By Susan Granger
Special to WestportNow
Are Hollywood’s title-titans trying to confuse us? “Wonder Woman” was the hit of the summer.
Last week, I highly recommended Todd Haynes’ imaginative “Wonderstruck.” Now, I’m touting the family-oriented drama “Wonder”…and soon we’ll get Woody Allen’s new “Wonder Wheel.”
“Wonder” begins as August “Auggie” Pullman (Jacob Tremblay) earnestly explains, “I’m not an ordinary 10-year-old kid.” He was born with Treacher Collins syndrome, a rare genetic mutation that causes severe facial deformities.
After enduring 27 surgeries, Auggie is acutely aware of his physical appearance. Hiding beneath a space helmet and home-schooled by his mother (Julia Roberts) at their Brooklyn brownstone, he’s petrified to enter fifth grade at Beecher Prep School.
Yet, supported by his mom, dad (Owen Wilson) and older sister Via (Izebela Vidovic), Auggie bravely faces his judgmental middle-school peers.
Predictably, a trust-fund brat, Julian (Bryce Gheisar), cruelly taunts him, saying, “I’ve never seen anything that ugly in my whole life.” And although genial Jack Will (Noah Jupe) befriends him in science class, he betrays Auggie soon afterward.
But then openhearted Summer (Millie Davis) chooses to sit with Augie at lunch when others won’t, “because I want some nice friends for a change.”
Based on the 2012 best-seller by R.J. Palacio, it’s astutely adapted by Steven Conrad, Jack Thorne and director Stephen Chbosky (“The Perks of Being a Wallflower”), relating the emotionally eloquent story from multiple perspectives, including how attention-deprived Via is ditched by her BFF Miranda (Danielle Rose Russell) for a new crop of ‘cool’ friends.
Not since Peter Bogdanovich’s “Mask” (1985) has there been such a thoughtful and believable depiction of what are now called “facial differences.” And one only wishes that every teacher and principal were as supportive and understanding as Mr. Browne (Daveed Diggs) and Mr. Tushman (Mandy Patinkin).
Boosted by solid supporting performances, Jacob Tremblay (“Room”) once again proves he’s the most gifted child actor in years.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Wonder” is a compassionate, compelling 8, concluding with the upbeat observation: “You can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.”
Spearheaded by Pope John XXIII in 1962, the Second Vatican Council brought liberalizing changes to the Roman Catholic Church, causing a radical theological shift. So now we have “Novitiate.”
Opening with shy, 17-year-old Cathleen Harris (Margaret Qualley) noting, “People never understand why I want to give it all away to God,” this is the story of a young woman’s religious fervor and subsequent questioning of her faith and vocation.
Raised by a single mother (Julianne Nicholson) in a nonreligious household, Cathleen gets a Catholic school scholarship. One day, while sitting in the quiet chapel, she feels the presence of God.
Ignoring her mother’s “There’s more to life than God and church and praying,” she enters a cloistered convent, Sisters of the Blessed Rose, as a postulant. The stern Mother Superior (Melissa Leo) introduces herself as “God’s representative on Earth.”
Firmly declaring that “God is not a fantasy, nor a daydream, and not your invisible friend,” she alone will decide over the coming months whether the young women are worthy of continuing their commitment.
Admitting she was dazzled by Audrey Hepburn in “A Nun’s Story,” it’s obvious that one (Maddie Hasson) won’t last long.
But pious Cathleen seems determined to survive the rigorous self-restraint and, ultimately, become a bride of Christ, taking final vows of chastity, poverty and obedience.
Writer/director Maggie Betts pulls back the curtain on the secrecy of convent life, revealing the hardships women endure, paying particular attention to the melodramatic sadism of Mother Superior, who refuses to abandon the draconian discipline (like self-flagellation) she’s observed for 40 years.
The anguish of Margaret Qualley (daughter of Andie MacDowell) is riveting, and Melissa Leo delivers a powerhouse performance.
On the Granger Gauge, “Novitiate” is a solemn, soulful 6, concluding with the challenging revelation that 90,000 nuns have since left convents, renouncing their vows.
When Shakespeare wrote, “It is a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing,” he could have been summarizing “Justice League.” When you’re given everything, you come away with nothing.
Picking up where last year’s “Batman vs. Superman” left off, the death of Superman (Henry Cavill) has left everyone morose, including Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck). Of course, Lois Lane (Amy Adams) is bereft and Martha Kent (Diane Lane) is facing foreclosure on the family house and farm.
So it’s the perfect time for a villainous alien to reappear: Steppenwolf (voiced by Ciaran Hinds), wielding a bodacious battle-ax. He’s searching for three Mother-boxes that, when united, will decimate Earth.
When he was here before, a union of Amazons, Atlanteans, Greek Gods, etc. forced him into retreat…but now he’s back, along with his satanic demons (creepy winged thingies) that feed on fear.
Reluctantly led by Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), the DC Comic Universe converges.
From Iceland, there’s the tattooed malcontent, Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Momoa). Nerdy, nervous Barry Allen/The Flash (Ezra Miller) can run really, really fast, and Victor Stone/Cyborg (Ray Fisher) is a science experiment — half-man/half-machine — whose powers are just emerging, much to his own surprise.
Without explanation, Superman comes back to life, although he momentarily suffers some psychological issues, like not realizing who he is. Soon he’s brought up-to-speed, declaring, “I’m back now, and I’m gonna make things right.”
Scripted by Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon and directed by Zach Snyder, it’s totally lacking in humor and fun. Basically, it’s a 121-minute bore — except when Gal Gadot and Amy Adams are on the screen.
On the Granger Gauge, “Justice League” is a nonsensical 4 — three points for Gal Gadot and one for trying.
(Editor’s Note: Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has been on radio/television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic for many years. See her reviews at www.susangranger.com.)
