“Wonder Wheel” smartly presented in style of modern Greek tragedy
Acting, directing elevate Woody Allen’s ‘Wonder Wheel’
Woody Allen’s latest production, “Wonder Wheel,” is a compelling modern Greek tragedy full of characters flawed to the point of self-destruction played out against a backdrop that flows from nostalgic realism to stagelike appearance. It is the best and most emotionally complex work from Allen since his 2013 Oscarnominated “Blue Jasmine.”
There’s a complexity to the characters that ebbs and flows like the surf off the Coney Island amusement park that serves as the locale, starting from the welcoming role of Mickey (Justin Timberlake) as the narrator of the prologue that explains the drama to come in typical Greek tragedy fashion playing out in three distinct threads.
The first thread is the physical relationship Mickey, a local lifeguard (and would-be writer) watching over the sun worshippers who visit the seaside attraction during the ’50s, has with Ginny (Kate Winslet), a waitress who spends every waking moment trying to escape her joyless life. Ginny longs for the excitement she once felt as a working actor but gave it all up because of a tendency to find a way to destroy anything in her life that brushes up against being good.
Second, there’s Humpty (Jim Belushi), an alcoholic whose marriage to Ginny is strained even more by the arrival of his estranged daughter, Carolina (Juno Temple). Father and daughter haven’t spoken in five years, but Carolina seeks sanctuary with her father because she’s been made the target of a mob hit after revealing too much information to the police about her husband’s business practices. The combination of resentment and resolve they face is fascinating.
Tying the threads together is the final part of the triangle with Carolina and Mickey. Ginny’s overwhelming jealousy coupled with Mickey’s romanticizing the world around him makes them mismatched lovers. By the definition of a tragedy, their life together is ill-fated.
“Wonder Wheel” finds strength in Allen’s writing that weaves all of the stories together into a beautiful blanket of pain, love, hope, despair, destruction, loss and desperation. His tale is so tightly written and presented with such intelligence that “Wonder Wheel” should earn Allen another Academy Award nomination for writing.
Most of bringing the words to life comes through Ginny, who is part working class stiff and part Norma Desmond. Winslet plays Ginny in a constant frantic state of emotion that slows only when she begins to reminisce about what could have been but never will be.
Allen’s direction often makes “Wonder Wheel” come across like a stage production with small controlled sets as a setting where the action is presented through a minimal use of camera movement and editing. The camera often lingers on the players as they struggle to stay above the emotional floodwaters pulling them down. That’s possible when all of the players have faces so interesting.
“Wonder Wheel” is, at its heart, a four-person play wherein all of the participants act and interact with one another. Winslet and Belushi always bring a sense of failure to every scene through their tortured characters. It’s the kind of work to be expected of Winslet, but Belushi rises to the challenge as he makes Humpty both a villain and a victim in this tale.
Balancing that are the characters played by Temple and Timberlake. Both have not followed the life paths they wanted, but that has not taken the hope out of their approach. They bring so much energy to their work that it’s not diminished, even when they are paired with the life-drained roles played by Winslet and Belushi.
And Allen smartly turns to Timberlake’s narration to keep the audience updated on how this tragic
tale is unfolding. His direct talks to camera are just another way “Wonder Wheel” often feels more like it’s taking place on a stage rather than a movie set world.
Greek tragedies often feature a song performed by the chorus throughout the production to provide more information. In the case of “Wonder Wheel,” Allen turned to one of his favorite filmmaking tools: music. His choice of a soundtrack of tunes from the ’50 adds another level to the production.
Allen uses light — particularly floods of reds or blue — as a way to change the look of a scene without stopping the cameras. His use of light is also a powerful tool in getting across the emotions being displayed on screen. Even the way he lights the background continuously shifts the film from the real world look of an expansive boardwalk to a less obtrusive design when the key is to focus on what the players are saying and not where they are saying it.
The slight hiccup in the tale is Ginny’s son, Richie (Jack Gore). The youngster is so emotionally and psychologically broken by his mother’s failed marriage and the abuse he gets from his stepfather that he is looking for an escape. That his efforts often take the form of arson does not fit with the main narrative and ends up being little more than just a way to give the tragedy a proper exodus.
But overall, Allen has given his players plenty to say, uses a shooting style that pays deep respect to the players and has put together a cast that handles the dark tragedies with powerful results. The real tragedy is that not every film from Allen is as good as “Wonder Wheel.”