Wonder (2017) Movie || Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Tremblay || Review and Facts

Hello dear friends. Today movie review in Wonder is a 2017 American coming of age family drama film directed by Steven Chbosski who co-wrote the screenplay with Steven Conrad and Jack Thorne. It is based on the 2012 novel by R.J. Palacio and stars Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Trembley, Mandy Patankan, and David Diggs. The film follows a boy named August Auggie Pulman with preacher Collins syndrome as he tries to fit in. The film was released in United States on November 17th, 2017 by Lionsgate. It received positive reviews from critics and grossed $315 million worldwide on a

$20 million production budget. At the 90th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for best makeup and hair styling. A spin-off and prequel film Whitebird was released in October 2024 with Bryce Gisar reprising his role. But August Auggie Pullman is a 10-year-old boy living in Brooklyn with his parents Isabelle and Nate, older sister Olivia Vaia, and their dog Daisy. Auggie was born with a rare medical facial deformity, mandibular facial disysistosis. He has undergone 27 surgeries to help him function and wears an astronaut helmet when out in public. Auggie has been homeschooled by Isabelle, but as he

approaches the fifth grade, his parents decide to enroll him at Beacher Prep, a private middle school. When the school Year begins, Auggie is ostracized and is constantly bullied by Julian Albins, the class bully, and Julian's friends Amos Ki, Miles Nari, and Henry Joplain. But he soon forms a close friendship with his classmate, Jack Will, whom he met during a tour of the school. For Halloween, Auggie dresses as Ghost Face from the previous year when Daisy ruins his planned Boba Fett costume. While entering his home room, Auggie overhears Jack, who does not recognize him, Joining Julian

and his friends in teasing Auggie behind his back. Auggie also overhears Jack saying that he was forced to be friends with Auggie and would kill himself if he looked the same, which hurts him a lot. An upset Auggie fains illness, forcing his mother to abandon her motheraughter day with Vaia to pick him up. Though she is hurt, Via convinces Auggie to go trick-or-treating with her as she has been rejected by her own best friend, Miranda Navvice. Auggie begins avoiding Jack and forms a new friendship with another classmate, Summer Dawson, confiding in her about his split

with Jack. When Jack eventually asks Summer why Auggie is avoiding him, she says, "Ghost face." Jack realizes his mistake and resolves to make it up to Auggie by being his partner for the science fair instead of partnering with Julian and Amos. When Julian confronts Jack about it and calls Auggie a freak, they get into a fight. Outraged, Julian ends his friendship with Jack. Jack is suspended for two days and the principal, Mr. Lawrence Tushman reads Jack's letter about defending Auggie. Jack then apologizes to Auggie via Minecraft and they reconcile. Meanwhile, Vaia has been feeling left

out. Ever since Auggie was born, her parents have spent considerably more time looking after him than paying attention to her. Vaia signs Up for the drama club after meeting theater nerd Justin Hollander, with whom she begins a romantic relationship. Vaia is selected as Miranda's understudy for the lead role in the school's production of Our Town. But on opening night, Miranda Fains illness to let Via take her place after learning that Via's family is in attendance while her own is not. Vaia gives a moving performance, earning a standing ovation and reconciles with Miranda. Augie's Popularity and

circle of friends grow after he and Jack win first prize at the science fair. But Julian and his friends continue to bully Auggie. Eventually, Mr. Tushman confronts Julian and his parents with evidence, including hate notes and a class picture with Auggie photoshopped out and a caption that reads, "No freaks allowed." And at the back of the class picture, Julian wrote, "Do everyone a favor and die." Mrs. Albins admits she deleted Auggie from The picture, defends Julian's actions, and insists that students should not be exposed to Auggie. Despite the Alburn's threats to pull funding, Julian is

suspended for 2 days, forcing him to miss an upcoming nature retreat. As they leave, Mrs. Albins declares that Julian will not be back in the fall. However, Julian apologizes to Mr. Tushman, who forgives him. At the nature retreat, Auggie and Jack are threatened by a trio of seventh graders from another school, But Amos, Miles, and Henry defend them. Just before Auggie's graduation, Nate reveals to him that he put his astronaut helmet in his office and asks Auggie if he needs it back, but he happily dismisses this. At the graduation ceremony, Auggie thanks Isabelle for enrolling

him in school, and Isabelle tells Auggie that he is a wonder. Auggie is given the Henry Ward Beecher Medal for his strength and courage throughout the school year. cast. Jacob Trembley as August Auggie Pulman, a boy with treater Collins syndrome. Julia Roberts as Isabelle Pullman, Auggie's mother. Owen Wilson as Nate Pullman, Auggie's father. Isabella Vidavik as Olivia Via Pulman, Auggie's older sister. Mackey Margaret Chbosski as young Vaia. Mandy Patankan as Mr. Lawrence Tushman, Auggie's principal. David Diggs as Mr. Thomas Brown, Auggie's English teacher. Sonia Brager as Grans, Auggie's maternal grandmother. Danielle Rose Russell as Miranda

Navvice, Via's best friend. Naji Jeter as Justin Hollander, Via's boyfriend. Noah Jup as Jack Will, Auggie's best friend. Bryce Gisar as Julian Albins, Auggie's classmate and the class bully. Millie Davis as Summer Dawson, Auggie's classmate and friend. El McKinnon as Charlotte Cody, Auggie's classmate and friend. Nicole Oliver as Amanda Will, Jack's mother. Crystal Low as Melissa Albins, Julian's mother. Steve Bassik as Richard Albins, Julian's Father. Olly Libert as Ms. Possa, Auggie science teacher. Andre Robinson as school kid. Production development. On November 27th, 2012, it was announced that Lionsgate was developing a feature film adaptation of

RJ J. Palacio's debut novel, Wonder, and were in talks with John August, to write the screenplay. Mandeville Films David Hobberman and Todd Lieberman produced the film. On August 9th, 2010, Jack Thorne was hired to adapt the novel after August had Departed from the project. In October 2014, John Croitz was reported to be directing the film, though in April 2015, Paul King was hired to direct instead. Steven Conrad was writing the script at that time. Casting. On April 14th, 2016, Jacob Trembley was cast to play the lead role, Auggie Pulman, while Julia Roberts was in talks

to play Auggie's mother. Three weeks later, Robert's casting was confirmed and Steven Chbosski was set as the film's Director. On June 27th, 2016, Owen Wilson joined to play Auggie's father. Two weeks later, newcomer Noah Jup joined the cast as Augg's best friend at school. And on July 15th, David Diggs was cast as Mr. Brown, an English teacher at the school. On August 19th, 2016, Sonia Braa joined the cast. Portraying the role of Robert's character's mother, special effects, Trembble's prosthetic makeup designed and created by Arian Tutton took an hour And a half to apply. It consisted

of a skull cap with prosthetic ears attached, a facial prosthetic that covered Tremble's face, and a wig to tie it all together. Filming. Filming took place in several locations in British Columbia, Canada, and Coney Island, New York from October 18th to December 13th, 2016. Music. Marcelo Zarvos composed the film's score. B. Miller composed a song for the film, Brand New Eyes. It was released on August 3rd, 2017. Wonder Author R.J. A Palacio has often credited Natalie Merchant song Wonder from her 1995 album Tiger Lily as the inspiration for her best-selling book. At Merchants's Invitation, the

song was featured on the soundtrack. The song is also played during the film's end credits release. Lion's Gate had initially scheduled Wonder to be released in the United States on April 7th, 2017. On February 13th, 2017, it was announced that the release date had Been pushed back to November 17th, 2017. Wonder had its world premiere at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles on November 14th, 2017. Reception: Box Office. Wanda grossed $132 million in the United States and Canada and $182 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $315 million against a production budget

of $20 million. Deadline Hollywood calculated the film made a net profit of $55.3 million when factoring together all expenses and Revenues. In the United States and Canada, Wonder opened alongside Justice League, The Star, and Roman J. Israel Esq and was initially projected to gross around $9 million from 396 theaters in its first weekend. However, after grossing $740,000 from Thursday night previews and receiving a large number of group ticket sales, weekend projections were up to $15 million. Weekend projections were again increased, this time to $28 Million. After the film made $9.4 4 million on its first

day. The film went on to debut to $27.5 million, finishing second at the box office behind Justice League. In its second weekend, the film dropped just 17.7%, grossing $22.7 million and finishing third at the box office. critical response on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The film has an approval rating of 86% based on 189 reviews and an average rating of July 1st 10. The Site's critical consensus reads, "Wonder doesn't shy away from its best-selling source material sentiment, but this well-acted and overall winsome drama earns its tugs at the heartstrings." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted

average score of 66 out of 100 based on 33 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews. Audiences pulled by Cinema Score gave the film an average grade of A+ on an A+ to F scale, one of approximately 100 films in the history Of the service to receive the grade. Some reviewers criticized the decision to cast an actor without the same condition as Auggie as undermining the film's message. In August 2021, during Edinburghough TV Festival's McTagert lecture, coowwriter Jack Thorne, while not specifically citing Wonder, acknowledged that he had failed to stand up for disabled talent on projects involving

the subject and sought to rectify this through pushing for new Disability initiatives like underlying health condition, which launched in December 2021. Based on the RJ Palasio novel of the same name, Wonder follows a year in the life of August Pullman, Jacob Trembley, Auggie for short. He was born with a genetic abnormality that has required him to undergo surgeries and medical treatments since his earliest days. Director Steven Chbosski has managed to take a story that could have been painfully mockish and made it Genuinely moving in mostly understated ways. The makeup work here is solid and believable,

revealing Auggie's sad eyes behind downturned facial lines and nubs of skin for ears. He's a prepubescent Rocky Dennis. The script corritten by Chbosski, Steve Conrad, and Jack Thorne is wise to establish quickly that Auggie is a regular kid in every other way. He loves Star Wars and Minecraft. He has an aptitude for science, a sly sense of humor, and an active Imagination that helps him navigate uncomfortable situations. Wonder occasionally dabbles in magical realism, but in ways that are more amusing than distracting. Uniformly strong performances help ground the story. Trembley, who showed instincts beyond his years

in the devastating 2015 drama Room, provides both a sweetness and an intelligence to his 10-year-old character that make him accessible, even when he's wearing an astronaut helmet to Hide his face. Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson find just the right notes as his supportive parents. But the real surprise here is Isabella Vidavik as Trembley's older sister, who's been generous enough to allow her brother to be the center of the family's attention at the expense of her own emotional need. His mom, Isabelle Roberts, put her career on hold to homeschool him from the beginning in the family's

Brooklyn Brownstone. But now that Auggie is of Middle school age, Isabelle and his dad, Nate Wilson, decide to send him to Beacher Prep so he'll learn to socialize with other kids and become more comfortable in the outside world. All are understandably apprehensive about this major shift. Fraught as it is with the potential for bullying and isolation. And indeed, when his parents walk him to the front gates and send him off on his own for the first time, the kids on campus stop their conversations To gawk and part for him. But Chbosski depicts this event matterof

factly, allowing the tension of the moment to emerge naturally. There are some familiar figures here. the hip teacher who gives innovative assignments that just happen to coincide with the film's themes. David Diggs, the mean rich kid who torments him alongside a posy of brutes. Bryce Gisar, the shy girl who might become an unexpected friend, Millie Davis. But the effortless Connection Auggie strikes up with a kid named Jack Will, Noah Jup, who also feels like an outsider as a working-class scholarship student, is one of the film's truest joys, as well as a source of legitimate drama.

Just when wonder seems to be settling into a routine at school, it shifts and revisits that first day from a variety of other characters perspectives. So, we learn what happened to Auggie's lonely sister Via when she met a cute new boy, Naji Jeter, and dared to sign up for the high school play. We get a glimpse into Jack Will's home life, which enriches the significance of his relationship with Auggie. We find out what's really going on with Via's lifelong best friend, Miranda Danielle Rose Russell, who suddenly snubbed her at the start of the school year.

As he did with his insightful young adult drama, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Jibbosski handles major adolescent events with decency and Grace. The cumulative effect, as overly simplistic as it may sound, is the powerful understanding of what it feels like to walk in someone else's shoes. The emotion of this enlightenment sneaks up on you in quiet ways. Even Wilson, whose character feels underwritten beyond providing comic relief during moments of family tension, gets perhaps the most heartbreaking, uplifting line in the whole film. You'll shed a tear or two, especially if you're a parent, and They'll

be totally earned. All of which makes it so frustrating that wonder throws that restraint and goodwill out the window in its finale and turns wildly sentimental. Chibbosski cranks up the feel-good with a climax full of wild applause at the most clichéed place possible, a school assembly. How is it possible that so many cinematic moments of truth take place before a packed auditorium? But the film does so much so well for so long that its pack Conclusion feels forgivable. Early on during a screening of Wonder, when the film first reveals the scars and deformities that mark

the hero's face, my 8-year-old son turned to me and whispered, "He looks weird." Once the movie was over, as we were walking out of the theater and I asked him what he thought, he exclaimed, "I loved it. Such is the film's transformative power. It is a machine for creating empathy. There's a trickliness to this Manipulative movie. More hearts sinker than heartwarmer about Auggie, a 10-year-old kid with a rare facial disfigurement played in prosthetic makeup by Jacob Trembley. He's been taught at home by his concerned and caring parents, played by Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson. While

successive surgeries partly improved his condition, but this brave boy must now start school and face down the bullying and staring without the toy astronaut Helmet that he has until now always worn outside. Meanwhile, Auggie's older teen sister Via Isabella Vdavic has issues of her own. She is angry and conflicted about her parents neglecting her needs in favor of Auggies. The movie appears very well-intentioned, but those good intentions may be as fabricated as everything else here. Certainly, Wilson's performance is horribly fake. Phoning it in with the same old halting draw. He looked a lot more emotionally

Engaged with his Labrador in Marley and Me than he does with any human being here. And Roberts keeps doing her dying down to a whisper voice at moments of emotional suffering. Auggie's face is undoubtedly shocking at first, though far less challenging than Rocky's face in Peter Bogdanovich's comparable 1985 film Mask. And as Auggie is a 10-year-old rather than a teenager, some harder and more adult questions about what his condition means for his Emotional life need never be asked. This movie is based on the best-selling 2012 novel by R.J. Palacio. Although tellingly, that book was avowedly

based on the author's experience of seeing a girl with a facial disfigurement. By switching the gender in a film about the importance of looks, the stakes are marginally but distinctly lowered. It might have been better as a long- form TV drama, like a cross between My So-Called Life and The Wonder Years, and The soapy nature of the story is at first reasonably promising. When Auggie first shows up at school, he is greeted by the kindly wise bearded principal Mandy Patankan, who has ordered a handpicked group of pupils to show him around. One is Jack, played

by Noah Jup, and another is Julian, Bryce Gisar. Jack sees past what Auggie looks like, and they become friends, though their relationship is not without its trials. Julian's job is to be the obviously Nasty, sneery bully without whom this story cannot function. The Tiny Flashman underlines everyone else's good faith. It becomes clear, however, that despite the principal having a zero tolerance attitude towards bullying, the film has a zero tolerance attitude towards being judgmental. It is soon implied that Julian's behavior is actually the fault of his smarmy parents. We finally get a glimpse of Julian, smilingly

happy and forgiven as he joins in with the general Acclaim for Auggie's courage. As for Vaia, her best friend Miranda Danielle Rose Russell has returned to school from her summer break with a trendy new hairstyle and has apparently dropped her as a friend. Her only ally and confidant was her late grandmother, played in Cameo by Sonia Braga. Last seen as the music critic in Cleberman Don Sophilio's film Aquarius. Confused and hurt, Vaia throws herself into trying out for the school play where an impossibly cute, Hip, sensitive, glasseswearing boy called Justin Naji Jeter instantly falls for

her. Her trials are not so bad. All of these characters, or nearly all of them, are given backstories, heralded by their names and inter titles, sympathetically letting us into their private lives. Not Julian, though. He gets to be the bully and that's it. But there are no real ironies or complexities and Miranda's secret emotional journey is outrageously Unlikely. It is a film with all the depth of a fridge magnet. Auggie Pulman, Jacob Trembley, the central character in Steven Chbosski's Wonder, is a brainy 10-year-old boy with a sweet high voice and a congenital facial deformity whom

numerous corrective surgeries have left looking like a cherub after a car accident. His left eye tugs downward as if a teardrop were falling from it. His ears are bulbs of flesh and his face is Framed by a pinkish ring of scar tissue. That said, he's not the Phantom of the Opera. He's just an ordinary kid whose looks take a bit of getting used to. Auggie is a science geek who loves Star Wars and Minecraft, ice cream, and Xbox sports games. He's fueled by all-American fantasies of going to outer space. He likes to walk around in

a toy astronaut helmet that conceals him and feeds his dreams. His face, which looks youthful and old at the same time, is Jarring the first time you see it. But the more you take in his innocent, if slightly ask you, elfen features, the more his soul shines through. Any thoughts that he's ugly or odd are really in the eye of the beholder. Movies about people with dramatic disfigurements run a high risk of being mockish and manipulative. Yet maybe because the dangers of grotesque sentimentality loom so large, a handful of filmmakers over the years have made

a Point of taking on stories like this one and treading carefully around the pitfalls. David Lynch did it in The Elephant Man, 1980. His shrewdly restrained underbelly of London Gothic horror weeper, which revealed John Merrick beneath his warped and bubbled flesh to be a figure of entrancing delicacy. Peter Bogdanovich did it in Mask 1985. His straightup tale of a teenager with a face of scowlling stranges who came to Embrace the person he was. Wonder is a movie that belongs in their company. It's a very tasteful heart tugger, a drama of disarmingly level-headed empathy that glides

along with wit, assurance, and grace, and has something touching and resonant to say about the current climate of American bullying. At the same time, the film never upsets the apple cart of conventionality. Wonder is an honest, feel-good movie, but it lacks the pricklier edges of art. Auggie has Been homeschooled by his mother, Isabelle, Julia Roberts, in their cozy Brooklyn Brownstone. But now that he's 10, she and Auggie's dad, Nate Owen Wilson, have made the decision to send him to middle school. They know they can't shield him from the world forever, and they have no desire

to. Roberts and Wilson make a compelling team. They play the Pullmans as supremely sensitive, loving parents who have the occasional tugof-war spat about what's best for Their special son. Yet, both want him to stand up for himself and to be part of a community. Auggie wants that, too. Though the kids he meets at Beacher Prep School don't make it easy. By the end of his first day there, he has already been nicknamed after one of his favorite Star Wars characters, Barf Hideous. And he chops off the rat tail braid that's his only fashion statement. A

testament to the destructive power of peer pressure. Just enough of the kids treat Auggie Like a freak to make the belief that he is one tough for him to shake. This is the third feature directed by Chbosski, the novelist who actually got his start as a filmmaker with a 1995 indie, The Four Corners of Nowhere. And it was his second, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, 2012, that established him as a major directorial voice. Adapted from his own first novel, Perks was the most remarkable coming of age movie in years, a drama that took in

with astonishing Authenticity the pleasures and perils of teenage life. It also used David Bow's heroes in a way that's so transporting it trumps every musical sequence in Baby Driver. Wonder is a movie by the same sharpeyed, openhearted, closed to the ground filmmaker. Chbosski, working in the tradition of Jonathan Dem, doesn't hype what he shows you, and he cuts to the humanity of everyone on screen, even those who act badly. He has a touching refusal to demonize. Wonder, adapted From R.J. Palacio's 2012 novel, which took its title from the 1995 Natalie Merchant song about overcoming disfigurement,

is a less audacious film than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. But Chbosski's intense understanding of the layered personalities of kids is a rare gift. He lets the movie breathe by refusing to restrict the drama to Auggie's point of view. It's built around his gentle sadness and yearning, but it opens up into chapters told from The vantage of Jack Noah Jup, his science class partner, who looks like he might be turning into Auggie's buddy, only to leave him with a sense that he can't trust anyone, and Auggie's high school sister via Isabella Vuvik, who's the

most complicated character in the movie. She has grown up in a family so organized around Auggie that her own needs can never come first. She wouldn't think to question that, but the dynamic has graced her with both compassion and A hidden wound, and Vidavik's pensive presence lends her scenes a wrapped center of gravity. Chbosski has a sixth sense for how to let a drama flow from anecdote to anecdote. Auggie's favorite holiday, Halloween, leads to the moment when he overhears Jack, goated by the smug, fashionable Julian, Bryce Gisar, snarking to the other kids about him. A

devastating betrayal, but one that turns out to be crucial to cementing their friendship. Jack can't get past his Prejudice until he has outed it. Wonder is a movie that's finally attuned to what bullying is actually about. Kids walling off their feelings, giving into the dark side of themselves to be superior. Bullies, of course, weren't born bad. But in Wonder, the idea is no pious abstraction. It plays out in every encounter between Auggie and those who would treat him meanly. The scenes are really about how his presence is a threat to their too cool for schoolness.

Wonder, as effective as it is, is a movie in which everything has a way of working out with tidy benevolence. Vaia goes from being shunned by her best friend Danielle Rose Russell, who has joined a hippoc to falling for a charismatic kid, Naji Jeter. From the drama club to trying out for a student production of Our Town, to winning her friend back to becoming the understudy who knocks him dead on opening night. Auggie over the course of fifth grade Goes from being the school goat to a school hero. Yet Jacob Trembley acting from behind his

transformative makeup roots that journey in something real. The fact that who you are, whether you look like Auggie Pulman or someone more normal, can be a prison or a liberation depending on the path you choose. Of all the films this year with Wonder in the title, Wonderond Struck, Wonder Woman, Wonderhe, Professor Marston and the Wonder Woman, this is the one that comes Closest to living up to the emotional alchemy of that word. It's been a relatively low-key few years for Julia Roberts. She's made several films, some good August, Osage County, some not so good, Smurfs,

The Lost Village, but it feels a while since the last Julia Roberts movie, the like of which dominated the box office in the9s and naughties. Those glossy, hugely engaging studio pictures driven by strong female characters and which, if we were lucky, Would offer the bonus of one of her irrepressible bursts of laughter. A Julia Roberts movie would from Steel Magnolia's to Aaron Brochovich have a big heart. In many of those respects, Wonder, adapted from RJ Palasio's popular 2012 children's novel, is in the classic Roberts mold. She plays kids book illustrator and part-time MA student Isabelle,

mom to teenager Olivia Vidavik, and her little brother, sci-fi obsessed Auggie, Trembley. The film Opens with him bouncing in slow motion clad in astronaut suit complete with enormous NASA helmet. Dad Nate played by Owen Wilson rounds out the family. The New York they live in shot by Forest Gump DP Don Burgess could not be more charming. Brownstone town houses turning autumnal leaves bright yellow taxis. They even have an adorable dog. There is however a twist in their tail. Auggie has treat Collins syndrome resulting in conspicuous facial abnormalities. Suddenly the helmet which painfully self-conscious he insists

on wearing makes all too much sense. There's a danger with such material of descending into mockishness. And while wonder doesn't escape this entirely, at the helm is writer director Steven Chopsky, whose previous film was the sweet but by no means sentimental the perks of being a wallflower. As Auggie negotiates the pitfalls of school for the first time with gentle wit, Chopsky delicately Adopts a pattern of light and dark that runs through the film, acknowledging that life is and people are a blend of the two. The cast sell this well. Roberts is as watchable as ever.

Her ability to convey complex emotions with a brief look unddeinished. And yes, we get one trademark belly laugh. Wilson is the fun dad we'd all love to have and brings more depth to his role than is in the script. Their dialed back performances ring with more truth for Their understatement. But this is Jacob Trembbley's film. Having impressed in room, the 11-year-old inhabits the role entirely, conveying his joys, disappointments, fears, and hopes with just a glance from under heavy prosthetics. Also handling his character sporadic voice over, a dangerous device that can. The chapter structure offering different

characters perspectives creates uneven pacing, some elements feeling rushed and occasionally wonders Laudable messages can feel heavy-handed. A syrupy manipulative musical score that wouldn't be out of place in a '90s we pie of the week seems a misstep. Yet, its themes of compassion, acceptance, and kindness ring loud and clear. It's a film with a big heart. We're no strangers to films that make us cry at the Hollywood outsider. Whether for sad or happy moments, there's nothing wrong with shedding a few tears. That's why a lot of us go to the theater. After all, We often yearn

for a movie will elicit some type of emotional response. When I walked into Wonder, which is based on the book by R.J. Palacio, I had my proverbial box of tissue ready to go. I've been reading the book to my fourth grade class. And even though I was only a third of the way through, it affected both me and my students. It's a story that feels very modern and it's told in such a way that makes the characters feel like real people. The film is no Different and gives a full emotional roller coaster at various moments

during its 113 minutes. In Wonder, Jacob Trembley plays August Pullman, a fifth grade boy with a rare genetic disease that has disfigured his face since birth. Auggie has spent the first decade of his life in and out of hospitals with over a score of surgeries. More important to the story, he's never been in a traditional school with other children. His mother, Isabelle, gave up Her dream of being a writer to instead raise and homeschool her son. But now, Isabelle and her husband Nate consider putting Auggie into a mainstream middle school in New York. As expected,

the sight of August is a shock to his new classmates. A very small minority are kind to him, but many treat him like a leper with the plague. The story unfolds into a life lesson of choosing kindness over being right. Yes, the story is an emotional one, but I appreciated its Delivery of empathy as a theme even more. While Auggie may be the main character of this story, his perspective isn't the only one we get to hear. His sister Olivia Vaia has grown up in the shadow of her younger brother. While she takes it in

stride, she struggled with a lack of attention even as she enters high school. We also see August's story from the point of view of one of his new friends at school and even Olivia's childhood friend who has drifted after Entering secondary school. It's interesting seeing this story told from so many characters perspective where most stories like this one might take the easy route and make its audience feel sorry for the main character. This one shows us how a situation like this has an effect on others around them in a world focused on self-centeredness. I found

this to be a breath of fresh air. It's a story that I hope more people will see and take to heart. Jacob Trembley is probably most recognizable from his role in the Oscar winning room from 2016. While his performance feels more scripted this time around, his ability to convey an intelligent yet frustrated boy under an incredible amount of prosthetics is astounding. He offers a very adult performance that continues to solidify his name in my list of actors to watch closely. Roberts shines as August's mother, Isabelle. You can see and believe the pain in her face

When her son attempts to hide his face from the world. Likewise, you can see the bridal joy behind her eyes when he makes his first friend. I even found myself impressed with Owen Wilson, who typically hangs his hat on being that laid-back, funny guy. To a degree, his nate is that guy, but he never crosses the line of being anything more than a loving father with a sense of humor. This is the second film as of late where he surprised me with his acting chops. I Want more. I know I'm not an ordinary kind of

a kid. I've had 27 surgeries. They help me to breathe, to see, to hear without a hearing aid, but none of them have me look ordinary. I have to say that I did enjoy this movie about a boy who is born with a genetic disorder. That means over the first part of his life, he has to undergo constant facial surgeries to allow him to live a normal life. These surgeries leave him with extreme facial scarring that has the Side effect of ostracizing him from society. This is the story of how he has to brave the

outside world, face his fears as well as others misunderstanding of his condition as well as attempt to make friends with children who can be cruel. Something we are reminded of constantly throughout this movie. As you would expect from a movie like this, the main character of the story is the child Auggie who through many interactions does find acceptance as well as becoming The hero of his own story. Something that is signposted from the very beginning. This is no knock on the movie as I expect that the end product is exactly what everyone involved was working

towards. This was based on a work of fiction that was driven out of a real event as well as incorporating many other ideas which all seem to work well. teaching tolerance as well as the acceptance of others no matter how they look on the surface. However, this is All told from the point of view of white rich New York elites that for me simplifies issues of race, economics as well as level of education. Wonder 2017 revolves mainly around August Auggie Pulman. Jacob Trembley is a young boy born with a facial deformity who has been in

and out of hospitals for years. With the help of his mother, Isabelle, Julia Roberts, and his father, Nate Owen Wilson, he tries to fit in at a new school, Beer Prep, and to show everyone He is just an ordinary kid and that beauty is not just on the outside. This movie is a slick piece of work with a plot that is certainly not original, but does attempt to broaden its horizons as well as make a comment on the way children are raised, the sacrifices that are made in the process of raising children, what can go

wrong in terms of health issues, roles parent, and many other pertinent aspects of raising children. These are all noble points, But the one thing that is missed or ignored, which can be an issue for many movies, is that the families as well as all their friends are wealthy, which means many problems are solved by just waving money at them. At no time whatsoever does Auggie or his family have to worry about money for rent, food, tuition, toys, computers, or anything. In fact, the family live in a brownstone in New York that go for at least

2.5 million US. Augie's room by Itself is larger than many apartments. He has his own computer, television, huge mural, and many other toys most children would kill for. The roles of the parents are unclear. They are obviously liberals sending their son to a liberal school where the curriculum that is taught is again enriched by money as well as of course pointing out how left-hinking they are with a female science teacher as well as an African-American teacher peppering the Class with other cultures. Although there is the point made that the baddies are nebish white new money

conservatives. These are almost all tropes that have been transported from any number of genres and other family movies. Back to the parents. The mother played by A-listister Julia Roberts is just as you would expect. the perfect mother who can put up with her husband, is able to give her son the best homeschool education. He is, of course, Smarter than all the other children he goes to school with, makes perfect food, looking extremely healthy, and is able to not blink an eye when her daughter brings home someone non-white. The father, played with charm by Owen Wilson,

is the funniest guy in the room, has a job that goes unexplained, but raas in the money to afford their lavish lifestyle. The only real in the armor of the family is the daughter Vaia played by Isabella Vadavik who feels Like she has been sidelined by Auggie's issues as well being ignored by a childhood friend. Of course, her issues are completely resolved by the end of the movie much like everyone else's. The typical Hollywood movie as well as a complete fantasy based on a fictional story. The novel that this movie is based on is completely

fiction. It was written by a woman that saw a child with a facial deformity in an ice cream shop with her own child. In thinking that her Child would be upset and cause a scene, she attempted to remove herself from that situation. In doing so, she caused a huge scene. This is not necessarily a negative aspect, but it does lead into the movie itself as it concentrates on one aspect of a story, but really whitewashes any other issues the typical family might face, which this one really does not. in saying all of this about wonder

and it may seem I am being overly negative but there is still a lot to Like about the movie. For one, it is a family movie that should appeal to almost any age be they five or above. This movie speaks to so much about what it is like starting anything new. There is fear trepidation about the unknown and that is before taking into account the feeling that you are different to everyone else. This movie deals with that along with the knowledge that this will never change. It teaches us that acceptance is important as well as

the Idea that there will always be people that accept you for who you are as well as those who never will. These are all positive messages that cannot be underestimated by viewers of this very well executed movie. Steven Chbosski who also directed The Perks of Being a Wallflower 2012 here has almost everything a director could want. A compelling story, an excellent cast, as well as a great location. He puts them all together to create a Unique story centered around breakout star Jacob Trembley who so impressed with Room 2015. Here he almost carries the entire movie

with what looks like ease. Of course, there is a lot of work he must do, which is easy to see once you compare his performance to some of the other child actors. The rest of the cast, including superstar Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson, do exactly what you expect, which is to show their supercharged talents to bring More urgency as well as emotion that helps to highlight the issues that their son faces. I can recommend this as a movie to see in cinemas as a family. It teaches without being too preachy, as well as giving children

the agency to make decisions that have a direct effect on not only their lives, but others as well. It's hard to nitpick a movie as well-intentioned as Wonder. It may be a little sticky, sweet, and eager to pull at the heartstrings, but thankfully it Isn't as cloying or as preachy as something like Pay It Forward. Instead, it wears its heart on its sleeve and plays more like a mild child version of Mask. In Wonder, young Auggie, Jacob Trembley, prepares for his first day of school after having been homeschooled for quite some time. This transition would

be difficult for any child, but it is doubly so for Auggie because he was born with a birth defect that affects his facial features. Despite his Overwhelming fear of what other kids will think of his appearance, this youngster enters his new school with his head held high. Sadly, Auggie is bullied to a certain extent, but much to the delight of his loving parents, played by Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson. He makes a handful of friends, too. And throughout this journey, we the viewer discover that a few important individuals in Auggie's life have their own hardships

to deal with. Wonder is Based on the New York Times bestseller and it was directed by the Perks of Being a Wallflower Helmer Steven Chboski. It is a bit precious and tends to lean a little on the heavy-handed side at times, but it's also pretty darn sincere. A lot of that sincerity comes through in a trio of emotionally rich performances by Wilson, Roberts, and Young Trembley, who after leaving quite an impression in 2015, continues to deliver the goods. Wonder Benefits from a warm roster of supporting players as well. Isabella Vidavik is compassionate and fittingly conflicted

as Auggie's older sister. She adores her brother and would do anything for him, but she sometimes doesn't feel she gets the support she needs. Veteran Mandy Patankan, the princess bride, is also terrific, if a little underutilized as a stern but understanding school principal. Wonder offers up a muchneeded anti-bully sentiment in a world that Desperately needs it. But Chbosski deals with this theme in an interesting way by showing that this is learned behavior and by daring to have one character man up and own a terrible mistake made rather than denying it and getting away with it

without any repercussions. That said, Wonder doesn't always come up aces despite its well-intentioned nature. There are moments that are a little eye roll worthy and the double backplot structure. There are stretches here when The movie jumps back to a specific character and delves a little further into their story feels more intrusive than necessary. Had Wonder been told as a straightforward narrative, it probably would have been more effective. Instead, the movie feels a little oversted and even resorts to an off-tangent plot development that is very reminiscent of Marley and Me. True, Wonder is essentially a story

about life and overcoming obstacles, but it would have Greatly benefited from a more honed in story structure. All of that said, Wonder is worthy of a viewing, and it's definitely a film kids should see because it does teach an important life lesson about compassion and acceptance in a way that they'll understand. Of course, it also helps that the pint-sized emotional powerhouse that serves as this film's protagonist is also a big Star Wars fan, and what kid can't relate to that? I screened the Movie Wonder among a full house of adults and children at the Regal

Siero Vista Cinema on Wednesday night. Since I did not read the book by RJ Palasios, I didn't go in with any expectations. I did hear that it was going to be a tearjerker, but admittedly forgot to bring tissues. So, if you don't get anything else out of this review, trust me, bring tissues. The screenplay written by director Steven Chbosski along with Steven Conrad and Jack Thorne Intertwines funny and heart-wrenching moments throughout the entire 1 hour and 53 minute runtime. Rated PG, Wonder is the story of a 10-year-old boy named August Auggie. Pullman born with a

rare genetic disorder called mandibular facial disystosis, also known as treater Cullen syndrome, TCS. Jacob Trembley gives a great performance as Auggie who despite his distorted face is a normal lovable kid. The story is told by multiple viewpoints. Opening with Auggie's point of view. Auggie feels that he is not an ordinary kid. But after watching this movie, you will come to the conclusion that he is correct. He's not ordinary. He's extraordinary. Jacob Trembley is adorable. Julia Roberts plays his mom, who is torn between being overprotective and allowing Auggie to learn how to function in the real

world. Her performance is flawless. Owen Wilson plays his dad who also worries about Auggie, but he's more Of the fun parent. He too is perfectly cast. Isabella Vidavik plays Auggie's teenage sister, Vaia. She's had to live in her brother's shadow because he's had 27 surgeries in his short life. Isabella does an impeccable job portraying the overlooked child who has more responsibilities placed on her because her parents are busy tending to her sick brother. She says that August is the son and she, her mom and dad, are the planets that revolve around him. Being Raised in

a Greek/Italian household and the oldest of two brothers, I can sincerely relate. Sons generally tend to be the chosen ones of families. Though she understands why Auggie needs her parents' attention, Via can't help but feel neglected. Auggie has been homeschooled, but his mother wants him to go to regular school and thinks this is a good time since all the kids will be new to the middle school. He is scared. His sister whispers in his ear To be himself, not to fit in when you were born to stand out. Dr. Seuss quote as he expected he

is met with ridicule and extreme bullying but he carries his mother's advice with him if you don't like where you are just picture yourself where you want to be and be the bigger person the other child actors in this film Millie Davis Noah Jup Bryce Gisar El McKinnon and Danielle Rose Russell are also fantastic you'll have flashbacks from middle school or junior High if you're from my generation there's so many important life lessons to be learned from this movie by adults and children alike. Lessons about friendship, love, compassion, acceptance, courage, and why society should adopt

a universal zero tolerance for bullying. The principal, Mr. Tushman, played by Mandy Patankan, makes a profound statement to the parents of one of the bullies. I think it sums up the theme perfectly. He said, "If we Can't change the way we look, maybe we can change the way we see." Today, I accompanied my school's middle-ear students on a trip to the cinema to see Wonder, a new film based on the best-selling book by the same name about a boy who has facial differences. Jacob Trembley plays August Pullman alongside Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson, who play

his parents. The stage is set when the Pullman's decide that Auggie should start fifth grade in a mainstream School, having been homeschooled by his mother until then. Mandy Patankan plays a very wise and empathetic school principal, Mr. Tushman. What a sad world we live in when a kid gets less attention walking through the city or a park wearing a space helmet than he does when wearing his own face. It's human nature, I know, but that doesn't make it okay. This film challenges that default setting in a very compelling way. Auggie's teacher, Mr. Brown, challenges The

kids to ask themselves, "What sort of person am I?" This movie challenges every audience member to ask themselves the same question. How do I deal with difference? What does my face tell them? What kind of friend am I? What monuments do my deeds leave? The audience feels sympathetic to Auggie long before they see his face. When he says, "I know I'll never be an ordinary kid. Ordinary kids don't make others run away from playgrounds." It's like a punch in the Stomach that leaves you winded. As the movie rolls on, we also see that the regular

kids like Auggie's sister Vaia have their own challenges with acceptance and friendship, even without the extra challenges that some kids face. Over and over, this film reminds me again just how cruel kids and people in general can be in so many ways. The journey of discovering who is real and who is not is often painful and traumatic. Together, Auggie and Vaia Realize that they are each other's best friends and lean to rely on each other for the support and love that they need to get through each day. The development of genuine friendship reminds us that

looking past the surface to really see someone is what makes a crucial difference to anyone, but especially those who are so aware of that surface. There is also a painful reminder that even the nice kids can make mistakes when they focus on appearances instead Of who someone really is. This movie delivers so many powerful lessons about accepting others and even more about accepting ourselves. In both cases, we need to learn to live according to the precept established by Mr. Brown in Auggie's first lesson in fifth grade. When you have that a choice between being right

or being kind, choose kind. Sounds simple, perhaps too simple. But is it? The hardest part may be in finding the willingness to step out of Our comfort zones and open our own minds to each other and the possibilities that our differences bring. Based on the novel of the same name by R.J. Palacio, Wonder focuses on Auggie Pulman, Jacob Trembley, a fifth grader going to school for the first time after being homeschooled by his mother, Julia Roberts. Auggie has treat Collins syndrome and so despite numerous surgeries, does not quite look like the other kids. At Beacher

Prep, he faces The shocked staires of his schoolmates and the bullying antics of some. But of course, this is Schmaltz 101, so we know he will triumph above it all. From the sounds of it, Wonder screenplay by director Steven Chbosski along with Steven Conrad and Jack Thorne, has stayed very faithful to the novel, which has its pros and cons. The film is broken into apparent chapters, each from a different character's point of view. On the one hand, this is a fantastic Approach because it pays greater attention to the feelings of those around Auggie, most notably

Auggie's older sister via Isabella Vdavik. Unfortunately, these sections vary so much in terms of their importance and pacing and make for an odd narrative structure. Some obvious characters, such as Auggie's parents, are left out. And most disappointingly, about 2/3 of the way through the film, this device is thrown out. Even though it could have Been taken further, while this chapter approach seems like an attempt to stay true to the book, it results in a film that lacks fluidity. Wonder poster. Jacob Trembley is an absolute gem in the leading role of Auggie. After a stellar performance

in 2015's Room, he delivers again here, which is no mean feat given he's limited in the facial expressions he is able to convey underneath all that makeup. Some of the other child actors who play Auggie's peers aren't quite as strong, but then maybe my standards are too high after it and Stranger Things. 16-year-old Isabella Vidavik is a highlight as Vaia, the older sister who craves more attention from her parents who seem to use it all up on Auggie given his higher needs. It's always good to see the impact on siblings and it's something that Wonder

does very well. Something that was particularly heartening to see was the portrayal of The school bully's parents. completely unwilling to see any fault in their own child or to admit any kind of responsibility for bad parenting. Wonder makes a clear comment on why nasty kids turn out the way they do. It's enough to even make you feel a bit sorry for the jerk. In contrast, Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson portray the sort of parents who should be cherished. Not perfect, but doing a damn good job. Mandy Patankan as the school principal and Hamilton alumnist David

Diggs as the coolest teacher ever are great, but their characters are almost too wonderful to be believed. The film includes some fun little quirks to show Auggie's imagination and his coping mechanisms. Star Wars fans will get a kick out of one of them. Most importantly, it boasts a lovely message about choosing kindness and looking past appearances. Overall, it is a feel-good film with an obvious Lesson and corny dialogue a plenty. Just watch the trailer. Sometimes it's cringe-worthy, but ultimately it's really pretty sweet. Take your kids for a lesson in empathy and maybe some tissues as

well. Directed by Steven Chbosski. Greenplay by Steven Chbosski. Steven Conrad. Jack Thorne. Based on Wonder by RJ Palasio. Produced by David Hobbererman, Todd Lieberman, Darring, Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Trembley, Mandy Patankan, David Diggs. Cinematography Don Burgess. Edited by Mark Levoli. Music by Marcelo Zarvos. Production companies Lionscape. Participant Media, Walden Media, Mandeville Films, TK Films. Distributed by Lionsgate. Release date, November 14th, 2017. Regency Village Theater, November 17th, 2017. United States. Running time 113 minutes. Country: United States. Language: English. Budget $20 million. box office $315 million who co-wrote the screenplay with Steven Conrad and Jack Thorne.

It is based on the 2012 novel by R.J. Palacio and stars Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Trembley, Mandy Patankan, and David Diggs. The film follows a boy named August Auggie Pulman with preacher Collins syndrome as he tries to fit in. The film was released in the United States on November 17th, 2017 by Lionsgate. It received positive reviews from critics and grossed 315 million worldwide on a $20 million production Budget at the 90th Academy Awards. The film was nominated for best makeup and hair styling. A spin-off and prequel film White Bird was released in October 2024

with Bryce Gisar reprising his role. But August Auggie Pulman is a 10-year-old boy living in Brooklyn with his parents Isabelle and Nate, older sister Olivia Vaia, and their dog Daisy. Auggie was born with a rare medical facial deformity, mandibular facial disysistosis. He has undergone 27 surgeries to help him function and wears an astronaut helmet when out in public. Auggie has been homeschooled by Isabelle, but as he approaches the fifth grade, his parents decide to enroll him at Beacher Prep, a private middle school. When the school year begins, Auggie is ostracized and is constantly bullied by

Julian Albins, the class bully, and Julian's friends Amos Ki, Miles Nar, and Henry Joplain. But he soon forms a close friendship with his Classmate Jack Will, whom he met during a tour of the school. For Halloween, Auggie dresses as Ghost Face from the previous year when Daisy ruins his planned Boba Fett costume. While entering his home room, Auggie overhears Jack, who does not recognize him, joining Julian and his friends in teasing Auggie behind his back. Auggie also overhears Jack saying that he was forced to be friends with Auggie and would kill himself if he looked

the Same, which hurts him a lot. An upset Auggie fains illness, forcing his mother to abandon her motheraughter day with Via to pick him up. Though she is hurt, Via convinces Auggie to go trick-or-treating with her as she has been rejected by her own best friend, Miranda Navvice. Auggie begins avoiding Jack and forms a new friendship with another classmate, Summer Dawson, confiding in her about his split with Jack. When Jack eventually asks Summer Why Auggie is avoiding him, she says, "Ghost face." Jack realizes his mistake and resolves to make it up to Auggie by being

his partner for the science fair instead of partnering with Julian and Amos. When Julian confronts Jack about it and calls Auggie a freak, they get into a fight. Outraged, Julian ends his friendship with Jack. Jack is suspended for two days and the principal, Mr. Lawrence Tushman reads Jack's letter about Defending Auggie. Jack then apologizes to Auggie via Minecraft and they reconcile. Meanwhile, Via has been feeling left out. Ever since Auggie was born, her parents have spent considerably more time looking after him than paying attention to her. Vaia signs up for the drama club after meeting

theater nerd Justin Hollander, with whom she begins a romantic relationship. Vaia is selected as Miranda's understudy for the lead role in the school's production Of Our Town. But on opening night, Miranda fains illness to let Via take her place after learning that Via's family is in attendance while her own is not. Via gives a moving performance, earning a standing ovation and reconciles with Miranda. Auggie's popularity and circle of friends grow after he and Jack win first prize at the science fair. But Julian and his friends continue to bully Auggie. Eventually, Mr. The Tutman confronts Julian

and his Parents with evidence, including hate notes and a class picture with Auggie photoshopped out and a caption that reads, "No freaks allowed." And at the back of the class picture, Julian wrote, "Do everyone a favor and die." Mrs. Albins admits she deleted Auggie from the picture, defends Julian's actions, and insists that students should not be exposed to Auggie. Despite the Alburn's threats to pull funding, Julian is suspended for 2 days, forcing him to Miss an upcoming nature retreat. As they leave, Mrs. Albins declares that Julian will not be back in the fall. However, Julian

apologizes to Mr. Tushman, who forgives him. At the nature retreat, Auggie and Jack are threatened by a trio of seventh graders from another school, but Amos, Miles, and Henry defend them. Just before Auggie's graduation, Nate reveals to him that he put his astronaut helmet in his office and asks Auggie if he needs it back, but he happily Dismisses this. At the graduation ceremony, Auggie thanks Isabelle for enrolling him in school, and Isabelle tells Auggie that he is a wonder. Auggie is given the Henry Ward Beecher Medal for his strength and courage throughout the school year.

Gasp. Jacob Trembley as August Auggie Pulman, a boy with treater Collins syndrome. Julia Roberts as Isabelle Pullman, Auggie's mother. Owen Wilson as Nate Pulman, Auggie's father. Isabella Vidavik as Olivia Via Pullman, Auggie's older sister. Mackey Margaret Chbosski as young Vaia. Mandy Patankan as Mr. Lawrence Tushman, Auggie's principal. David Diggs as Mr. Thomas Brown, Auggie's English teacher. Sonia Brager as Grans, Auggie's maternal grandmother. Danielle Rose Russell as Miranda Navvice, Via's best friend. Naji Jeter as Justin Hollander, Via's boyfriend. Noah Jup as Jack Will, Auggie's best friend. Bryce Gisar as Julian Albins, Auggie's classmate and The class

bully. Millie Davis as Summer Dawson, Auggie's classmate and friend. El McKinnon as Charlotte Cody, Auggie's classmate and friend. Nicole Oliver as Amanda Will, Jack's mother. Crystal Low as Melissa Albins, Julian's mother. Steve Bassik as Richard Albins, Julian's father. Olly Libert as Ms. Possa, Auggie science teacher. Andre Robinson as school kid. Production development. On November 27th, 2012, it was announced that Lionsgate was developing a feature Film adaptation of RJ. Palacio's debut novel, Wonder, and were in talks with John August to write the screenplay. Mandeville Films David Hobberman and Todd Lieberman produced the film. On August 9th,

2010, Jack Thorne was hired to adapt the novel after August had departed from the project. In October 2014, John Croitz was reported to be directing the film, though in April 2015, Paul King was hired to direct instead. Steven Conrad was writing the Script at that time. Casting. On April 14th, 2016, Jacob Trembley was cast to play the lead role, Auggie Pullman, while Julia Roberts was in talks to play Auggie's mother. Three weeks later, Robert's casting was confirmed and Steven Chbosski was set as the film's director. On June 27th, 2016, Owen Wilson joined to play Auggie's

father. Two weeks later, newcomer Noah Jup joined the cast as Auggie's best friend at school. And on July 15th, David Diggs Was cast as Mr. Brown, an English teacher at the school. On August 19th, 2016, Sonia Braga joined the cast. Portraying the role of Robert's character's mother, special effects, Trembble's prosthetic makeup designed and created by Arian Tutin took an hour and a half to apply. It consisted of a skull cap with prosthetic ears attached, a facial prosthetic that covered Tremble's face, and a wig to tie it all together. Filming. Filming took place in Several locations

in British Columbia, Canada, and Coney Island, New York from October 18th to December 13th, 2016. Music. Marcelo Zarvos composed the film's score. B. Miller composed a song for the film, Brand New Eyes. It was released on August 3rd, 2017. Wonder author R.J. A Palacio has often credited Natalie Merchant's song Wonder from her 1995 album Tiger Lily as the inspiration for her best-selling book. At Merchants's Invitation, the song was Featured on the soundtrack. The song is also played during the film's end credits release. Lion's Gate had initially scheduled Wonder to be released in the United States

on April 7th, 2017. On February 13th, 2017, it was announced that the release date had been pushed back to November 17th, 2017. Wonder had its world premiere at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles on November 14th, 2017. Reception: Box Office. Wonder grossed $132 million in The United States and Canada and $182 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $315 million against a production budget of $20 million. Deadline Hollywood calculated the film made a net profit of $55.3 million when factoring together all expenses and revenues. In the United States and Canada, Wonder opened

alongside Justice League, The Star, and Roman J. Israel Esq and was initially projected to gross around $9 million from 396 theaters in Its first weekend. However, after grossing $740,000 from Thursday night previews and receiving a large number of group ticket sales, weekend projections were up to $15 million. Weekend projections were again increased, this time to $28 million. After the film made $9.4 4 million on its first day. The film went on to debut to $27.5 million, finishing second at the box office behind Justice League. In its second weekend, the film Dropped just 17.7%, grossing $22.7

million and finishing third at the box office. critical response on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The film has an approval rating of 86% based on 189 reviews and an average rating of July 1st 10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Wonder doesn't shy away from its best-selling source material sentiment, but this well-acted and overall winsome drama earns its tugs at the heartstrings." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100 based on 33 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews. Audiences pled by Cinema Score gave the film an average grade of A+ on an

A+ to F scale, one of approximately 100 films in the history of the service to receive the grade. Some reviewers criticized the decision to cast an actor without the same condition as Auggie as undermining the film's message. In August 2021, during Edinburgh TV Festival's McTagert lecture, coowwriter Jack Thorne, while not specifically citing Wonder, acknowledged that he had failed to stand up for disabled talent on projects involving the subject and sought to rectify this through pushing for new disability initiatives like underlying health condition, which launched in December 2021. Based on the RJ Palacio novel of the

same name, Wonder follows a year in the life of August Pullman, Jacob Trembley, Auggie for short. He was born with a genetic abnormality that has required him to undergo surgeries and medical treatments since his earliest days. Director Steven Chbosski has managed to take a story that could have been painfully mockish and made it genuinely moving in mostly understated ways. The makeup work here is solid and believable, revealing Auggie's sad eyes behind downturned facial lines and nubs of skin for ears. He's a prepubescent Rocky Dennis. The script co-written by Chbosski, Steve Conrad, and Jack Thorne is

wise to establish quickly that Auggie is a regular kid in every other way. He loves Star Wars and Minecraft. He [snorts] has an aptitude for science, a sly sense of humor, and an active imagination that helps him navigate uncomfortable situations. Wonder occasionally dabbles in magical realism, but in ways that are more amusing than distracting. Uniformly strong Performances help ground the story. Trembley, who showed instincts beyond his years in the devastating 2015 drama Room, provides both a sweetness and an intelligence to his 10-year-old character that make him accessible, even when he's wearing an astronaut helmet to

hide his face. Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson find just the right notes as his supportive parents. But the real surprise here is Isabella Vidavik as Trembley's older sister, who's been Generous enough to allow her brother to be the center of the family's attention at the expense of her own emotional need. His mom, Isabelle Roberts, put her career on hold to homeschool him from the beginning in the family's Brooklyn Brownstone. But now that Auggie is of middle school age, Isabelle and his dad, Nate Wilson, decide to send him to Beacher Prep so he'll learn to socialize

with other kids and become more comfortable in the outside world. All Are understandably apprehensive about this major shift. Fraught as it is with the potential for bullying and isolation. And indeed, when his parents walk him to the front gates and send him off on his own for the first time, the kids on campus stop their conversations to gawk and part for him. But Chbosski depicts this event matterof factly, allowing the tension of the moment to emerge naturally. There are some familiar figures here. the hip teacher Who gives innovative assignments that just happen to coincide with

the film's themes. David Diggs, the mean rich kid who torments him alongside a posy of brutes. Bryce Gisar, the shy girl who might become an unexpected friend, Millie Davis. But the effortless connection Auggie strikes up with a kid named Jack Will, Noah Jup, who also feels like an outsider as a working-class scholarship student is one of the film's truest joys as well as a Source of legitimate drama. Just when wonder seems to be settling into a routine at school, it shifts and revisits that first day from a variety of other characters perspectives. So, we learn

what happened to Auggie's lonely sister Vaia when she met a cute new boy, Naji Jeter, and dared to sign up for the high school play. We get a glimpse into Jack Will's home life, which enriches the significance of his relationship with Auggie. We find out what's really Going on with Via's lifelong best friend, Miranda, Danielle Rose Russell, who suddenly snubbed her at the start of the school year. As he did with his insightful young adult drama, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Chiboski handles major adolescent events with decency and grace. The cumulative effect, as overly

simplistic as it may sound, is the powerful understanding of what it feels like to walk in someone else's shoes. The emotion of this enlightenment sneaks Up on you in quiet ways. Even Wilson, whose character feels underwritten beyond providing comic relief during moments of family tension, gets perhaps the most heartbreaking, uplifting line in the whole film. You'll shed a tear or two, especially if you're a parent, and they'll be totally earned. All of which makes it so frustrating that wonder throws that restraint and goodwill out the window in its finale and turns wildly sentimental. Chbosski cranks

up The feel-good with a climax full of wild applause at the most clichéed place possible, a school assembly. How is it possible that so many cinematic moments of truth take place before a packed auditorium? But the film does so much so well for so long that its pack conclusion feels forgivable. Early on during a screening of Wonder, when the film first reveals the scars and deformities that mark the hero's face, my 8-year-old son turned to me and Whispered, "He looks weird." Once the movie was over, as we were walking out of the theater and I

asked him what he thought, he exclaimed, "I loved it. Such is the film's transformative power. It is a machine for creating empathy. There's a trickliness to this manipulative movie. More hearts sinker than heartwarmer about Auggie, a 10-year-old kid with a rare facial disfigurement played in prosthetic makeup by Jacob Trembley. He's been Taught at home by his concerned and caring parents, played by Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson, while successive surgeries partly improved his condition. But this brave boy must now start school and face down the bullying and staring without the toy astronaut helmet that he has

until now always worn outside. Meanwhile, Auggie's older teen sister Via Isabella Vadavic has issues of her own. She is angry and conflicted about her parents neglecting her needs in Favor of Auggies. The movie appears very well-intentioned, but those good intentions may be as fabricated as everything else here. Certainly Wilson's performance is horribly fake, phoning it in with the same old halting draw. He looked a lot more emotionally engaged with his Labrador in Marley and Me than he does with any human being here. And Roberts keeps doing her dying down to a whisper voice at moments

of emotional suffering. Auggie's face is undoubtedly Shocking at first, though far less challenging than Rocky's face in Peter Bogdanovich's comparable 1985 film Mask. And as Auggie is a 10-year-old rather than a teenager, some harder and more adult questions about what his condition means for his emotional life need never be asked. This movie is based on the best-selling 2012 novel by R.J. Palasio. Although tellingly, that book was avowedly based on the author's experience of seeing a girl with a Facial disfigurement. By switching the gender, in a film about the importance of looks, the stakes are marginally

but distinctly lowered. It might have been better as a long- form TV drama, like a cross between My So-Called Life and The Wonder Years. And the soapy nature of the story is at first reasonably promising. When Auggie first shows up at school, he is greeted by the kindly wise bearded principal Mandy Patankan, who has ordered a hand-picked group of Pupils to show him around. One is Jack, played by Noah Jup, and another is Julian Bryce Gisar. Jack sees past what Auggie looks like and they become friends. Though their relationship is not without its trials, Julian's

job is to be the obviously nasty sneery bully without whom this story cannot function. The Tiny Flashman underlines everyone else's good faith. It becomes clear, however, that despite the principal having a zero tolerance attitude towards Bullying, the film has a zero tolerance attitude towards being judgmental. It is soon implied that Julian's behavior is actually the fault of his smarmy parents. We finally get a glimpse of Julian smilingly happy and forgiven as he joins in with the general acclaim for Auggie's courage. As for Vaia, her best friend Miranda Danielle Rose Russell has returned to school from

her summer break with a trendy new hairstyle and has apparently dropped her as a friend. Her Only ally and confidant was her late grandmother played in Cameo by Sonia Braga. Last seen as the music critic in Cleberman Don Sophilio's film Aquarius. Confused and hurt, Vaia throws herself into trying out for the school play where an impossibly cute, hip, sensitive, glasseswearing boy called Justin Naji Jeter instantly falls for her. Her trials are not so bad. All of these characters, or nearly all of them, are given backstories heralded by their Names and inter titles, sympathetically letting us

into their private lives. Not Julian, though. He gets to be the bully, and that's it. But there are no real ironies or complexities, and Miranda's secret emotional journey is outrageously unlikely. It is a film with all the depth of a fridge magnet. Auggie Pulman, Jacob Trembley, the central character in Steven Chbosski's Wonder, is a brainy 10-year-old boy with a sweet, high voice and a congenital facial deformity, whom Numerous corrective surgeries have left looking like a cherub after a car accident. His left eye tugs downward as if a teardrop were falling from it. His ears are

bulbs of flesh, and his face is framed by a pinkish ring of scar tissue. That said, he's not the Phantom of the Opera. He's just an ordinary kid whose looks take a bit of getting used to. Auggie is a science geek who loves Star Wars and Minecraft, ice cream, and Xbox sports games. He's fueled by all American fantasies of going to outer space. He likes to walk around in a toy astronaut helmet that conceals him and feeds his dreams. His face, which looks youthful and old at the same time, is jarring the first time you

see it. But the more you take in his innocent, if slightly ask you elfen features, the more his soul shines through. Any thoughts that he's ugly or odd are really in the eye of the beholder. Movies about people with dramatic disfigurements run a high risk of being mockish and manipulative. Yet maybe because the dangers of grotesque sentimentality loom so large, a handful of filmmakers over the years have made a point of taking on stories like this one and treading carefully around the pitfalls. David Lynch did it in The Elephant Man, 1980. His shrewdly restrained underbelly

of London Gothic horror weeper, which revealed John Merrick beneath his warped and bubbled flesh to be a figure of entrancing delicacy. Peter Bogdanovich did it in mask 1985. His straightup tale of a teenager with a face of scowlling stranges who came to embrace the person he was. Wonder is a movie that belongs in their company. It's a very tasteful heart tugger, a drama of disarmingly level-headed empathy that glides along with wit, assurance, and grace and has something Touching and resonant to say about the current climate of American bullying. At the same time, the film never

upsets the apple cart of conventionality. Wonder is an honest, feel-good movie, but it lacks the pricklier edges of art. Auggie has been homeschooled by his mother, Isabelle, Julia Roberts, in their cozy Brooklyn Brownstone. But now that he's 10, she and Auggie's dad, Nate Owen Wilson, have made the decision to send him to middle school. They know they Can't shield him from the world forever, and they have no desire to. Roberts and Wilson make a compelling team. They play the Pullmans as supremely sensitive, loving parents who have the occasional tugof-war spat about what's best for their

special son. Yet, both want him to stand up for himself and to be part of a community. Auggie wants that, too. Though the kids he meets at Beacher Prep School don't make it easy. By the end of his first day there, he has already been Nicknamed after one of his favorite Star Wars characters, Barf Hideous. And he chops off the rat tail braid that's his only fashion statement, a testament to the destructive power of peer pressure. Just enough of the kids treat Auggie like a freak to make the belief that he is one tough for

him to shake. This is the third feature directed by Chbosski, the novelist who actually got his start as a filmmaker with a 1995 indie the four corners of nowhere. And it was his Second, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, 2012, that established him as a major directorial voice. Adapted from his own first novel, Perks was the most remarkable coming of age movie in years, a drama that took in with astonishing authenticity the pleasures and perils of teenage life. It also used David Bow's heroes in a way that's so transporting it trumps every musical sequence in

Baby Driver. Wonder is a movie by the same sharpeyed, openhearted, closed to the Ground filmmaker. Chbosski, working in the tradition of Jonathan Dem, doesn't hype what he shows you, and he cuts to the humanity of everyone on screen, even those who act badly. He has a touching refusal to demonize. Wonder, adapted from R.J. Palacio's 2012 novel, which took its title from the 1995 Natalie Merchant song about overcoming disfigurement, is a less audacious film than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. But Chbosski's intense understanding of The layered personalities of kids is a rare gift. He lets

the movie breathe by refusing to restrict the drama to Auggie's point of view. It's built around his gentle sadness and yearning. But it opens up into chapters told from the vantage of Jack Noah Jup, his science class partner, who looks like he might be turning into Auggie's buddy, only to leave him with a sense that he can't trust anyone, and Auggie's high school sister via Isabella Vuvik, who's The most complicated character in the movie. She has grown up in a family so organized around Auggie that her own needs can never come first. She wouldn't think

to question that, but the dynamic has graced her with both compassion and a hidden wound, and Vidavik's pensive presence lends her scenes a wrapped center of gravity. Chbosski has a sixth sense for how to let a drama flow from anecdote to anecdote. Auggie's favorite holiday, Halloween, leads to the moment When he overhars Jack, goed by the smug, fashionable Julian, Bryce Gsar, snarking to the other kids about him. A devastating betrayal, but one that turns out to be crucial to cementing their friendship. Jack can't get past his prejudice until he has outed it. Wonder is a

movie that's finally attuned to what bullying is actually about. Kids walling off their feelings, giving into the dark side of themselves to be superior. Bullies, of course, weren't Born bad. But in Wonder, the idea is no pious abstraction. It plays out in every encounter between Auggie and those who would treat him meanly. The scenes are really about how his presence is a threat to their too cool for schoolness. Wonder, as effective as it is, is a movie in which everything has a way of working out with tidy benevolence. Vaia goes from being shunned by her

best friend Danielle Rose Russell, who has joined a hippoc to falling for a Charismatic kid, Naji Jeter. From the drama club to trying out for a student production of Our Town, to winning her friend back to becoming the understudy who knocks him dead on opening night. Auggie over the course of fifth grade goes from being the school goat to a school hero. Yet Jacob Trembley acting from behind his transformative makeup roots that journey in something real. The fact that who you are, whether you look like Auggie Pulman or someone more Normal, can be a prison

or a liberation depending on the path you choose. Of all the films this year with Wonder in the title, Wonderond Struck, Wonder Woman, Wonderhew Wheel, Professor Marston and the Wonder Woman, this is the one that comes closest to living up to the emotional alchemy of that word. It's been a relatively low-key few years for Julia Roberts. She's made several films, some good August, Osage County, some not so good, Smurfs, The Lost Village, but It feels a while since the last Julia Roberts movie, the like of which dominated the box office in the9s and naughties. Those

glossy, hugely engaging studio pictures driven by strong female characters and which, if we were lucky, would offer the bonus of one of her irrepressible bursts of laughter. A Julia Roberts movie would from Steel Magnolia's to Aaron Brochovich have a big heart. In many of those respects, Wonder, adapted from RJ Palasio's Popular 2012 children's novel, is in the classic Roberts mold. She plays kids book illustrator and part-time MA student Isabelle, mom to teenager Olivia Vidavik, and her little brother, sci-fi obsessed Auggie, Trembley. The film opens with him bouncing in slow motion clad in astronaut suit complete

with enormous NASA helmet. Dad Nate played by Owen Wilson rounds out the family. The New York they live in shot by Forest Gump DP Don Burgess could not be more Charming. Brownstone town houses turning autuminal leaves bright yellow taxis. They even have an adorable dog. There is however a twist in their tail. Auggie has treat Collins syndrome resulting in conspicuous facial abnormalities. Suddenly the helmet which painfully self-conscious he insists on wearing makes all too much sense. There's a danger with such material of descending into mockishness. And while wonder doesn't escape this entirely, at the Helm

is writer director Steven Chopsky, whose previous film was the sweet but by no means sentimental the perks of being a wallflower. As Auggie negotiates the pitfalls of school for the first time with gentle wit, Chopsky delicately adopts a pattern of light and dark that runs through the film, acknowledging that life is and people are a blend of the two. The cast sell this well. Roberts is as watchable as ever. Her ability to convey complex emotions with A brief look unddeinished. And yes, we get one trademark belly laugh. Wilson is the fun dad we'd all love

to have and brings more depth to his role than is in the script. Their dialed back performances ring with more truth for their understatement. But this is Jacob Trembley's film. Having impressed in room, the 11-year-old inhabits the role entirely, conveying his joys, disappointments, fears, and hopes with just a glance from under heavy Prosthetics. Also handling his character sporadic voice over, a dangerous device that can. The chapter structure offering different characters perspectives creates uneven pacing, some elements feeling rushed and occasionally wonders laudable messages can feel heavy-handed. A syrupy manipulative musical score that wouldn't be out of

place in a '90s we pie of the week seems a misstep. Yet, its themes of compassion, acceptance, and kindness ring loud and clear. It's a Film with a big heart. We're no strangers to films that make us cry at the Hollywood Outsider. Whether for sad or happy moments, there's nothing wrong with shedding a few tears. That's why a lot of us go to the theater after all. We often yearn for a movie will elicit some type of emotional response. When I walked into Wonder, which is based on the book by RJ Palasio, I had my

proverbial box of tissue ready to go. I've been reading the book to my fourth Grade class. And even though I was only a third of the way through, it affected both me and my students. It's a story that feels very modern and it's told in such a way that makes the characters feel like real people. The film is no different and gives a full emotional roller coaster at various moments during its 113 minutes. In Wonder, Jacob Trembley plays August Pullman, a fifth grade boy with a rare genetic disease that has disfigured his face since Birth.

Auggie has spent the first decade of his life in and out of hospitals with over a score of surgeries. More important to the story, he's never been in a traditional school with other children. His mother, Isabelle, gave up her dream of being a writer to instead raise and homeschool her son. But now Isabelle and her husband Nate consider putting Auggie into a mainstream middle school in New York. As expected, the sight of August is a shock to his new Classmates. A very small minority are kind to him, but many treat him like a leper with

the plague. The story unfolds into a life lesson of choosing kindness over being right. Yes, the story is an emotional one, but I appreciated its delivery of empathy as a theme even more. While Auggie may be the main character of this story, his perspective isn't the only one we get to hear. His sister Olivia Vaia has grown up in the shadow of her younger brother. While she Takes it in stride, she struggled with a lack of attention. Even as she enters high school, we also see August's story from the point of view of one of

his new friends at school and even Olivia's childhood friend who has drifted after entering secondary school. It's interesting seeing this story told from so many characters perspective. Where most stories like this one might take the easy route and make its audience feel sorry for the main character, this One shows us how a situation like this has an effect on others around them. In a world focused on self-centeredness, I found this to be a breath of fresh air. It's a story that I hope more people will see and take to heart. Jacob Trembley is probably most

recognizable from his role in the Oscar winning room from 2016. While his performance feels more scripted this time around, his ability to convey an intelligent yet frustrated boy under an incredible Amount of prosthetics is astounding. He offers a very adult performance that continues to solidify his name in my list of actors to watch closely. Roberts shines as August's mother, Isabelle. You can see and believe the pain in her face when her son attempts to hide his face from the world. Likewise, you can see the bridal joy behind her eyes when he makes his first friend.

I even found myself impressed with Owen Wilson, who typically hangs his hat on being that Laid-back, funny guy. To a degree, his nate is that guy, but he never crosses the line of being anything more than a loving father with a sense of humor. This is the second film as of late where he surprised me with his acting chops. I want more. I know I'm not an ordinary kind of a kid. I've had 27 surgeries. They help me to breathe, to see, to hear without a hearing aid, but none of them have me look ordinary.

I have to say that I did enjoy this movie about a boy Who is born with a genetic disorder. That means over the first part of his life, he has to undergo constant facial surgeries to allow him to live a normal life. These surgeries leave him with extreme facial scarring that has the side effect of ostracizing him from society. This is the story of how he has to brave the outside world, face his fears as well as others misunderstanding of his condition as well as attempt to make friends with children who can be Cruel. Something

we are reminded of constantly throughout this movie. As you would expect from a movie like this, the main character of the story is the child Auggie who through many interactions does find acceptance as well as becoming the hero of his own story. Something that is signposted from the very beginning. This is no knock on the movie as I expect that the end product is exactly what everyone involved was working towards. This was based on a Work of fiction that was driven out of a real event as well as incorporating many other ideas which all seem

to work well. teaching tolerance as well as the acceptance of others no matter how they look on the surface. However, this is all told from the point of view of white rich New York elites that for me simplifies issues of race, economics, as well as level of education. Wonder 2017 revolves mainly around August Auggie Pulman. Jacob Trembley is a young boy Born with a facial deformity who has been in and out of hospitals for years. With the help of his mother, Isabelle, Julia Roberts, and his father, Nate Owen Wilson, he tries to fit in at

a new school, Beacher Prep, and to show everyone he is just an ordinary kid and that beauty is not just on the outside. This movie is a slick piece of work with a plot that is certainly not original, but does attempt to broaden its horizons as well as make a comment on the way Children are raised, the sacrifices that are made in the process of raising children, what can go wrong in terms of health issues, roles parent play, and many other pertinent aspects of raising children. These are all noble points, but the one thing that

is missed or ignored, which can be an issue for many movies, is that the families as well as all their friends are wealthy, which means many problems are solved by just waving money at them. At no time Whatsoever does Auggie or his family have to worry about money for rent, food, tuition, toys, computers, or anything. In fact, the family live in a brownstone in New York that go for at least 2.5 million US. Augie's room by itself is larger than many apartments. He has his own computer, television, huge mural, and many other toys most children

would kill for. The roles of the parents are unclear. They are obviously liberals sending their son to A liberal school where the curriculum that is taught is again enriched by money as well as of course pointing out how left-hinking they are with a female science teacher as well as an African-American teacher peppering the class with other cultures. Although there is the point made that the baddies are nebish white new money conservatives. These are almost all tropes that have been transported from any number of genres and other family Movies. Back to the parents. The mother played

by A-listister Julia Roberts is just as you would expect. the perfect mother who can put up with her husband, is able to give her son the best homeschool education. He is, of course, smarter than all the other children he goes to school with, makes perfect food, looking extremely healthy, and is able to not blink an eye when her daughter brings home someone non-white. The father, played with charm by Owen Wilson, is the funniest guy in the room, has a job that goes unexplained, but raas in the money to afford their lavish lifestyle. The only real

in the armor of the family is the daughter Vaia played by Isabella Vadavik who feels like she has been sidelined by Auggie's issues as well being ignored by a childhood friend. Of course, her issues are completely resolved by the end of the movie much like everyone else's. The typical Hollywood movie as well as a Complete fantasy based on a fictional story. The novel that this movie is based on is completely fiction. It was written by a woman that saw a child with a facial deformity in an ice cream shop with her own child. In thinking

that her child would be upset and cause a scene, she attempted to remove herself from that situation. In doing so, she caused a huge scene. This is not necessarily a negative aspect, but it does lead into the movie itself as it concentrates on One aspect of a story, but really whitewashes any other issues the typical family might face, which this one really does not. In saying all of this about wonder and it may seem I am being overly negative but there is still a lot to like about the movie. For one, it is a family

movie that should appeal to almost any age be they five or above. This movie speaks to so much about what it is like starting anything new. There is fear trepidation about the unknown And that is before taking into account the feeling that you are different to everyone else. [snorts] This movie deals with that along with the knowledge that this will never change. It teaches us that acceptance is important as well as the idea that there will always be people that accept you for who you are as well as those who never will. These are all

positive messages that cannot be underestimated by viewers of this very well executed movie. Steven Chbosski who Also directed The Perks of Being a Wallflower 2012 here has almost everything a director could want. A compelling story, an excellent cast, as well as a great location. He puts them all together to create a unique story centered around breakout star Jacob Trembley who so impressed with Room 2015. Here he almost carries the entire movie with what looks like ease. Of course, there is a lot of work he must do which Is easy to see once you compare his

performance to some of the other child actors. The rest of the cast, including superstar Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson, do exactly what you expect, which is to show their supercharged talents to bring more urgency as well as emotion that helps to highlight the issues that their son faces. I can recommend this as a movie to see in cinemas as a family. It teaches without being too preachy, as well as giving children the agency to Make decisions that have a direct effect on not only their lives, but others as well. It's hard to nitpick a movie

as well-intentioned as Wonder. It may be a little sticky, sweet, and eager to pull at the heartstrings, but thankfully it isn't as cloying or as preachy as something like Pay It Forward. Instead, it wears its heart on its sleeve and plays more like a mild child version of Mask. In Wonder, young Auggie, Jacob Trembley, prepares for his first day of School after having been homeschooled for quite some time. This transition would be difficult for any child, but it is doubly so for Auggie because he was born with a birth defect that affects his facial features.

Despite his overwhelming fear of what other kids will think of his appearance, this youngster enters his new school with his head held high. Sadly, Auggie is bullied to a certain extent, but much to the delight of his loving parents, played by Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson. He makes a handful of friends, too. And throughout this journey, we the viewer discover that a few important individuals in Auggie's life have their own hardships to deal with. Wonder is based on the New York Times bestseller and it was directed by the perks of being a wallflower helmer Steven

Chbosski. It is a bit precious and tends to lean a little on the heavy-handed side at times, but it's also pretty darn Sincere. A lot of that sincerity comes through in a trio of emotionally rich performances by Wilson, Roberts, and Young Trembley, who after leaving quite an impression in 2015's Room continues to deliver the goods. Wonder benefits from a warm roster of supporting players as well. Isabella Vidavik is compassionate and fittingly conflicted as Auggie's older sister. She adores her brother and would do anything for him, but she sometimes doesn't feel she gets The support she

needs. Veteran Mandy Patankan, the princess bride, is also terrific, if a little underutilized as a stern but understanding school principal. Wonder offers up a muchneeded anti-bully sentiment in a world that desperately needs it. But Chbosski deals with this theme in an interesting way by showing that this is learned behavior and by daring to have one character man up and own a terrible mistake made rather than denying it and getting away With it without any repercussions. That said, Wonder doesn't always come up aces. Despite its well-intentioned nature, there are moments that are a little eye roll

worthy and the double backplot structure. There are stretches here when the movie jumps back to a specific character and delves a little further into their story. Feels more intrusive than necessary. Had Wonder been told as a straightforward narrative, it probably would have been More effective. Instead, the movie feels a little oversted and even resorts to an off-tangent plot development that is very reminiscent of Marley and Me. True, Wonder is essentially a story about life and overcoming obstacles, but it would have greatly benefited from a more honed in story structure. All of that said, Wonder is

worthy of a viewing, and it's definitely a film kids should see because it does teach an important life lesson about compassion and acceptance In a way that they'll understand. Of course, it also helps that the pint-sized emotional powerhouse that serves as this film's protagonist is also a big Star Wars fan, and what kid can't relate to that? I screened the movie Wonder among a full house of adults and children at the Regal Cello Vista Cinema on Wednesday night. Since I did not read the book by RJ Palasios, I didn't go in with any expectations. I

did hear that it was going to be a Tearjerker, but admittedly forgot to bring tissues. So, if you don't get anything else out of this review, trust me, bring tissues. The screenplay written by director Steven Chbosski along with Steven Conrad and Jack Thorne intertwines funny and heart-wrenching moments throughout the entire 1 hour and 53minut runtime. Rated PG Wonder is the story of a 10-year-old boy named August Auggie. Pullman born with a rare genetic disorder called mandibular facial Disystosis also known as treater Cullen syndrome TCS. Jacob Trembley gives a great performance as Auggie who despite his

distorted face is a normal lovable kid. The story is told by multiple viewpoints. Opening with Auggie's point of view. Auggie feels that he is not an ordinary kid. But after watching this movie, you will come to the conclusion that he is correct. He's not ordinary. He's extraordinary. Jacob Trembley is adorable. Julia Roberts plays his mom, Who is torn between being overprotective and allowing Auggie to learn how to function in the real world. Her performance is flawless. Owen Wilson plays his dad, who also worries about Auggie, but he's more of the fun parent. He too is

perfectly cast. Isabella Vidavik plays Auggie's teenage sister, Vaia. She's had to live in her brother's shadow because he's had 27 surgeries in his short life. Isabella does an impeccable job portraying the overlooked Child who has more responsibilities placed on her because her parents are busy tending to her sick brother. She says that August is the son and she, her mom and dad, are the planets that revolve around him. Being raised in a Greek/Italian household and the oldest of two brothers, I can sincerely relate. Sons generally tend to be the chosen ones of families. Though she

understands why Auggie needs her parents' attention, Via can't help but feel neglected. Auggie has been homeschooled, but his mother wants him to go to regular school and thinks this is a good time since all the kids will be new to the middle school. He is scared. His sister whispers in his ear to be himself, not to fit in when you were born to stand out. Dr. Seuss quote as he expected he is met with ridicule and extreme bullying but he carries his mother's advice with him if you don't like where you are just picture yourself

where you Want to be and be the bigger person the other child actors in this film Millie Davis Noah Jup Bryce Gisar El McKinnon and Danielle Rose Russell are also fantastic you'll have flashbacks from middle school or junior high if you're from my generation there are so many important life lessons to be learned from this movie by adults and children alike. Lessons about friendship, love, compassion, acceptance, courage, and why society should adopt a universal zero Tolerance for bullying. The principal, Mr. Tushman, played by Mandy Patankan, makes a profound statement to the parents of one of

the bullies. I think it sums up the theme perfectly. He said, "If we can't change the way we look, maybe we can change the way we see." Today, I accompanied my school's middle-ear students on a trip to the cinema to see Wonder, a new film based on the best-selling book by the same name about a boy who has facial Differences. [snorts] Jacob Trembley plays August Pullman alongside Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson, who play his parents. The stage is set when the Pullman's decide that Auggie should start fifth grade in a mainstream school, having been homeschooled

by his mother until then. Mandy Patankan plays a very wise and empathetic school principal, Mr. Tushman. What a sad world we live in when a kid gets less attention walking through the city or a Park wearing a space helmet than he does when wearing his own face. Human nature, I know, but that doesn't make it okay. This film challenges that default setting in a very compelling way. Auggie's teacher, Mr. Brown, challenges the kids to ask themselves, "What sort of person am I?" This movie challenges every audience member to ask themselves the same question. How do

I deal with difference? What does my face tell them? What kind of friend am I? What monuments Do my deeds leave? The audience feels sympathetic to Auggie long before they see his face. When he says, "I know I'll never be an ordinary kid. Ordinary kids don't make others run away from playgrounds." It's like a punch in the stomach that leaves you winded. As the movie rolls on, we also see that the regular kids like Auggie's sister Vaia have their own challenges with acceptance and friendship, even without the extra challenges that some kids Face. Over and

over, this film reminds me again just how cruel kids and people in general can be in so many ways. The journey of discovering who is real and who is not is often painful and traumatic. Together, Auggie and Vaia realize that they are each other's best friends and lean to rely on each other for the support and love that they need to get through each day. The development of genuine friendship reminds us that looking past the surface to really see Someone is what makes a crucial difference to anyone, but especially those who are so aware of

that surface. There is also a painful reminder that even the nice kids can make mistakes when they focus on appearances instead of who someone really is. This movie delivers so many powerful lessons about accepting others and even more about accepting ourselves. In both cases, we need to learn to live according to the precept established by Mr. Brown in Auggie's first lesson in fifth grade. When you have that a choice between being right or being kind, choose kind. Sounds simple, perhaps too simple. But is it? The hardest part may be in finding the willingness to step

out of our comfort zones and open our own minds to each other and the possibilities that our differences bring. Based on the novel of the same name by R.J. Palacio, Wonder focuses on Auggie Pulman, Jacob Trembley, a fifth grader going to school For the first time after being homeschooled by his mother, Julia Roberts. Auggie has treat Collins syndrome and so despite numerous surgeries, does not quite look like the other kids. At Beacher Prep, he faces the shocked staires of his schoolmates and the bullying antics of some. But of course, this is Schmolz 101, so we

know he will triumph above it all. From the sounds of it, Wonder screenplay by director Steven Chbosski along with Steven Conrad and Jack Thorne, has stayed very faithful to the novel, which has its pros and cons. The film is broken into apparent chapters, each from a different character's point of view. On the one hand, this is a fantastic approach because it pays greater attention to the feelings of those around Auggie, most notably Auggie's older sister via Isabella Vavik. Unfortunately, these sections vary so much in terms of their importance and Pacing and make for an odd

narrative structure. Some obvious characters, such as Auggie's parents, are left out. And most disappointingly, about 2/3 of the way through the film, this device is thrown out, even though it could have been taken further. While this chapter approach seems like an attempt to stay true to the book, it results in a film that lacks fluidity. Wonder poster. Jacob Trembley is an absolute gem in the leading role of Auggie. After a stellar performance in 2015's Room, he delivers again here, which is no mean feat given he's limited in the facial expressions he is able to convey

underneath all that makeup. Some of the other child actors who play Auggie's peers aren't quite as strong. But then maybe my standards are too high after it and Stranger Things. 16-year-old Isabella Vidavik is a highlight as Vaia, the older sister who craves more attention from her parents Who seem to use it all up on Auggie given his higher needs. It's always good to see the impact on siblings and it's something that Wonder does very well. Something that was particularly heartening to see was the portrayal of the school bully's parents. completely unwilling to see any fault

in their own child or to admit any kind of responsibility for bad parenting. Wonder makes a clear comment on why nasty kids turn out the way they do. It's enough to Even make you feel a bit sorry for the jerk. In contrast, Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson portray the sort of parents who should be cherished. Not perfect, but doing a damn good job. Mandy Patankan as the school principal and Hamilton alumnist David Diggs as the coolest teacher ever are great, but their characters are almost too wonderful to be believed. The film includes some fun little

quirks to show Auggie's imagination and his coping Mechanisms. Star Wars fans will get a kick out of one of them. Most importantly, it boasts a lovely message about choosing kindness and looking past appearances. Overall, it is a feel-good film with an obvious lesson and corny dialogue of plenty. Just watch the trailer. Sometimes it's cringe-worthy, but ultimately it's really pretty sweet. Take your kids for a lesson in empathy and maybe some tissues as well. Directed by Steven Chbosski. Greenplay by Steven Chbosski. Steven Conrad. Jack Thorne. Based on Wonder by RJ Palasio. Produced by David Hobbererman, Todd

Lieberman, Darring, Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Trembley, Mandy Patankan, David Diggs. Cinematography Don Burgess. Edited by Mark Levoli. Music by Marcelo Zarvos. Production companies Lionscape. Participant Media, Walden Media, Mandeville Films, Tik Films. Distributed by Lionsgate. Release dates November 14th, 2017. Regency Village Theater. November 17th, 2017. United States. Running time 113 minutes. Country: United States. Language: English. Budget: $20 million. Box office $315 million.