Wonder Wheel (2017)

On Coney Island in the 1950s, a lifeguard tells the story of a middle-aged carousel operator, his beleaguered wife, and the visitor who turns their lives upside-down.

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer:

Woody Allen

Stars:

Justin Timberlake, Juno Temple, Robert C. Kirk

4 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Justin Timberlake	...	Mickey
Juno Temple	...	Carolina
Robert C. Kirk	...	Boardwalk Vendor
Kate Winslet	...	Ginny
Jim Belushi	...	Humpty
Jack Gore	...	Richie
Tommy Nohilly	...	Humpty's Friend
Tony Sirico	...	Angelo
Steve Schirripa	...	Nick (as Steven R. Schirripa)
John Doumanian	...	Ruby's Bartender
Tom Guiry	...	Flirtatious Man at Ruby's (as Thomas Guiry)
Max Casella	...	Fishing Buddy
Gregory Dann	...	Fishing Buddy
Bobby Slayton	...	Fishing Buddy
Michael Zegarski	...	Fishing Buddy

Storyline

In the hustle and bustle of 1950s Coney Island, where the buzzing crowd comes and goes trudging slowly over the wooden boardwalks, silent stories of the everyday toilers who give life to the attraction unfold. Somewhere in a clam bar, there's the sad waitress Ginny, a one-time actress and now a suffering wife who's been given a second chance by the side of the well-intentioned but uncouth carousel operator, Humpty. On the other hand, there's Humpty's 26-year-old estranged daughter, Carolina, who left the familial nest and a preordained future seeking adventure as a mobster's wife; only to return home with her wings broken, begging for forgiveness. And from the lifeguard's high tower, where all is in plain sight, the young and charming lifesaver and hopeful playwright, Mickey, is the inadvertent but potent catalyst that binds everything together. Shattered dreams, reckless love and betrayal, all under the bright lights of Coney Island.

---

Plot Keywords:

1950s | unfaithful wife | alcoholic | alcoholism | coney island | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic content including some sexuality, language and smoking

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site Official Site [France]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 December 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

La rueda de la maravilla

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$125,570, 3 December 2017

Gross USA:

$1,404,061

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,889,124

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amazon Studios, Gravier Productions, Perdido Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

DTS SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (ACES)

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Debi Mazar previously appeared in Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway (1994).

---

Goofs

The fire hydrant that is across from the Cyclone was only put into use within the past 20 to 30 years.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Mickey: [narrating] Coney Island, 1950's. The beach, the boardwalk. Once a luminous jewel, but growing relentlessly seedier as the tides roll in and out. Summers I work here on Bay 7. Comes the fall, I'm a student at New York University going for my Master's in European drama. I'm Mickey Rubin. Poetic by nature. I harbor dreams of being a writer. A writer of truly great plays, so I can one day surprise everyone and turn out a profound masterpiece.
Mickey: [to the camera] Anyhow. Let me get to the ...

---

Connections

References Flying Down to Rio (1933)

---

Soundtracks

Drums West
Composed by Chico Hamilton
Performed by The Chico Hamilton Quintet
Courtesy of Blue Note Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Shattered Dreams, Unrequited Love, Jealousy and Betrayal

In Coney Island, in the 50´s, the thirty-nine year-old waitress Ginny (Kate Winslet) is a former aspirant actress married with the carousel operator Humpty (Jim Belushi) in an unhappy marriage. She has a problematic son from her first marriage, the arsonist boy Richie. She is a frustrated woman that is having a love affair with the younger lifeguard Mickey (Justin Timberlake), who is an aspirant writer. When Humpty´s estranged daughter Carolina (Juno Temple) arrives in Coney Island seeking for shelter from her husband, who is a gangster, Humpty learns that Carolina has denounced him to the police and now he wants to kill her. Humpty lodges Carolina at home, affecting their lives.

"Wonder Wheel" is a dramatic unconventional romance by Woody Allen with a storyline of shattered dreams, unrequited love, jealousy and betrayal. The performance of Kate Winslet is top notch and Juno Temple, Jim Belushi and Justin Timberlake have also great performances. They all perform human characters very well developed. The film looks like a play, with few locations, but the cinematography is beautiful. The stylish soundtrack follows Woody Allen high-standard. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Roda Gigante" ("Ferris Wheel")