10s Movie Review - Wonder

Director: Stephen Chbosky
Genre: Drama/ Family
Runtime: 113 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Izabela Vidovic, Mandy Patinkin, Noah Jupe

Description: The story of August Pullman (Jacob Tremblay), a boy with facial differences who enters the fifth grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 45: A MOVIE WITH A CHIL AS THE LEADING CHARACTER
 
Review: It is not easy to be different. Especially when you look different from others. So different that they stare at you, whisper about you, point at you or don’t even dare to touch you. It is the life of Auggie Pullman as soon as he enters fifth grade. His parents have long kept him at home, but now it’s time for him to learn to be among other kids. And that they learn to look past his appearance.

Aggie Pullman has Treacher Collins syndrome, an extremely rare hereditary condition that makes his face look distorted from birth. In his case, it even required a slew of surgeries to keep him alive. Despite the genetic component, it is possible that no one else in the family has it.

“Wonder” is a typical American family drama, in which children bully each other for being different, but then gradually accept each other once they get to know each other better. A sympathetic feel-good movie that never colors outside the lines, except perhaps for Auggies condition. Jacob Tremblay does an excellent job as Auggie.

What makes “Wonder” so likeable, besides its well-intentioned message about acceptance, is that no one is singled out as the culprit for the main characters’ misfortune. We get to see not only Auggie’s perspective, but also that of his older sister Via who has accepted that the family’s life revolves around her little brother and the she must solve her typical teenage girl problems on her own. We also get to see the perspective of Via’s best friend, who all of a sudden is very popular and is hardly talking to Via anymore. And Auggies first friend Jack, who accepts him at first but then gets into a fight with him when he pretends not to accept him for fear of the class bully. All children have their own problems, fears and motivations.

“Wonder” is predictable, but it’s such a heartwarming film, that you cannot help but smile in the end.

Rating: 4/ 5