Movie of the Day: January 20, 2003

IMDb Movie of the Day
Though it was never quite the hit it was supposed to be, Next Stop Wonderland is a charming, indie-style romantic comedy that possesses a quiet grace and insinuating allure, not unlike the soundtrack of samba and bossa nova that weaves throughout the film. A 1998 Sundance entrant, Wonderland was plucked from obscurity when it became the center of a huge bidding war among studios; Miramax ultimately plunked down $6 million for it, immediately raising both critical and box office expectations. Alas, the movie grossed less than $4 million (though it only cost one million to make), never quite living up to the promise of a Sundance "breakout hit." Still, it remains an intelligent, funny, and quirky rumination on the ebbs and flows of fate, with well-drawn characters who drift gently with the tides. Erin (Hope Davis), beautiful but brittle, is a Boston nurse whose tree-hugging boyfriend (Philip Seymour Hoffman) leaves her for a Native American tribe in need of assistance. Disgusted with men and the dating process, she keeps a low profile -- until her mother (Holland Taylor) places a personal ad for her. Meanwhile, plumber Alan (Alan Gelfant), a hunky working-class sort, is trying to get his marine biology degree, as well as a promotion at the Boston Aquarium, where he works fixing pipes and such. Erin and Alan keep missing each other by degrees -- locking eyes once across a street -- and the movie plays up the vicissitudes of fate that seem to keep us deliberately from the people we're meant to be with; in some ways it's Kieslowski lite, with a far more whimsical take on the themes that Kieslowski explored in his masterpiece Red. But it's all done with wit and charm, and just the right amount of sadness, so that you become emotionally invested in Alan and Erin's fate, especially when they become entangled with partners who might keep them from finally coming together. By the end, you'll be wondering if happiness is only a train ride away. (more)

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