george.schmidt Review of Wonderful World

Wonderful World (2009)

Broderick & Lahtan shine in this dramedy for the '10s

[8/10 · 11 January 2010]

WONDERFUL WORLD (2010) *** Matthew Broderick, Sanaa Lathan, Michael K. Williams, Jodelle Ferland, Philip Baker Hall, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ally Walker. Broderick is in fine form as a jaded, misanthropic former singer/songwriter of children's' tunes whose lack of ambition is only exceeded by his self-loathing and apathy of everyone and everything. One fateful day awakens him to new possibilities when his Senegalese roomie (Williams) suffers a diabetic shock to the system/coma and new hope arrives in the form of his comely sister (Lathan equally good here) who comes to stay with Broderick awaiting out the progress reports. What follows is a relatively well-acted dramedy with some intriguing looks at just how the socio-economic status is so in flux with what should be right and should be wrong thanks to novice director Joshua Goldin's sharply etched screenplay. The film's only falter is the ill-advised use of an imaginary character, "The Man" (veteran character actor Baker Hall) who is pretty much forgotten in the process.