Movie Review - To the Wonder

To the Wonder (2013)

Starring Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McAdams, and Javier Bardem

Directed by Terrence Malick, 

I don't think anyone could say that To the Wonder doeen't look fantastic.  Granted, it doesn't quite have the cinematic beauty of Terrence Malick's last film The Tree of Life, but my only two experiences with the director prove that he does have an eye for creating visual eye candy where even the most mundane and everyday images (like a Sonic drive-in restaurant) take on an appealing look.  However, images are only one aspect of a film...story is another and, in my eyes, it's a fairly important one.  To the Wonder is essentially all told via voiceover dialog.  We see images that are pieced together to tell a story, but hardly anyone speaks.  It's an interesting method, but one I was never sold on as I felt like it gave too much credence to the visuals as opposed to the narrative.  After about thirty minutes this thing feels like a really expensive make-up commercial starring a famous celebrity.  [You know, those weird ones where someone like Charlize Theron says "J'adore" a bunch of times.]

At its core, To the Wonder is about finding love whether that be in a more sexual context with a lover or a spiritual one with God.  The film looks at four individuals and their intertwining paths to aforementioned emotion which we all long to covet.  Neil (Ben Affleck) has fallen for Marina (Olga Kurylenko) while in Paris and the two decide to bring themselves and Marina's daughter Tatiana back to Neil's native Oklahoma.  As they spend time together, their romantic life begins to unravel and Marina ends up taking herself and Tatiana back to Paris.  Neil reconnects with a former love Jane (Rachel McAdams) only to have Marina want to come back to the US to try and work things out with him.  Meanwhile, Father Quintana (Javier Bardem) is finding himself in a crisis of faith, unable to find solace in his work.

For all four of our characters -- who actually remain nameless throughout the film (names are mentioned only in the credits) -- love isn't easy or pleasant.  It's a bitch, actually.  What starts with twirling around the landscape with long flowing clothing (which is all that Olga Kurylenko's Marina does in nearly the entirety of the film) turns into solemn looks and throwing things around in anger (which is all that Olga Kurylenko's Marina does when she's not twirling around in her long flowing clothing).  For a film with next to no dialog, even the visual representation of the story gets incredibly repetitive.

To the Wonder is one of those films that exudes pretentiousness.  While The Tree of Life emitted the same affected and artsy aire, it at least had a bit more of a story to go along with it (along with better cinematography from Emmanuel Lubezki who also contributes here).  Filmophiles fall head over heels for Malick, but so far this director hasn't become "must see" for me in the slightest.

The RyMickey Rating:  D+