Wonder Wheel

A sporadically agreeable misfire, Wonder Wheel follows circa 1950s carnival employees (and married couple) Humpty (Jim Belushi) and Ginny (Kate Winslet) as they reluctantly agree to take in a floundering relative (Juno Temple’s Carolina) – with complications ensuing as Ginny embarks on a torrid affair with a local lifeguard named Mickey (Justin Timberlake). Filmmaker Woody Allen has infused Wonder Wheel with the pronounced feel of a filmed play, as much of the narrative transpires within Humpty and Ginny’s cramped (yet colorful) apartment – with the novelty of the movie’s locale playing an instrumental role in initially staving off the expectedly stagy vibe. Winslet’s lived-in performance certainly goes a long way towards keeping things interesting, while Allen effectively elicits strong work from eclectic supporting players like Belushi and Timberlake (the latter is undoubtedly far better here than one might’ve anticipated). The meandering bent of Allen’s script, coupled with the overt familiarity of the storyline, ensures that Wonder Wheel suffers from a somewhat lackluster midsection, with the one-note atmosphere paving the way for a second half that slowly-but-surely fizzles out to a fairly distressing degree – which confirms the picture’s place as just another subpar entry within Allen’s increasingly erratic filmography.

** out of ****