Wonderful World (2009)

Sadly Over-hyped

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Ben Singer (Matthew Broderick) is a bitter cynic who is stuck in a dead-end job and always railing against his imaginary The Man (Philip Baker Hall). He's divorced from Eliza (Ally Walker) and his daughter Sandra (Jodelle Ferland) is struggling in all the negativity. His only friend and Senegalese roommate Ibou (Michael K. Williams) falls into a diabetic coma. His car gets towed after a complaint by an uncaring neighbor. Ibou's sister Khadi (Sanaa Lathan) arrives from Senegal. Ben's workmate Cyril (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) finds out that he used to be a successful kid entertainer and tries to befriend him.Despite Ben's relentless cynicism, I still kind of like him. Matthew Broderick has that kind of world weariness from his performance in Election. This is a black comedy but I don't necessarily find it funny. It's actually sincere in its misanthropic vision. I like his relationship with his daughter. There are holes in his life story. The character was once a successful man. There must be a wealth of material to dig into from that situation. Also I think his relationship with Khadi could be resolved better.Bottom Line, this is an interesting cynic's lament but it could have been funnier.

Wonderful World stars Matthew Broderick as Ben, a one-time children's music star and now the most pessimistic person in the world. Ben holds a major grudge toward the "man" and his greed. Ben's character arc takes the viewer onto an entertaining ride. I rooted for Ben to get his act together throughout the entire film. His opposite and love interest was played by Sanaa Lathan as Khadi, Ibu's sister, Ben's best friend that is hospitalized. Ben learns much about how wonderful life is from the brother and sister from Senegal. The film is uplifting and pushes the idea that life is worth living and to remain strong through the difficult times. I really enjoyed the film and I definitely think it's worth the time investment to watch a great performance by Matthew Broderick.

This movie was pretty bad. Number one, the "Africans" they found were African Americans and their accents were so damned dodgy that I don't know where they came from but it sure wasn't from Senegal. Secondly, the vision of the director was that of precolonial Africa. This family is from Dakar. They aren't from a remote village. Senegal has strong ties with France. You can get Nikes in Senegal. It is just cheaper in the US. This movie is not only flawed because it is a cliché of every vision that we Americans that never travel abroad have of the outside world. It could have been better. It could have been better translated. The story could have been more modern, less cliché, less Hollywood and let us think a bit on our own. Dear director. Not all of us are that stupid. We can think for ourselves.

In Wonderful World, Matthew Broderick is the negative middle-aged divorcée, failing as an employee, a father, and a human being. The story is how, through tragedy, he is redeemed, and redeems himself. Broderick's skill is the understated handling of this character - he makes sympathetic what could have been irritating. Broderick is a master of the everyman and his performance is calm, nuanced, and at the same time riveting. We really want him to do better - we like him.Enter Sanaa Lathan as the sister of his ailing roommate. She injects life, love, and wonder into Broderick's lamentable existence. She invigorates his humanity. The tale of this metamorphosis is the crux of the movie and it is done with intelligence, some humor, and some tragedy.Very well done with great performances by all involved, Wonderful World is a heart-warming and enjoyable uplifting story. See it!