After visiting so many different locales in which to film his movies Woody Allen is finally going back home to Coney Island, a place he knows quite well, to portray a time period he knows equally well, the 1950’s. Wonder Wheel is bound to be yet another masterpiece in his always expanding resume of hits that we will likely go see just because it’s most likely going to be something very heartfelt and special.
Here are five reasons why we will be watching this film.
5. The cast
The film will be starring Kate Winslet, Justin Timberlake, Jim Belushi, and Juno Temple. Belushi and Winslet will be playing a married couple that are moderately happy, though eventually Winslet will discover a new interest in a young lifeguard played by Timberlake, and will begin to change her attitude and her look ever so slightly to capture his attention. Juno will play Belushi’s estranged daughter that suddenly shows up and shows interest in the same man.
4. The plot
The idea of the younger man and the competition between younger and older woman is not a new concept but it is one that still manages to draw a crowd when the story is well developed and the cast is top notch. Timberlake plays a great role simply because he is a handsome man and is the desire of many women which makes him a very believable character. The fact that an older woman and a younger woman would do whatever they can to gain his attention is no stretch of the imagination but it might be interesting to see how far both of them go to attain what they want.
That leaves poor Belushi to watch his wife somehow slipping away from him as he continues to run the carousel on Coney Island, perhaps wise to the fact that his wife is no longer entirely faithful in heart and soul even if she doesn’t take it any further. One might almost feel bad for Belushi’s character if he were the main focus of the film, but it is Ginny that the movie will focus on and her life and feelings that will drive the story.
3. Allen has carefully picked his lead actors.
Allen has been heard to say that he has complete faith in Winslet, who admittedly has been white-knuckled the entire time she was playing the role. The woman she was playing was complex and in many ways a difficult role to play, but once again Allen had no doubt that she would be more than up to the task. As for the other actors Juno Temple is perhaps the one that might have thrown people for a loop but Belushi and Timberlake are by far and large common screen gold when they are at their best. Timberlake might have taken a while to get to where he was a reliable and dependable actor but he’s come out in a big way with films such as Black Snake Moan and the more recent Trouble With the Curve.
Belushi is a guy that’s been kind of hit and miss, but he’s always a pleaser when he’s onscreen. He has that personable, likable feel to him that is almost akin to a comfort blanket, someone that make you feel warm and tingly inside but still be just as snarky and sarcastic as he needs to be. A good example would the role he took on in Joe Somebody as a supporting actor to Tim Allen.
2. Allen knows the venue on a personal level.
The fact that Woody Allen grew up in this area is a big up for the film. He knows what the place is like, he knows the atmosphere, and he can bring back the memories of his youth to create a powerful story.
1. The dynamic between the actors.
Kate Winslet and Justin Timberlake have hit it off perfectly. They don’t suffer from an overabundance of ego and have been seen conversing with one another on and off set attempting to get their parts right and to talk about the motivation of their characters. When actors get along it tends to help the film in a big way.
This film looks like it might be something worth watching just for the cast, but the story should be something special as well.
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