Big Picture Big Sound

Wonderful World Blu-ray Review

By Rachel Cericola

The Film

He's about 25 years away from Ferris Bueller, but Matthew Broderick's latest character, Ben Singer, truly needs a day off.

In Wonderful World, Broderick stars as a failed children's folksinger turned proofreader. Despite his hidden talents, he oozes unhappiness. Aside from the dead-end job, he has an ex-wife who's shacked up with a jerk, a daughter that he can't seem to connect with, and a bit of a parking problem. He blames everything on "The Man" (Philip Baker Hall), who shows up to have conversations with him -- but usually during one of his weed sessions.

The cherry to soon top Ben's cynicism comes when his roommate Ibou (Michael K. Williams) develops serious medical issues. Soon after, Ibou's sister Khadi (Sanaa Lathan) comes from Dakar to nurse him.



It's widely known that the love of a good woman can change anyone's outlook, and this movie doesn't try to make us believe anything different. While the film does follow the Hollywood formula, there is something very likable about it. It's a sweet story and very well performed by all of the various characters, most notably Broderick and Lathan.

If you want a second outlook on this film, take a look at David Kempler's theatrical review of Wonderful World.

The Picture

There is nothing overly exciting to look at in Wonderful World. The 1.78:1 transfer does show off a bit of grain, but very few details. The color is realistic, although slightly muted. Nothing ever really pops all that well, but it's acceptable for a high-def transfer. The most impressive elements are the fleshtones, as are the details when closing in on facial features of Broderick and Williams.

The Sound

Like Ben's music, the DTS-HD Master Audio track is pretty mellow here. Street and crowd sounds allow the surrounds to get a bit of play. Most of the film is about the dialogue, which is displayed really well. It's a shame that the film didn't feature a bit more of Ben's music. When it does pop up, it sounds great. Each guitar chord hums nicely, belting out a really rich sound.

The Extras

Don't expect the extras for Wonderful World to be all that wonderful. In fact, they are downright disappointing. Considering how Broderick and writer/director Josh Goldin have a bit of a background, a commentary would have been nice. It also would have been interesting to hear a bit more about the duo's connection. Instead, there are three unbelievably short featurettes. At a mere 4 minutes, "As Soon as Fish Fall Out of the Sky" is the lengthiest piece, where each actor is asked to whip through a bit of character background. The other two features run about 90 seconds each. One is a musical montage that adds absolutely nothing to the experience, where the other spends most of its time gushing about what a great actor/guy Broderick appears to be.  

Final Thoughts

It's much easier to focus on the crappy hand life sometimes deals out. Wonderful World doesn't try to sugarcoat it, but does manage to churn a bit of lemonade from the lemons. The cast is what truly holds the whole thing together. Overall, it's not the best Blu-ray in the bin, but Wonderful World is well worth at least a rental.  

Product Details

  • Actors: Matthew Broderick, Sanaa Lathan, Michael K. Williams, Philip Baker Hall, Jesse Tyler Ferguson
  • Director: James McTeigue
  • Audio/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English)
  • Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
  • Region: A
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Rating: R
  • Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
  • Blu-ray Disc Release Date: March 16, 2010
  • Run Time: 89 minutes
  • List Price: $29.98
  • Extras:
    • As Soon As Fish Fall Out of the Sky: Character and Story of Wonderful World
    • Behind the Scenes: Working with Writer/Director Josh Goldin and Actor Matthew Broderick
    • Behind the Scenes Montage
    • HDNet: A Look at Wonderful World
    • Also from Magnolia Home Entertainment Blu-ray
    • BD Live

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