We’ll likely never see Matthew Broderick reprise his iconic Ferris Bueller character.
But “Wonderful World” tells us what he might be like if Principal Rooney ever caught up with him.
Broderick plays a defeated divorcee whose life is shaken like an Etch a Sketch when his best friend takes ill.
He’d have to take happy pills to rise to the level of curmudgeon, but when a stranger enters his life he’s able to see things a mite more clearly.
It’s a sturdy framework for one man’s redemption, but the story’s attempts at magic realism need some fairie dust, and the more down to earth moments don’t fare much better.
Ben Singer once worked as a kiddie crooner, but now he spends his days poring over drab copy in search of mistakes.
His home life isn’t much better. He’s drifting apart from his daughter, shares little in common with his ex-wife and only finds solace playing chess with his roommate, Ibou (Michael Kenneth Williams).
When Ibou slips into a diabetic coma, the one constant in Ben’s life is gone. But when Ibou’s sister Khadi (Sanaa Lathan) comes to check on her ailing brother, Ben is forced to confront his misanthropic ways.
Broderick’s penchant for playing shlubby, disconnected souls is doing his career a disservice at this point. Had Ben not been a Xerox cop of his recent roles he might have given us a reason to peer behind Ben’s grouchy facade.
Blame a paint-by-numbers script that attempts to give Ben an imaginary sounding board (Philip Baker Hall), a plot device that gets worse every time it appears.
Yes, the addled proof reader needs a life line, but writer/director Josh Goldin can’t make the case that Khadi’s appearance in his life fills that order.
Audiences could shrug off the misstep if the romance between Ben and Khadi emitted a single spark. Lathan emits a raw, wonderfully singular sexuality, but it’s wasted on a sad sack like Ben. (Better, rent “Something New,” a wonderful but woefully ignored rom-com for the chance to see Lathan shine)
“Wonderful World” is predictable to its core, but the lack of any palpabe romance mutes its noble intentions.
The Blu-ray extras include an HDNet look at the film, plus a chat with writer/director Josh Goldin and star Matthew Broderick.
Related posts:
on 
on 
