WONDER PARK

Voices of:  Brianna Denski     Jennifer Garner     Matthew Broderick     Norbert Leo Butz     John Oliver

Ken Hudson Campbell     Mila Kunis     Kenan Thompson     Ken Jeong

     Wonder Park is a wonderful mixture of adventure, risk and daring-do, problem solving, optimism in the face of setbacks—even some philosophical musings (especially on the part of porcupine Steve in the voice of Oliver) and journeys into grief and depression.

     Ten year-old June (Denski) has a vivid imagination, which is encouraged by her mother (Garner) and father (Broderick).  (Seldom in kids movies are parents shown to be so reasonable and nurturing.)  She and her mother have built a glorious Wonder Park populated by animals June is close to as well as fanciful rides.  She gets a bit rambunctious at times, once laying waste in the neighborhood, for which she must suffer the consequences.  But she is not to be discouraged about rebuilding what is broken; her mother expresses supreme confidence in her ability and imagination.

     Soon after, her parents have some distressing news, which is that the mother is ill and must go away for treatment.  June is devastated and angry, and becomes overly solicitous (bossy) of her dad, and is rude to a visiting aunt and uncle.  She throws a tantrum and throws one of her presents into the fireplace.  She will discover some of the consequences of this behavior later, first in the form of a blueprint flying about by the wind in a forest.  

     Suddenly, June stumbles upon an abandoned train car, and finds herself traveling to parts unknown.  What she happens upon is a curious Wonder Park that is real, but that looks a lot like hers.   Moreover, this Wonder Park is in deep trouble.  It’s been invaded by Chimpanzombies who are in the process of destroying everything, along with a giant dark cloud that periodically appears, bringing the darkness.  She learns this after she encounters some of her old friends like Boomer (Campbell), Steve, Gus (Thompson), Cooper (Jeong), and Greta (Kunis).  But Peanut (Butz) is missing!  The animals explain to her that Peanut knew that the key to restoring the Park is the Clockwork Swings; he had gone to fix it, but never returned.  Now June knows that her job is to find Peanut and fix the Clockwork Swings.  On her way, she’ll have to deal with all the threats in Wonder Park causing problems and endangering her and her friends.

     Along with the brilliant animation and voices, the story is one of the strongest assets of Wonder Park.  In telling the entertaining, suspenseful tale, it manages to maintain a sense of adventure while dealing with grief and depression, trust, self-discovery, social concerns for community and fellow citizens, conscience and redemption, and maintaining a positive outlook on life—a tall order for a children’s movie.  Principal credit for all this goes to the story authors and screenwriters, Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, and Robert Gordon, and additionally to composer Steven Price, cinematographer John Garcia Gonzalez, and all of the artistic and animation crews.  Apparently David Feiss became the director late in the production after the original director was dismissed.

This is one of the best movies for children ever to come along.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

BAD MOMS

Mila Kunis   Kathryn Hahn   Kristen Bell   Christina Applegate   Jada Pinkett Smith   Annie Mumolo

Cameos:  J. J. Watt, Wanda Sykes, Martha Stewart

          Observe a typical American mother’s day, as Bad Moms illustrates, and you will get dizzy.  That is, if the mom is conscientious, guilt-ridden, and feeling that she has never done enough.  Mila Kunis as Amy is such a woman, driving the kids to school and activities, helping with (doing) their science projects, attending their games, shopping, cooking, active in PTA, and a myriad of other tasks, all while holding down a job.  Her husband (David Walton) seems to have a cushy job and no other responsibilities at home, and has no clue about empathy.  However, when he transgresses beyond her tolerance—about the same time that she meets two women who will be bosom buddies, Carla (Hahn) and Kiki (Bell)—Amy begins to see the light and realize what her life has become. 

        The instant friendship that develops among the three women is not only beneficial to all, but their antics are often funny (except the over-drinking), and they are the embodiment of true friends.  Kunis as the lead actor holds her own and shows her considerable talent.  Hahn is bawdily hilarious as a street-smart, good-hearted but not-so-good mother, and she elicits most of the chuckles.  Kristen Bell, is perfect as the wide-eyed Kiki who has always been the epitome of good girl, good wife, etc., then draws applause for her assertiveness toward the end of the film.

        Of course, in a film like this, there has to be baddies, and the principal role for that is played by Gwendolyn (Applegate), the president of the PTA, who not only wields her power within that organization, but within the entire school.  Her two yes-women are Stacy (Smith) and Vicky (Mumolo).  Shows about women, sadly, seem to require a cat fight at some point, and this is included in Bad Moms in the form of Amy standing up against Gwendolyn’s demands (ridiculous requirements for a bake sale) and competing with her in an election. 

        There are some very good lines in Bad Moms, like, “Everything that comes out of your mouth is a cry for help” and “You’re not a slow learner; you’re just entitled.  Do you know what that means?”    And I enjoyed those, but much of the plot is like a canned sitcom going for easy laughs without much thought going into making the comedy meaningful and inspirational.

       The basic premise of this film is good—that American moms try to do too much, don’t expect enough from their kids, and have continuous self-doubts.  And I can imagine making a very successful comedy to get those points across.  The mistake writers/directors Jon Lucas and Scott Moore make is duplicating their Hangover films; their good points are over-shadowed by bad behavior that is supposed to be funny (and, granted, it is to some people).  I’m often taken aback by what people do laugh out loud about in movies.  Inevitably, pratfalls, farts, and getting hit on the head will draw them out, but they might also laugh about over-drinking, driving recklessly, and even sad events.  This film shows, as do a number of movies recently (e.g., Absolutely Fabulous, Ghostbusters, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, The Neon Demon), women at their worst—sniping at one another, over-drinking, being hysterical—which are meant to be funny, and indeed many do laugh.  I don’t.

The female version of Hangover films—if you like that kind of humor.

Grade:  C-                        By Donna R. Copeland