FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

dansview When you're introduced to our main character, seemingly a sad-sack cynic, you expect another Indie flick about depressed people in a nihilistic world. But that's not really who she is, and she's surrounded with anything but that.Her mother loves life and always looks on the bright side. Her gay coworker is cheerful and compassionate. Her ex boyfriend is misguided by sweet and well meaning. Her dates are mischievous but funny and confident. Also, our male protagonist is a great guy. He's trying to better himself and find the good in nature and simple pleasures. He does this while trying to maintain respect for his roots. So as you can see, this is not the typical Indie take on modern people. Of course it came out in 1998, so perhaps the pre-911 film world reflected a world of hope that would soon vanish. Phllip Seymour Hoffman is great here. What a funny, quirky character, without being pretentious or overly self-righteous. He plays it to perfection. Boston looks real and romantic, without the urban or tourist clichés of a Paris or New York. We see that it's just the right size with the right pace to get some meaningful life done. However, one visiting character nails its colder side with the perfect comment about all the schools, hospitals, and bars.What a great concept. To have people living in one interesting city, while fantasizing the whole time about another one. Rio perhaps. Walking the byways of Boston with Bossa Nova accompaniment. Of course let's not forget that Brazil is filled with intense poverty, shantytowns, and violent crime. So the music is more a state-of-mind than a reality. Perhaps that's what we are all seeking, and what the picture was ultimately trying to show. That we all strive for some paradigm or ideal that may not be attainable, but the notion of it gives us hope and keeps us in the game.

ruthierocks NEXT STOP WONDERLAND (1998): My first viewing of Next Stop Wonderland occurred about three years ago, when I was pretty green on the subject of film. My first viewing led me to call it my favorite romantic comedy, for it was something different than I was used to seeing. It sparked an interest in Hope Davis, who has since become one of my favorite actresses (If you don't know her work, seriously check her out, she's great). So I bought the film about a year ago and haven't watched it since. Until this week, that is. And so comes my reevaluation..THE GOOD: The thing I love most about Next Stop Wonderland is the fact that it's a romantic comedy that avoids most of the clichés the genre has been burdened with. The two main characters are far from unattractive, but it's no Kate Hudson/Matthew McConaughey duo. The film doesn't capitalize on anything shiny or cheesy. These are real people in real situations. The two main characters are people stuck in ruts, waiting on their lives to change. And it's very true to life. Here we have a nurse whose boyfriend has just left her. Her mother tries to interfere in her life and get her "back out there" as far as dating. She doesn't want to and is pretty dismal throughout the majority of the film. Meanwhile, we have a serious man who volunteers at an aquarium while trying to afford schooling to become a marine biologist.Hope Davis absolutely shines in her role as Erin, the single woman who is too proud to admit that she's lonely. Another standout is Phillip Seymour-Hoffman, pre-Capote, in a small role as Erin's politically aware ex-boyfriend.THE BAD: I try not to judge a film on it's predictability, but it's hard not to do so. As far as this is concerned, it's obvious what's going to happen from the third scene. Obviously the lonely woman and the hard working single guy are going to find each other and fall in love. I guess one could say that it's "watching them get there" that is important, which I kind of agree with, but it makes you really want to tune out and fast forward through all the meaninglessness and skip to the end.The ending is kind of a let down. Like I said, it's impossible to not see the outcome from the beginning, but the actual climax is pretty disappointing. You expect to see some kind of interaction and connection between the two future lovers, but there is none of that. There's one final scene with them together and it's truly not worth what they endured to get there.THE RESULT: I guess the good outweighs the bad here. It's a simple concept and it mostly succeeds with what it's trying to do. Far from groundbreaking, but it is delightful entertainment and a suitable alternative to typical romantic comedies. There are some truly amusing moments here, but nothing really laugh out loud. Worth seeing for some good performances, some originality.7/10, down from 8/10.

zerogirl42 If Preston Sturges was alive today, this is the kind of film I imagine him making. It's that good! Next Stop Wonderland is witty and full of clever dialog. The story is hilarious, but captures more depth than the typical romantic comedy.There are surprises and twists, but I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone. It definitely makes you question destiny versus luck.The nice thing about the film is that it's not a chick flick either. It may be told from the point-of-view of the heroine, but she is not whiny, wimpy or trying to be cutesy in every scene.It kind of reminds me of Swingers, but told from a female's point of view. Hope Davis isn't desperate like the lead in that film though. She's quite content to be alone most of the time, but the world keeps thrusting her into comical situation that break her bubble of solitude.This film is a winner.

fwomp Hope Davis has become what I like to call a hidden success. Her movies don't make a gazillion dollars at the box office and you'd probably hardly notice her if she passed you on the street. But what she does — and does well — is create lovable and memorable characters on celluloid. Most recently she was paired with Greg Kinnear in THE MATADOR, a role in which her underused talents still shone brightly with every scene she appeared.I decided to watch NEXT STOP WONDERLAND for the sole purpose of checking to see how well Mrs. Davis stood as an actress in a starring role. I wasn't disappointed.The story is that of a nurse named Erin (Davis) who comes home one day to find her boyfriend, Sean (Philip Seymour Hoffman, CAPOTE) moving out. Angry and spiteful, Erin quickly decides that being alone is okay. In fact, she firmly entrenches the philosophy of aloneness within herself ...until...Erin's domineering mother, Piper (Holland Taylor, THE TRUMAN SHOW), discovers her daughter's recent break-up and places a personals ad in the newspaper for her. Initially upset by this, Erin eventually decides to take on the task of dismissing all of the loathsome men who try to court her. The comedy here is striking and philosophical as the men do whatever they can to get into her pants only to be rebuffed by Erin's formidable intellect.On the other side of Boston (where this story takes place) we find Alan Monteiro (Alan Gelfant, TURN OF FAITH), a plumber turned marine biologist who volunteers at the local aquarium. He's struggling with debt, school (still working on his biology degree), and an aggressive younger classman who's infatuated with him. Strangely enough, too, is the fact that his brother is one of the guy's trying to bed Erin via the personals ad.As Erin and Alan mingle within their own circles, they come close to orbiting one another but never quite make contact. Brief glances, telephone calls that pass them by, invitations to the same restaurant parties, the two seemed destined to fall into one another's arms ...yet these encounters slip past. It's wonderfully frustrating to watch, and these "almost encounters" are never forced.But in the end, director Brad Anderson doesn't let us down. Serendipity intervenes and the two strangers end up hugging one another on a transit train after a strange set of circumstances pulls them together.Romantic comedies are okay if done right. You know the type that kind of make you feel, eh, just okay; You've Got Mail, Pretty Woman, Sleepless In Seattle. But this flick gives you more for less. Made as an independent film on a $1 million budget, Hope Davis' excellent acting and the perfect script make for some thought-provoking and downright funny moments. While those other RomComs I mentioned have a basic "feel-good" to them, NEXT STOP WONDERLAND has much more. The philosophy, romance, and comedy all build to a very satisfying conclusion and one that will invite discussions about the probabilities of fate versus happenstance.