Wonderful World (2009 film)


Wonderful World is a 2009 dark comedy-drama film directed and written by Joshua Goldin and starring Matthew Broderick, Sanaa Lathan, Michael K. Williams and Jodelle Ferland. It is Goldin's directorial debut.
The film was produced by Ambush Entertainment, Back Lot Pictures and Cold Iron Pictures with K5 International handling the world sales. In the summer of 2009, the film was picked up by Magnolia Pictures for distribution in 2010. Filming took place in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Plot

Ben Singer is a former children's folk singer whose misanthropic worldview leads him to an isolated existence. When his Senegalese roommate Ibou falls into a diabetic coma and is taken to the hospital, his sister Khadi arrives from Senegal to take care of him. After Khadi and Ben eventually fall in love, circumstances lead Ben to reconsider his way of thinking.

Cast

The film has received mixed or average reviews from critics., the film holds a 42% approval rating on Rotten Tomates, based on 31 reviews with an average rating of 5.05 out of 10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Matthew Broderick gives an appealing performance and director Joshua Goldin's script contains unexpected bursts of honest emotion, but Wonderful Worlds good intentions can't make up for its lack of originality." Another review aggretator, Metacritic, gave the film an average rating of 47% based on 14 reviews.
One particular reviewer, New York film critic David Edelstein gave the film a positive review stating "the movie is unfailingly likable and finally impressive."