Allen’s latest worth a whirl
Every time you start to write Woody Allen off he delivers a Blue Jasmine or Midnight in Paris to remind you just how good he can be.
But it’s been a long time since he truly recaptured the magic of Manhattan and Annie Hall.
He doesn’t manage it with Wonder Wheel either, however this still rates as one of his better post-2000 flicks.
Set in 1950s Coney Island, the story follows carousel operator Humpty (Jim Belushi), his beleaguered wife Ginny (Kate Winslet) and the impact the arrival of charming playwright Mickey (Justin Timberlake) has on their lives.
Helping Wonder Wheel stand out from Allen’s inferior output is how gorgeous the film looks; the time period jumps out of the screen, often bathed in sunlight.
The theme park rides are bursting with so much life you’ll wish you were Austin O’Brien’s character in Last Action Hero and had the chance to jump into the story and give them a go.
We’re also treated to another strong turn from Winslet, with the Brit continuing to prove adept at filling a variety of roles.
Ginny is desperate to add more excitement to her life but never lets it turn her into a depressing, unlikable presence; on the contrary, Ginny feels as real as it gets as she wears a whole host of emotions on her sleeve.
Winslet – and the film – peaks with a stirring monologue that sees Allen’s camera so close to her face you half expect her to bang her head off it.
Belushi, though, must have been hoping for better for his most high-profile role in nearly a decade; the 63-year-old has some decent lines but can’t rescue his detestable character.
Timberlake supplies small doses of charm but continues to prove a surer hand behind the microphone, wowing thousands of concertgoers than emoting on a cinema screen.
Not so much a love triangle as more of a love square, Allen seems to have a better time tossing figurative hand grenades at long-term and burgeoning romances than blessing anyone with anything approaching a happily ever after.
Indeed, darkness runs throughout the veteran director’s latest offering, with Ginny becoming more and more isolated against the perils of the world.
Given the real-life controversy surrounding Allen and his past, there’s no escaping the discomfort you feel watching the way he treats his female characters here.
Thank goodness for Juno Temple, who is a ball of energy as Ginny’s step-daughter Carolina, bringing badly needed levity and comic timing to the movie.
Never awful but never hitting peak Allen heights, Wonder Wheel is a strange watch that will wow you one minute and annoy you the next.
It’s worth giving a whirl, but you won’t want to get back on again for a second ride.