April 28, 2009 01:00PM EDT
Q&A: Wonderful World
In an eloquent introduction to the premiere of his first film, director Josh Goldin quoted J. P. Getty on the secret of success: “It’s very simple. You get up really early, work incredibly hard, and strike oil,” he said, explaining that he had always been very good at the first two parts, but with Wonderful World, “I think I struck oil.”
Goldin cast his old friend Matthew Broderick as Ben Singer, a divorced misanthrope who can’t even be peppy around his tween daughter. A former children’s folk singer (celebrated musician Dan Zanes wrote the soundtrack and was also in the audience), Singer is now a proofreader at a nameless firm and his own delights appear to be getting stoned and playing chess with his Senegalese roommate, Ibu (Michael K. Williams, also of HBO’s The Wire; Williams also has a small role in Tell-Tale). After Ibu becomes ill and he loses his job, Singer’s dark view of the world is confirmed until he meets Ibu’s sister Khadi (Sanaa Lathan).
In the following Q&A, Goldin revealed that the character of Ibu was based on a Senegalese coworker of his at an insurance company, who had moved to America around age 8 and whose memories of Africa were, as Goldin said, tinged with “the dream and fantasy of childhood.”
Many members of the audience praised Matthew Broderick’s nuanced performance, which was central to Goldin’s character study. One audience member noted that she cried multiple times during the movie. Another audience member posited that Broderick purposely took on roles playing pessimists and underdogs to avoid being typecast as Ferris Bueller. Broderick laughed, noted that he played Bueller over two decades ago, and said that he really didn’t get offered to play many optimists. Goldin pointed out that he had originally envisioned the character of Singer as even angrier when he wrote the script, but that Broderick had instead played him as slightly more sad than mad. When asked if he really played the music in the film, Broderick, who has appeared in many musicals, said he sang, but that Zanes was his guitar double.
Wonderful World screens today, April 28, at 4:30 pm. Tickets are still available for that screening and Friday's screening.
April 28, 2009 06:49 PM
glebeda said:
Question about Opening Credits...
April 28, 2009 My partner and I were at the screening last night and I absolutely loved the film. I have a question about the opening credits. The word "Original" was actually mispelled "Orignial" for someone who was involved with the music and I was wondering if they did this on purpose being Matthew Broderick's character was a proof reader or if this was actually a mistake. Any insights on this? Gerard Lebeda
April 29, 2009 08:19 AM
chippycat said:
wonderful world
worth seeing as mr. goldin did a remarkable job in his first film. matthew broderick's performance was flat, niether sad nor angry as ben singer should have or could have been.his affect was that of someone who took one effexor xr too many.the ex wife was wonderful as she seemed actually feeling the pain of her daughter"having no friends" and the empathy she felt for her loser former spouse.the daughter was also exceptional, cute in her awkwardness and sad in her guilt about not wanting to be with her father.i found the story interesting,glad the ending had redemption for the characters and wasn't too hokey.(the guy that played the friend who invited singer to the comedy club was also excellent) i don't know why the audience was breaking out into unprovoked hysteria at inappropriate times.and the show started a half hour late so i didn't stick around for the post film discussion. i wish goldin the best of luck in his career, he's off to a good start.