NEXT STOP WONDERLAND
A movie review by Joe Barlow
(c) Copyright 1998
STARRING: Hope Davis, Alan Gelfant DIRECTOR: Brad Anderson WRITERS: Brad Anderson and Lyn Vaus RATED/YEAR: Not Rated/1998
RATING: *** 1/2 (out of a possible *****)
One of the biggest delights of Brad Anderson's "Next Stop Wonderland" is the simple fact that our heroine, Erin Castleton (Hope Davis), understands the absurdity of what's happening to her. Beautiful, intelligent, yet sadly cynical, Erin refuses to participate in the standard romantic comedy cliches so prevalent in films of this type. It's something we discover early on, as three men attempt to play a cruel joke on her. Erin cheerfully goes along with them, pretending to be duped... then brilliantly turns the tables in one of the movie's funniest scenes. She's apparently seen "In the Company of Men."
Being smart isn't enough to ensure her happiness, however. Her problems begin in the film's opening scene, in which her boyfriend Sean (Philip Seymour Hoffman) uncerimoniously dumps her (via videotape, no less) to go participate in an activist campaign. Upon hearing the news, Erin's mother takes matters into her own hands by placing a highly misleading personal ad in the local paper, extolling her daughter's virtues. Erin, understandably furious by this invasion of her privacy, nonetheless gives into curiousity and listens to her messages... all 64 of them.
In another part of town, an aspiring marine-biologist named Alan Monteiro (Alan Gelfant) is also unlucky in love. He's the proverbial "nice guy," eschewing the sexual advances of his friend Julie (Caro Buono) because he'd rather wait for true romance. His friends don't understand his sensitive nature: when he complains that he can't find a woman he can talk to, they burst into giggles. "What are we, a bunch of chicks?" they taunt.
It's obvious that Alan and Erin are meant to be together, but there's a small problem: they don't know each other. Over the course of the movie, we watch them almost meet on several occasions, but something always happens to negate their encounter. In the interim, Erin goes out with many of the respondents to her personal ad (the "loser montage" is wonderful) while Alan deals with some unpleasant events in his life, including a gambling-addicted father and a career which isn't progressing quite the way he wants it to.
"Next Stop Wonderland" feels more "real" than the average romantic comedy because it knows the pursuit of love is not a full-time endeavor. In the real world, single people go to work, pay bills, and do things not related to the search for romance. For this reason, the film endeared itself to me: it doesn't seem like a fairy-tale, but instead depicts a couple of everyday people coming to terms with being alone, and not really minding it. If they find love, great. If they don't, they know they'll survive. It's definitely the right approach to take.
Another small touch I liked: Erin practices a bit of philosophy that I first encountered in Richard Bach's wonderful novel, "Illusions." The technique states that one should never close an open book without reading something from its pages, even if it's only a few words or sentences. Whatever you read will supposedly give you a clue to your future. The film uses this as a clever way to provide foreshadowing, even though Erin (and we) don't always understand the clues initially. ("Linoleum?")
"Next Stop Wonderland" has a lot to cover in its 110-minute running time. In order to fit everything in, writer/director Anderson chooses to focus more on the big picture than the little details; therefore, some subplots are not satisfactorially resolved. These include the sudden reappearance of Erin's ex-boyfriend, the fate of Alan's father, and the outcome of a special assignment Alan is given, pertaining to the aquarium he's employed at. The big question is, will Erin and Alan eventually meet and live happily ever after? C'mon, it's a romantic comedy. What do you think?
There's nothing really spectacular about "Next Stop Wonderland," but it tells its tale entertainingly and competently. The script is very funny, the characters are memorable, and the photography is highly original (I found it interesting that Puff the Blowfish, one of the aquarium's biggest attractions, is one of the film's most photogenic characters). I enjoyed the film a great deal. If you don't typically like romantic comedies, this one probably won't change your mind... but if you do, I recommend you make "Next Stop Wonderland" your next stop at the movies.
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