Next Stop Wonderland (1998)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Brad Anderson

Writers:

Brad Anderson (writer)
Lyn Vaus (writer)

Release Date:

21 August 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Being alone is fine. Being alone together is perfect.

Plot:

An unlucky in love nurse finds her life taking a detour when her mother places a personals ad in the paper, while on the other side of Boston, a plumber is trying to change careers.

Plot Keywords:

Aquarium | Boston Massachusetts | Personals Column | Mother Daughter Relationship | Security Guard

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Hope Davis	...	Erin Castleton
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Sean
Callie Thorne	...	Cricket
Ken Cheeseman	...	Rick
Pamela Hart	...	Berit
Diane Beckett	...	Seana
Jeremy Geidt	...	Bookseller
Alan Gelfant	...	Alan Monteiro
Dave Gilloran	...	Aquarium Volunteer
Luz Alexandra Ramos	...	Thalia (as Luz Alexandra)
Emma Shaw	...	Bailey
Kemp Harris	...	Ben
Neil Gustafson	...	Yuri Spinov
Holland Taylor	...	Piper Castleton
E. Katherine Kerr	...	Candice (as Katherine Kerr)

Also Known As:

Last Train to Wonderland (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | South Africa:A | Australia:M | France:U | Hong Kong:IIA | Spain:T | USA:R | Italy:VM14 | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Robbins Entertainment

Trivia:

The "airport station" stop shown in the film is actually the Wood Island station on the Blue MBTA line. The actual Airport station is one stop before.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: In the scene where Julie meets Alan in the restaurant, when she sits down, she immediately uses a napkin to dispose of her gum. A few moments later, we see her getting rid of her gum a second time.

Quotes:

Erin Castleton: Sean left me, Mom.
Piper Castleton: No! And you let him?
Erin Castleton: Did I have a choice?
Piper Castleton: Dear, sweetness, light of my life - with men, you always have a choice.

Chick Flick With a Bite

This is a very enjoyable movie. I must admit that I had my doubts at first, as it looked far too sugary for my taste. Poor marketing I guess. However, this is the first movie in years which I watched and then watched again the next day. Hope Davis' character, Erin, elicits many emotions -- the first of which is pity. Having been dumped by what is clearly the wrong man, we witness her attempt to re-enter the dating scene. She is immediately catapulted back into the world of losers, married men, and guys who are downright scary. She handles all of this with grace, but more than a hint of cynicism. You can often see the depression in her face, as she moves from one date to the next, always telling her friends that "there's no such thing as destiny." And yet, there is (as she discovers.)

Her character seems very much the essence of the modern young single person: She tells herself she is happy alone, but quietly yearns for the depth of true love. She is never rude, except when it's deserved, but she is never particularly friendly either. She inadvertantly wears the scars of years of dating on her sleeve. A very subtle and clever performance from the ethereal and under-appreciated Hope Davis. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED