Wonder Wheel (Woody Allen, 2017) dp Vittorio Storaro; Justin Timberlake, Juno Temple, Robert C. Kirk, Kate Winslet, Jim Belushi; On Coney Island in the 1950s, a lifeguard tells the story of a middle-aged carousel operator, his beleaguered wife, and the visitor who turns their lives upside-down.
This seems to be Woody's homage to Eugene O'Neill. He certainly gets mentioned a lot.
Manohla Dargis:
Wonder Wheel, Woody Allen’s latest movie, is one of his more unfortunate contributions to cinema. It tells the story of a desperately, unhappily married woman whose affair with a local Romeo is derailed when he takes notice of her stepdaughter, whose breasts have been lit to glow like Vermeer peaches. The heart wants what it wants, as Mr. Allen once said by way of explaining his affair with his now wife, Soon-Yi, the daughter of his longtime ex, Mia Farrow. I tend to think it’s a bad idea to put a movie on the couch, but what if it climbs on the couch and then starts winking? ... Much like its gaudy title attraction, Wonder Wheel keeps on turning, even while going nowhere. ... Ginny, who yearns for something better than clam houses and brutality — and who is mercilessly punished for her yearning — could easily have become a monstrous, one-note cliché. But Ms. Winslet fills this shabby character with feverish life. She conveys far more with a single, quietly stunned look than any of Mr. Allen’s speeches or Mr. Storaro’s color changes. Manohla Dargis, NYT.
Garry Gillard | reviews | New: 10 January, 2019 | Now: 25 November, 2022