Next Stop Wonderland – Review

After an absurd and over the top breakup with Sean (Hoffman) featuring a VHS with 6 points of why the relationship is doomed, and a lost futon, Erin Castleton (Davis) is looking to get her life back on track. She works as a nurse, with coworkers Cricket (Thorne) and Rick (Cheeseman), and tries to convince her mom Piper (Taylor) that she is better off alone for now. After crowded subway commutes, she tries unwinding with wine and reading to keep her mind off people.

Alan Monteiro (Gelfant) is an aquarium worker stuck in his own routine. He dives with the fishes, and fixes pipe leaks, while looking to up his life as the assistant aquarist. Maybe he’ll land the job! He lives with roommates which are a couple, and they scream at each other nonstop. This is the life. As Erin heads to hang out with Cricket and her date Bob at the aquarium, characters seem destined to converge.

Will Erin and Alan ever meet each other? Will this be a good thing? Will the personal ad that Piper put in the paper for Erin drive her insane? Frisky, carefree and a zest for living; what a great description. Will anything get these characters out of their funks? Maybe the plot of Alan’s brother and friends who look to all date the same girl from a personal ad will do it? I’m sure that’ll work out well.

The humor in Next Stop Wonderland is offbeat and clever, with silliness and fun infused into its characters. The romance plot is a weirder setup than most, but with a spontaneous script which fits the bill. Most dialogue feels natural despite comedic exaggeration, and there are witty jokes and moments slid in seamlessly.

The acting is well done and gives the characters quirks and life, and the direction is done with a sense of character proximity as they bump into similar people at similar places, whether they know it or not. Overall, Next Stop Wonderland is a good look at dating and relationships, with some realistic takes as well as humorous excesses. The script’s emphasis is on the right feelings and observations; all combined with offbeat departures from normal romance flicks.

Director Brad Anderson has done quite a variety of films with many interesting ideas, so an unconventional romantic comedy somehow fits into his repertoire also. This film works and is an interesting watch for fans of the genres. Also, who doesn’t want to watch Sean’s video of the reasons why he is dumping Erin? I mean, that should be worth admission alone.