Review – Wonder

Before going into Wonder, you need to know one thing: This is a movie strictly for kids.  You’re probably thinking, “well obviously it’s a kids movie, it’s rated PG.”  Well, not all PG movies are kids movies.  All the President’s Men (1976) is rated PG, yet is nowhere near a kids movie.  This movie could have been a deeper, more emotional look at facial diseases and the strain it causes on a family.  Instead, the movie is a sweet, breezy movie that act more as a cautionary children’s tale about treating everyone equally regardless of how they look.

Wonder looks at August “Auggie” Pullman (Jacob Tremblay), a young boy with facial differences who is entering middle school for the first time after being home schooled for years by his mother (Julia Roberts).

The movie focuses on Auggie, but what viewers should focus on, particularly the children who see this movie, are the supporting characters.  Auggie’s story is an inspiring one, but what will hit home for parents and for kids is everyone else around Auggie.  There are number of people in Auggie’s life and they are all effected by him in some way.  His parents (Roberts and Owen Wilson), who love him dearly and will do anything for him, sometimes too much.  His sister Via (Izabela Vidovic), who feels neglected by her parents, but understands to a degree.  There are different kids in his middle school, like the popular kid, Julian (Bryce Gheisar) who consistently bullies Auggie and the scholarship kid, Jack (Noah Jupe), who hangs out with the popular kid, but soon becomes friends with Auggie and is torn in the social hierarchy of middle school.  These are important figures because they represent us.  They represent who we are and how we handle people like Auggie.  We see the outcome of the characters and that is what should be focused on during the film.

Tremblay is adorable as Auggie.  He is sweet, funny, and incredibly moving.  I wish Wilson was in the movie more.  His few scenes are some of the best parts of the movie.  I really liked Jupe as Jack and can see a bright future for him.  And If I had a drink for every scene Julia Roberts cried in, I would have been blacked out.  That’s about all I can say about her performance.

One thing I really disliked about the movie was the lack of character development from some of the other side characters.  I wish we saw more interaction with Auggie and his teachers, as they seemed to have a big influence on his time in school.  I also really liked Via’s boyfriend and thought he added another level of charm to the movie.

I wish Wonder dove into facial diseases and the effect it has on the family.  In the movie, Auggie has just completed his 27th surgery on his face, his final surgery.  It would have been more interesting to see a movie about his 22nd surgery and the continuing effects and stress of this surgery on Auggie and his family.  This could have shed a light on to facial diseases and showed us how to handle it if we or someone we know were affected by it.  It would have been a darker, deeper movie, but one I feel would have been more affective.

Wonder is a movie that all children should see.  It may not have enough for adults to fully enjoy, but is an important movie about treating everyone equally, bullying, and understanding the age-old adage, “It’s the inside the counts.”

Did you see Wonder?  What did you think?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.