Set in the 1950s during the decline in popularity of New York’s Coney Island amusement park, Wonder Wheel exposes the failed fortunes and aspirations of two of society’s leftover people, Humpty (Jim Belushi) and Ginny (Kate Winslet).
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In the same way that Coney Island’s sideshows, such as Sealo the Seal Boy and JoJo the Dogfaced Boy, no longer attract people due to the rise in popularity of television and home air conditioning, Humpty and Ginny cling to each other in a relationship that is teetering on rotting and crumbling foundations.
Ginny was an aspiring actress and now works at a waitress at Rosa’s Oyster Café while her husband Humpty, who operates a carousel on Coney Island, battles his alcoholism.
They live in a shabby apartment above a sideshow concession and struggle to make ends meet financially and emotionally.
Complications appear in the shape of Humpty’s daughter, Carolina (Juno Temple), who left home against Humpty’s wishes and married a mobster. That mobster now wants her dead because she ratted to the FBI.
Ginny’s young pyromaniac son, Richie, adds fuel to the emotional fire. Squash all of them into one small apartment and tensions are bound to ignite.
It is curious that the tale of this band of human flotsam is told through the eyes of a young lifesaver, Mickey (Justin Timberlake), who has a special relationship with Ginny while being attracted to Carolina. You can be assured that things get more than awkward.
The appearance of two of Carolina’s husband’s thugs doesn’t encourage anyone’s prospects of a life that ends happily-ever-after.
Wonder Wheel is an intense and disturbing observation of human decay. Humpty and Ginny, two down and out individuals, cling to the dream that they could have been someone worthy.
In both cases, they are destined to remain exactly how and where they are. Their lives are full of regret and diminished hope that things may change.
One senses that Woody Allen is drawing upon observations from his own childhood and that aspects of Richie’s personality, particularly his obsession with watching films, is close to Allen’s own experiences as a youngster.
Unlike Richie, for Humpty and Ginny there is no escape in the magic world of the silver screen. Brutal reality confronts them at every turn. They will not ride off into an imaginary sunset like a glamourous star in the movies. Their lives within the confines of Coney Island in the 1950s are raw.
The film is shot in over-saturated, lurid colours to reflect the intensity of their feelings and frustrations even though their lives would best be reflected in shades of grey.
Don’t expect any of Woody Allen’s witty and humourous observations and philosophical musings. These characters exist in a life fuelled by bitterness. Wonder Wheel is hard-edged and emotionally draining.
