Movie Review: Wonder

About four years ago, I read R.J. Palacio's hit novel Wonder and loved every page of it. I even got to meet R.J. at Book Expo America a few months later and she was very nice. So I was thrilled to find out that Wonder was being made into a movie. (And that Daveed Diggs was going to be in it, since I'm a huge Hamilton fan.) The first time I saw the trailer (and the next few times after that), I could not keep from crying. And after hearing rave reviews for the movie over the past week, I was excited to finally see it in the theater. It definitely lived up to the rave reviews and my expectations. I loved it as much as, if not more than, the book!

Before I go on, watch the trailer. I dare you to not shed a tear!

Warning...there may be some spoilers in my review below, but nothing too major that it will keep you from seeing the movie.





I wasn't a fan of Jacob Tremblay when he was in Room, but he was perfect as Auggie. I know there are people who think someone who was actually born with craniofacial disabilities should have been cast in the role, but only in an ideal world (which we have yet to see happen), would this have really been possible. One of my friends said (on a Facebook thread about this issue): "I definitely think Hollywood needs to make a good faith effort to cast appropriately, but sometimes you just can't." Another person commented on the same thread by saying how Hollywood glamorizes everything. I agree that it would be nice to have someone who actually has been in Auggie's shoes play the part, but I also feel Jacob did an incredible job. He portrayed Auggie sensitively. I didn't feel like he was playing into some kind of stereotype or poking fun at anyone who actually lives full-time with the face he wears as a mask. It reminded me of how Eric Stoltz (who also does not have craniofacial disabilities) played the lead role in Mask (1985). I haven't actually seen the entire movie, but I never heard about any casting complaints in relation to that movie either. Was it because it was grittier than Wonder? I guess someone who has seen Mask could tell me their thoughts. In any case, as Auggie, Jacob displayed a full range of feelings from anger to fear to sadness, while also laughing and joking with his friends. If you would like some more insight from someone who really is in Auggie's shoes, check out this blog post. It's long, but well worth the read. Maybe you'll agree with what she says and maybe you won't, but that definitely leaves room for discussion either way.

As for everything else about the movie....I felt the story followed the novel pretty well. I know there were parts left out and parts added in, but I didn't miss the parts that weren't there. Maybe because I forgot about them. (I did notice that Summer's point of view wasn't shared in the movie.) I really like that there was some focus on Auggie's parents and their thoughts and feelings. It was something I had hoped for from the book that had never materialized. In the book, each character gets their own section and it starts back at the beginning. In the movie, there are times when a character's point-of-view is introduced and they go back to the beginning a bit, but then they catch up and move onward. Then we see Auggie's point of view again before switching to another character. In some ways, this lengthens the movie a bit too much, but it still makes the story worthwhile. It was interesting to see the impact Auggie's presence had on Via's life; how his needs always came first and she was left in the background. She and Auggie still had a good sibling relationship and I enjoyed seeing that play out.

The acting was great overall. There was a strong ensemble cast of well-known actors and newcomers that worked well together to make this movie the hit that it is. There are a lot of messages a viewer can get from the story and a lot of it depends on age and personal experiences. My six year-old enjoyed it as much as I did, even if she only understood it on a basic level. While I still feel that the overall message is too idealistic (I mentioned this in my book review), it never hurts to be kind to someone else, no matter who they are, what they look like, etc. You never know what someone else is dealing with. That was something that stuck out from the movie, when Via is telling Auggie that she also had a hard day when he felt like he held the monopoly on hard days. She told him that if he wanted to have a normal life, it wasn't going to be easy. They also showed how Via's best friend seemed to have it all together on the outside, but her life was far from perfect. I also liked that kids were friends with Auggie because they wanted to be around him, not because someone was making them be nice to him. He was kind to other kids, but also protected himself from being hurt. He wasn't afraid to stand up for himself either.

Overall, it is a sweet movie that is family friendly, or even to see on your own just to have a good cry. And yes, I cried. (Bring tissues!!!) It's also just worth seeing it to hear "Inigo Montoya" say "tuchus." :) (Yes, there are plenty of other funny lines and moments to balance out the emotional ones.)

Review: The Book of Mormon

After many years of missing out on The Book of Mormon, I finally got to see it this past weekend. My husband and I saw it in honor of his birthday. Thankfully, he loved the entire show. My opinion of the show is a bit more complex, so I’m sharing my thoughts here.

I will start this off by saying that the show is very entertaining and a fun way to spend an afternoon (or evening). There is more music than there is dialogue, which is always great in my book. There are some big show-stopper numbers that will end up getting stuck in your head for days after seeing it. The songs weren’t listed in the program, which I thought was kind of strange. Especially since I didn’t understand one of them until a little bit later in the show. And some of them sound similar to each other. They have some catchy tunes, but it will take a while for me to learn the words. (I went into the show only knowing a few of the songs, if that.) I enjoyed the song “Turn it Off.”  And “Making Things Up Again” was great too, even though I kept thinking of the Randy Rainbow parody.

The acting is great. The two lead actors had a lot of energy and put their all into the role. Their comedic timing worked well too. The cast worked well together and no one came off as embarrassed when they had to say some of the more raunchy or offensive lines. They all had great singing lines and did well with the complex choreography. I enjoyed watching them perform. There weren't any celebrities in the show, but that's okay. I could just enjoy it for what it was worth and focus on the characters and story.

Photo of Kevin Clay (Elder Price) and
Connor Peirson (Elder Cunningham) from GramUnion

The scenery is fantastic. They could turn the stage from an airport into an African village and then into a “Spooky Mormon Hell.” Most of the costumes are men wearing white shirts, black pants, and black ties, but the costumes of the villagers emphasize their personalities.

Photo credit: Playbill

Having said that, here’s where my opinion differed from my husband’s. The other night, I heard my husband telling someone that I was laughing so hard throughout the show. The problem is, I wasn’t. I went to the show with very high expectations of hilarity. I used to watch South Park all the time (and was in tears from the movie) and have also seen Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s other movies, which were really funny. And everyone who had seen The Book of Mormon before me was saying how hilarious it was (albeit inappropriate and offensive, which I was prepared for anyway) and how they couldn’t stop laughing the entire time. So I went in ready to laugh my tuchus off. And I did laugh, but only some mild snickers for the most part. It almost felt like I was laughing because everyone else was. Like how a laugh track in a sitcom would make me laugh even if I personally didn’t find something that funny. Please bear in mind that I have a really good sense of humor. I love to laugh whenever possible and look for the funny in everything I can. (I especially need to do that nowadays, and thankfully social media delivers.) I laughed the entire time from Avenue Q and that’s just as offensive and inappropriate. I love when something makes me laugh so hard that I’m doubled over in tears, but The Book of Mormon never got me to that point. I even asked in a theater fan group on Facebook if there was something wrong with me or if the laugh factor was just really hyped up. I got a mix of answers, but I felt better knowing I wasn’t the only person who didn’t laugh super hard the whole way through the show.

This is not to say that you won’t end up in bouts of hysterical laughter. No two theatergoers are alike! This is just how I felt about the show and there could be a bunch of contributing factors. Sometimes just the hype itself is enough, like being told I am going to laugh when I have no idea what I’m going into (this also happened with The Hangover and Bridesmaids). As mentioned before, I don’t think that the offensiveness was an issue. I’ve laughed at many an offensive joke. Almost all of Movie 43 had me rolling on the floor in tears and I still laugh just thinking about it. Perhaps the story was over my head because I’m not as familiar with the background of other religions. (That didn’t stop my husband from laughing though.) Who knows why I wasn’t roaring with laughter?!? Please know that the musical is funny and that’s the intention. Everyone just has different definitions of what constitutes “hilarious.” There was one part toward the end that I did think was really clever and funny, but even that tapered off for me after a bit.

Anyhow, if you are planning to see The Book of Mormon, you should. Don’t let my inability to snort-laugh keep you from it. I am in the minority out of the billions of people who thought it was the funniest thing they’ve ever seen. Just be prepared that there is a lot of dirty language and R-rated humor. I definitely would not let my kids see this until they’re adults and can go on their own (since it would be too awkward to see it with them).

Thoughts on Stranger Things 2

First of all...there will be spoilers. If you have not seen Stranger Things (both seasons) and still want to, please do not read any further. If you're still on the fence, read my post from last year (spoiler free).

If you've binged season two and want to re-live it vicariously, you've come to the right place. I'll be sharing a bunch of random thoughts I had throughout the season. It was definitely a more emotional season overall, but I'll get more into that soon. I really liked it, despite all the scary and disturbing parts. I've been going through withdrawal ever since I finished watching this season.

*It was so nice to see Eleven again and to know she was okay. The surprise element was that she had been living with Hopper for the past year. It was interesting to see how she got from destroying the Demogorgon to living in the woods to Hopper finding her and keeping her at his home.

*I loved the chemistry between Nancy and Jonathan. I was so happy when they finally realized their attraction to one another, even though it was at that strange man's house.

*Speaking of which, who was the strange man Nancy and Jonathan were working with and how did he know who they were? I'm glad he carried through their plan to contact the media about Barb's disappearance.

*And speaking of Barb, I'm glad her family finally got some closure, even if it wasn't the complete truth. They probably would have been traumatized even further if they knew what really happened.

*The 80's product placement is fun. I enjoyed seeing old wrappers from certain snack foods. It gave off an even more authentic feel.

*There were so many creepy moments that just left me reeling. Like when Dart is eating the cat and then turns to look at Dustin and he's suddenly a Demogorgon. Or whenever the thing that was taking over Will's body had an intense reaction to heat and fire. And, of course, the Demogorgons getting into the laboratory building and killing everyone, including Bob.

*Even though it's sad what happened to Bob, I was shipping Joyce and Hopper the whole time. Sorry, Bob! I hope Joyce and Hopper get together in season three.

*It's terrible what happened to Eleven's mom and I was hoping that Eleven could help unlock her from wherever her mind has gone. I still have hope for that to happen in season three.

*The emotional level of the show is a lot stronger. I was brought to the brink of tears many times and even cried once at the end of an episode. There was Will, who felt bad about himself because he couldn't keep his demons under control. Will reminded me a lot of my younger son, so it was extra disturbing when he was going through all the physical trauma. Mike missed Eleven a lot and at one point talked about how lonely he was until Will became his best friend. Just seeing his reaction to Eleven's return was priceless. The connection between Nancy and Jonathan was so elevated that I felt this emotional investment in their relationship. I  even got misty-eyed from the last 15 minutes of the finale. Especially when those girls were all snobby toward Dustin and how Eleven showed up for Mike. And then there's this.

*The story line of another girl from the lab was interesting. There was one whole episode devoted to Eleven spending time with her and trying to punish someone for hurting her mom. I am iffy on this episode, as it was interesting, but it didn't really move the story along....unless more kids from the lab will be found in season three.

*Dart was super creepy and I was mad at Dustin for taking him in. It only benefited everyone at one point on the finale. However, where did the other Demodogs come from?

*I liked Max a lot. I wasn't sure if I would, but she was cool. I hated her step-brother, Billy. He was so skeevy. Like he was a Rob Lowe from St. Elmo's Fire wannabe, but not as nice. However, I love how Max put Billy in his place and it was interesting to learn why Billy acted the way he did. It was funny when he was flirting with Mike and Nancy's mom. I wonder what Billy meant about it being Max's fault that they had to move from California to Indiana. Unless he was just being a jerk because of his new family situation.

*Despite taking on a creepy disgusting monster slug creature as a pet, I still love Dustin. Especially with his "pearls." And that hairstyle at the way end? So awesome!

*Even though I didn't like Nancy with Steve, I have to admit he was pretty cool this season.

*There will be a season three, right? Perhaps Eleven can use her mind powers to make that happen.