Wonderstruck

PG

Released Oct 20, 2017

1 hr. 57 min.

Drama

Adventure

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List

68%

228 Reviews

Tomatometer

55%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Ben and Rose are children from two different eras who secretly wish that their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he's never known, while Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue and Rose reads an enticing headline, they both set out on epic quests to find what they're missing.

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Critics Consensus

Wonderstruck's efforts to juggle timelines and tonal shifts aren't always smooth, but the end result still adds up to an emotional journey whose visual thrills live up to its title.

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Kelly P

I completely disagree with many critics about this movie. It is experimental and unique, but still makes you care about the characters and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The filming was beautiful. The contrast between 1927 and 1977 and the difference in filming style between the two time periods was very effective. I felt the ending was emotional and perfect. It's not the same old, same old movie. I rated it four instead of five stars only because I feel it needed more backstory with Rose as a young girl, her mother just disappears from the story and it stops suddenly when she finds her brother. Then all of a sudden we're in 1977 for the rest of the movie. And I also don't give away five stars easily. But this was a wonderful movie, beautifully done.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/27/24

Full Review

John B

I enjoyed this one and the journey that the story took you on by alternating between two different time periods, 50 years apart, and connecting them up in the end.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/25/23

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Ted B

3 stars; The story of two young kids who run away from home indifferent generation 1920s and 1970s. I thought the movie was very stylistic and somewhat compelling. About halfway through the movie, you could figure out where this was all going. Nothing wrong with that, except it took two darn long to get to the punch line.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/11/23

Full Review

isla s

This is a charming, old fashioned style film with close to no dialgue for the most part (certainly for most the first half of the film) and which centers around two main characters. Its set in 2 different times as well - the late 1920s and the 1970s. Its quite an immersive watch. The 1920s scenes are in black and white, which, I suppose, helps to clarify which timeframe we're watching. For the 2nd half of the film, its mostly in colour though. This would probably be a confusing watch for younger viewers as the plot is relatively slow and the lack of dialogue may also put some people off. It certainly has an arty feel to it though and I liked the fact that one of the 2 main characters is deaf, so we see things from a deaf childs point of view, which I found intriguing. There is a fair bit of classical/instrumental music present, which I also quite liked. It feels to me like quite a clever film but its probably just a bit too quirky/abstract to really have mass widespread appeal, particularly to younger viewers, I would have thought (I mean pre-adolescents). The plot itself is both sweet and interesting but I wouldn't say this is the king od film that really grabs you as a viewer and pulls you in right away, although if you stick with it and start to realise the journey that the 2 main characters are each embarking on, then it may well feel a more engrossing watch. I certainly thought it was a good film overall and I also liked how another young child made an effort to communicate with the deaf boy. I suppose one of the main themes this film covers is how different people communicate with one another i.e. communication and isolation. I remember thinking of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close while I was watching it, as (I suppose) its another child shown walking about New York City, on a bit of a personal journey, to do with his parents, like in that film, although this one has no direct links to 9/11 of course. The full story, as its slowly revealed, towards the end, was really quite lovely and there is sign language shown to accompany the start of the credits. I should also point out that this film is based on the book by Brian Selznick. Overall this is a charming and heartwarming watch but it isn't a film that will appeal or be enjoyed by all, yet I'd recommend it nevertheless, if your open minded at all.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The plot unfolds slowly. You wait for the moment when all this fantastic parallelism will take to some main event... and the movie is already over, with very few emotions... Main characters' performances do not help in this...

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Never understood a minute of this movie. And I wanted to.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

12/03/18

Full Review

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Todd Haynes

Director

Oakes Fegley

Ben

Julianne Moore

Lillian Mayhew

Millicent Simmonds

Rose

Michelle Williams

Elaine

Jaden Michael

Jamie

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Elissa Suh

StageBuddy.com

Always one to dabble in genres and the visionary Haynes applies his handiwork to the silent era capably crafting an homage with perfect stern embouchures, silent screams and protrusive pointed fingers...

Mar 12, 2020

Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

Sadly, the only wonder about this messy, overstuffed film, is the bewilderment of seeing so many talented people attached.

Rated: 2/5

Apr 13, 2018

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Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

I enjoyed the unconventional structure, plus the unfussy approach to disability in a film that is aimed at younger audiences.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 8, 2018

Full Review

Benedict Seal

Vague Visages

The cast is incredibly strong. Fegley and Simmonds are confident focalizers, and Moore is as delightful a screen presence as always. But, for all the lovely adult performances, they are always in service of the young stars.

Dec 5, 2023

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

It’s a very human movie that not only touches your heart, but reminds us of why cinema is such an extraordinary form of storytelling.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 21, 2022

Full Review

Kip Mooney

College Movie Review

The film is never less than gorgeous, with beautiful images from Edward Lachman, both in color and black-in-white.

Rated: B

Aug 24, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

Ben and Rose are children from two different eras who secretly wish that their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he's never known, while Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue and Rose reads an enticing headline, they both set out on epic quests to find what they're missing.

Director: Todd Haynes
Executive Producer: Brian Bell
Screenwriter: Brian Selznick
Distributor: Roadside Attractions, Amazon Studios
Production Co: Picrow, Amazon Studios, Cinetic Media, FilmNation Entertainment
Rating: PG (Thematic Elements|Smoking)
Genre: Drama, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 20, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 2, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.0M
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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