Wonderful World

2009 "Happiness is a state of mind"
6.1| 1h29m| R| en| More Info
Released: 08 January 2009 Released
Producted By: Cold Iron Pictures
Country:
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://www.wonderfulworldfilm.com
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Ben Singer is a failed children's folk singer, a career proofreader, a less-than-extraordinary weekend dad, and perhaps the most negative man alive. Floundering in all aspects of his life, Ben's only comfort comes from regular chess games and friendly debates on game theory with his Senegalese roommate Ibou. When Ibou is suddenly struck ill, Ben's pessimistic worldview seems unequivocally confirmed. It takes an extended visit from Ibou's sister Khadi for Ben to realize that cynicism may be all a matter of perspective.

Genre

Drama, Comedy, Romance

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Wonderful World (2009) is currently not available on any services.

Director

Joshua Goldin

Production Companies

Cold Iron Pictures

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Wonderful World Audience Reviews

Evengyny Thanks for the memories!
Steineded How sad is this?
Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.
relawson-856-22445 Netflix is redefining my view of what a good film is, giving me the ability to find golden nuggets like Wonderful World. I'm not sure I would have found this one otherwise.I enjoyed the great character acting of Matthew Broderick and Sanaa Lathan, the occasional imagined appearance of "The Man" (Philip Baker Hall), and provocative insights from Ibu (Michael K. Williams) - a man who is central to the movie in a way I won't reveal to prevent a spoiler. Broderick plays Ben Singer who is the world's biggest cynic and ironically a man who had BEEN a semi-successful SINGER (I just caught on to the play on words). Broderick leads us through Singer's path of depression, despair, and emotionally draining cynicism while pausing frequently for hallucinations featuring "The Man"; presumably which are a result of some really good or really bad weed, depending on your perspective of what if anything makes weed good.This wasn't a film looking for an ending and didn't follow "film-making 101". Instead, it told a story. It had a great soundtrack that much like this film, was just too quiet to be a commercial success.Broderick has been in films that made him a household name most especially to my generation (I was inspired enough by War Games to become a programmer, which I have been for many years now). Although few people will watch this film because there isn't a big studio promoting it, this is the best acting I have seen from Broderick - even better than The Producers which he was a great performance. This was a different genre film so I wouldn't compare the two. It was produced and written by Joshua Goldin who was a writer in a 1992 movie Broderick was in called Out on a Limb. It must be interesting having written for the younger and older Broderick at two very different times in his career.Great job to the whole cast. I am trying to find the soundtrack so I can add it to my Pandora Queue. Great acting and great music.
Ankur Upadhyay Simple, Sweet and comforting.Don't keep any expectations from the movie before you start watching it, then I promise you will actually enjoy it. The movie moves at its own pace, you don't have to remember what happened in the last scene but still you won't fall asleep waiting for something to happen in the next scene.The movie revolves around its main character 'Ben Singer' played by Matthew Broderick, and tries to portray the importance of our 'own thinking' towards life. The cast has done a beautiful job, especially Matthew. But the thing I liked most about the movie was its simple approach, which perfectly fits in with the story and the pace of the movie. All credit to the movie crew on that, if I was rating only that then it would have been a perfect 10. Still 'Wonderful world' successfully puts forward the idea that it is really a wonderful world out there, if we try to see it that way.I won't say that you should definitely watch this movie, but if you do watch it then believe me you won't regret it. And for this beautiful effort I rate the movie a modest 8/10 (above average).
nimdais All too often post-movie talk consists of dissecting the acting/writing/special effects/fill in the blank – not here. Wonderful World was seamless and allowed me to fully enjoy the story. While Ben's rejection of the world is all too understandable, he suffers from the consequences of that choice. One of the most difficult was his attenuated relationship with his daughter who lives with his ex - it is heartbreaking in the way that any parent can understand and it was really great to see Ben allow the struggle with that loss in a way that he did not fully allow in other parts of his life. His summary dismissal from the law firm where he worked for over eight years was all too real in today's world. Ben's affair with Khadi was a great vehicle and I loved the way it was resolved. All in all, a story well told that I'd be pressed to start picking apart. I would easily recommend this movie.
sanden-616-529133 I wasn't sure what to expect but I loved this thoughtful drama. The cast is terrific, especially Matthew Broderick and Sanaa Lathan. Who knew Michael K. Williams (THE WIRE) could play a guy with such heart. I cared about every relationship in this film. It's not just a love story between Ben (Matthew Broderick) and Khadi (Sanaa Lathan). It's a story about how all the imperfect but human relationships in Ben's life (his daughter, his roommate) force him out of his protective, cynical shell. I won't spoil anything but I got definitely got teary eyed in parts. It's a subtle and moving film but thankfully there's some humor in it as well. It's a little gem.