental material. Davis is a fine example of what I mean as she is very much a "kooky" type while also having enough humanity about her to make her character interesting. Gelfant is very much a secondary character of the two but he does well enough considering he is supposed to representing Mr Right. The support cast compliments the overall feel of the film with turns from Argo, Hoffman, Buono, Zúñiga and The Wire's Gilliard Jr all in small roles.Overall then a kooky romance for those who want the silly emotion of the Hollywood romcoms without all their gloss and sweeping music. Slight and an acquired taste perhaps but amusing and sweet even if it is quite forgettable.

"Next Stop Wonderland" was an absolutely wonderful romantic comedy. It right away became one of my favorite of the genre of magic realism bringing lovers together genre. It helps to like the New England Aquarium and Boston (the title is a pun on a transit stop) - hey who doesn't.Hope Davis was wonderful in "Daytrippers" and she shines here. It's just a matter of time until she gets cast as the sister to Lisa Kudrow in a movie.Terrific use of lovely Brazilian music all through. (originally written 4/11/1999)

I was surprised by my own reaction to this movie. I felt the loneliness and anxiety that the characters demonstrate. The movie really catch me and became one of my favorites. The wait for the meeting between a nurse and a plumber gave us several moments of pure joy by the intelligence in those takes. As a Brazilian person I have to say that the soundtrack is delicious. We have here some sweet pieces of Bossa nova that harmonically fit in to the story and give us unforgettable moments in the movie. And what about that friendly baloonfish? Its already a character apart. I certainly recommend this movie to the ones who demand a reflective story about human anxieties admirably conduced by sensitive and intelligent Brad Anderson. Thanks, Brad, for the experience.