Wonder Wheel

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Huntin P @PaxVobiscum80 Sep 22, 2026 Woody misfire that really ought to have been a stage play instead of a movie. Why wasn't it? Well, maybe he was afraid of courting comparison with the kind of great American playwrights that inspired his effort? Despite being set on Coney Island, a lot of the action is Interior. The family's apartment, which is invaded day and night by the coloured lights of the fairground, is the nerve centre of the action. It is the seat of all Vittorio Storaro's ingenious lighting effects, effects which may be intended to carry some colour symbolism. It is the lighting that is the most original feature of this movie. No other Woody movie looks like Wonder Wheel! The story, alas, is a bit dull. It's funny to see Winslet gushing, in press promos, over Woody and the project, then just a couple of years later, or less, she did a volte-face and put a dagger in his back. I guess she couldn't forgive not receiving an Oscar nom. Not his fault, Kate. Nobody likes a mercenary. See more Suzanne D. @RT53336744 Jun 1, 2026 2 hours I will never get back just for the movie to cut off having never revealed what happened to Caroline No closure No end See more G. F @RT60624366 Mar 8, 2026 I have to admit, I am a total Woody Allen fan. There are only two movies of his that I don't like. But it's definitely not this one. I prefer his older movies but this is a great drama. It is really touching, too. The way this old couple can't give each other even a little warmth is scary and made me want to be better in my marriage. It was so sad to see. While some of the characters were unlikable, I did happen to like the young couple. Carolina was the sweetest of them all. Despite her mistakes, she didn't give in to fear for her life. See more James B. @JamesBass Oct 28, 2025 Unlike Crime and Misdemeanors, where comedy and drama intertwine seamlessly, Wonder Wheel struggles to find its rhythm. Winslet often feels adrift from the script, as if performing scenes disconnected from the film’s emotional core. Still, even at his most uneven, Allen remains watchable for devoted fans. ★★½ See more William J @RT49306227 Mar 6, 2025 If there’s a movie where Jim Belushi stands out for his acting, you know something is wrong. Wonderwheel succeeds only in its cinematography and capture of early ‘50s Coney Island. Woody Allen’s script reads like a cheap novel and most of the acting follows suit. Kate Winslet does her best as the unfaithful wife on her second go-round at marriage and infidelity. Justin Timberlake is the young object of her affection as well as that of her step-daughter. Timberlake, both as actor and narrator, comes off like he’s reading a teleprompter….and not well. Juno Temple manages to brighten an otherwise depressing ensemble as Belushi’s daughter who is hiding from her mob ex-husband. If all this sounds confusing, add in Belushi and Winslet’s young son whose hobby is burning things (up to and including his therapist’s office). Cap it off with an unsatisfying conclusion and you’ll likely wish you had your 2 hours back. See more Peter G @Petermovielover Jul 28, 2024 I have not the desire to see every single Woody Allen film & this relatively late effort is one reason. I rented it because I always enjoy a Kate Winslet performance & though she has some decent moments here her character is so off putting, IMO, that I could not view her situation with much sympathy & it all fizzles out by the end anyway. The other characters I was hoping that two of THE SOPRANO fellas might have figured more in the proceedings. Their presence here is supposedly threatening but they are played, as two somewhat comically bumbling mafioso on a a lethal mission that only adds some more lame humor to the story. The other characters do not fare much better. Postulating a beaf cake part time lifeguard, played by Justin Timberlake, as an ambitious student of Eugene O‘Neil‘s dramas is perhaps a satirical touch but even that wears thin pretty quickly. However seeing Jim Belushi, playing Winslet‘s sad sack husband, made me think of a softer version of Ralph Kramden. The way he appears now if there were ever a film bio made of Jackie Gleason, Belushi would be ideal casting. Some of the cinematography is wonderful but a continuity error, I presume, occurs during one of Winslet‘s monologues where the film‘s lighting effects moves faster than her discourse. In other words 30 minutes of sinking sun takes place within the much shorter space of Winslet‘s, otherwise, effective dramatic moment. All in all, I suspect Allen was investigating another more serious approach, with some lackluster comedy, to his usual filmmaking. He has had far more success in other similar styles of movies such as MATCHPOINT & CRIMES & MISDEMEANORS, IMO Reviewed by Peter Graham See more Read all reviews

Wonder Wheel

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