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Wonderland
USA Films


9.2

based on 28 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 4 votes
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FILM:

Internet Movie Database

MPAA RATING: R for some strong sexuality, and for language

Starring Shirley Henderson, Gina McKee, Molly Parker, Ian Hart, and John Simm

This drama follows the lives of three generations of a working-class London family during a weekend of the annual "Bonfire Night" festival in London, focusing on the tangled family ties of three sisters, their parents, and the men in their lives.

GENRE(S):	Drama
WRITTEN BY:	Laurence Coriat
DIRECTED BY:	Michael Winterbottom
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: February 20, 2001 Video: February 20, 2001 Theatrical: July 28, 2000
RUNNING TIME:	108 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	UK

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

In short, Wonderland is an extraordinary film, as entertaining as it is observant, about ordinary people.

100

Portland Oregonian Kim Morgan

Though Michael Winterbottom's Wonderland appears as gritty as they come, it uncommonly has a romantic heart.

100

New York Post Jonathan Foreman

Its superb performances, music, photography, dialogue, its rhythms of tone and theme all complement each perfectly.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

In Wonderland, Winterbottom has found a script worthy of his passion.

Film.com Robert Horton

This is a beautiful, surprisingly uplifting movie, made by someone who actually understands people.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

A crushingly sad, beautiful film.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

One of the best realistic dramas of the year.

Village Voice Dennis Lim

There's not a false note among the performances: Henderson, Hart, Shepherd, Markham, and in particular McKee add unspoken complexities to their portrayals.

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

While it's no good time at the movies, Wonderland is an excruciatingly authentic experience.

Dallas Observer Gregory Weinkauf

The striking graininess of the film stock, the near-documentary style of the setups, and Michael Nyman's attentive score add up to a relatable and ultimately hopeful experience.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

Grim, yes, and great viewing.

Film.com Peter Brunette

Most important, the film is suffused with a light touch and a kind of begrudged humor that feels perfectly natural and unforced and that keeps you involved in the characters' plight.

Miami Herald Sara Wildberger

There's enough here to make anyone who enjoyed -- if that's the right word -- "Happiness" or "Magnolia" splendidly unhappy.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Movies like Wonderland invite me into the screen with them. I am curious. I begin to care.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

Loses steam only when it strays from the sisters and attempts to depict their parents' loveless marriage.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

The ensemble acting is impressively in tune; and Michael Nyman's surging score adds an extra measure of emotional power.

Boston Globe Jay Carr

Give it a chance and you'll probably share the cast's collective impulse to dive in and embrace it.

Baltimore Sun Ann Hornaday

Winterbottom ("Welcome to Sarajevo," "Go Now") has filmed Wonderland with a hand-held 16 millimeter camera, lending the production an air of scrappy immediacy that is often arrestingly at odds with Michael Nyman's overheated musical score.

Mr. Showbiz Kevin Maynard

It's another subtle, fantastic performance from McKee ("Notting Hill," "Croupier").

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

With acting as good as this, Wonderland gives you all the expected pleasures of eavesdropping on the intimate lives of others.

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

As an interweave of crosscut miniplots, this isn't nearly as interesting or as pleasurable as Jeremy Podeswa's recent "The Five Senses."

USA Today Andy Seiler

If Wonderland is difficult to embrace, it is easy to admire.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

That (cinéma-vérité) feel is absolutely convincing, as are the performances.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

By the end of Wonderland, I might have felt completely pistol-whipped if not for the gracefulness of some of the movie's actors.

The New York Times A.O. Scott

As well done as it is, Wonderland feels predictable. There is no sad turn in these characters' lives that you cannot see coming about an hour before.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

The energy is sapped by clinging condescension in the guise of compassionate liberalism.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

The material is familiar, and doesn't have anything new to say about the ways men and women wound each other.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

So bereft of hope... that it's a chore to withstand.

The average user rating for this movie is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

John C. gave it a10:
This is worth a 10 for the soundtrack alone.

Yoon Min C. gave it an 8:
A hip variation on the British kitchen sink drama it freely takes inspiration from the jazzy styles of Hong Kong cinema and music videos but confines them within the limitations of post-industrial realism. It depicts a world without a future but where lives are lit up with fancy. private or shared. An accurate description of how we live our lives, chained economically, spiritually uprooted, but on an imaginative wanderlust.

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Wonderland USA Films

Wonderland
USA Films