Wonderland – Review

The story of the first porn star, John “The King” Holmes aka Johnny Wadd (Kilmer), Wonderland is a true story of what happens when drugs drive people to bad decisions. It is 1981 Los Angeles, and the young Dawn Schiller (Bosworth) is on the street, evicted from her motel room with no money. Picked up by a nice religious lady Sally Hansen (Fisher), Dawn at least has a place to stay while she waits for her lowlife boyfriend John.

John is well past his porn star prime and fame at this point in his life, but is still fueled by drugs, sex, crime and zero morals. As he scoops up Dawn and the pair chaotically leave Sally’s house, everything seems to be looking up. Let the good times roll.

The plan now? Turn what’s in his new briefcase into cash, baby. John smokes some up with his glass pipe, and Dawn has a strange feeling that he shouldn’t go to this deal. He leaves and Dawn wrestles with boredom as she waits again alone. Then, he is back, but rattled, and possibly in shock. He apologizes and goes to sleep. Then Dawn catches the news about brutal slayings on Wonderland Ave.

This is a true crime tale of that event, and it is definitely not the feel-good story of the year. It is full of well-realized characters, and a horrific crime. Gangsters, cops, bikers, porn stars, and multiple narratives collide. Untrustworthy people do unscrupulous things.

I find this movie to be pretty well presented even if a tad generic. I like the strong cast and there is enough energy to keep its short runtime rolling. This true event also helped inspire the movie Boogie Nights, which is fully fictional but draws upon similar elements.