SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: WONDERLAND

"WONDERLAND"
(2000) (Gina McKee, Molly Parker) (R)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Moderate	Mild	Heavy	Mild	Minor

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Mild	None	None	Minor	Extreme

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Extreme	Heavy	Heavy	Moderate	Moderate

QUICK TAKE:: Drama: Various members of a family deal with varying changes in their relationships with one another and others in their lives.

PLOT:

As noisy Bonfire Night celebrations continue over a long autumnal weekend in London, various members of a large family get on with their everyday lives. Bill (JACK SHEPHERD) and Eileen (KIKA MARKHAM) are the middle-aged parents stranded in a loveless marriage. Their daughter Debbie (SHIRLEY HENDERSON) is a hairdresser who's raising her son, Jack (PETER MARFLEET), and is separated from her worthless husband, Dan (IAN HART).

Her sister, Nadia (GINA MCKEE), is a café waitress who's searching for love and going on many blind dates stemming from her ad in the personals, while their other sister, Molly (MOLLY PARKER), is nine months pregnant and dealing with the baby's father, Eddie (JOHN SIMM), who's suddenly decided to quit his job. Then there's their brother, Darren (ENZO CILENTI), whose estrangement from his parents has everyone concerned.

As the weekend progresses, the various family members must come to grips with newfound realizations about themselves, as well as their relationships with family member and others.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Unless they're fans of "art house" films or someone in the cast, it's not very likely.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R: For some strong sexuality, and for language.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: GINA MCKEE plays a lonely café waitress who goes on various blind dates while looking for love, and apparently has sex with one of those dates.
MOLLY PARKER plays her very pregnant sister who uses strong profanity and gets mad at the father of her baby for quitting his job.
SHIRLEY HENDERSON plays their other sister, a hard-partying hairdresser who's separated from her husband, smokes, uses strong profanity, and receives oral sex from a man in one scene.
KIKA MARKHAM plays the sisters' mother who can't stand her husband (their father), cusses, and ends up poisoning the neighbor's constantly barking dog.
JACK SHEPHERD plays her mostly reserved husband who puts up with his wife's disparaging remarks and briefly cusses.
ENZO CILENTI plays their estranged son who's seen having sex with a woman and occasionally smokes.
IAN HART plays Debbie's separated and worthless husband who smokes, uses strong profanity, and leaves their son alone when he's supposed to be spending time with him.
PETER MARFLEET plays that son.
JOHN SIMM plays the father of Molly's baby who quits his job, but doesn't tell her, and then disappears for a while after they have a fight about that.; MOLLY PARKER plays her very pregnant sister who uses strong profanity and gets mad at the father of her baby for quitting his job.
SHIRLEY HENDERSON plays their other sister, a hard-partying hairdresser who's separated from her husband, smokes, uses strong profanity, and receives oral sex from a man in one scene.
KIKA MARKHAM plays the sisters' mother who can't stand her husband (their father), cusses, and ends up poisoning the neighbor's constantly barking dog.
JACK SHEPHERD plays her mostly reserved husband who puts up with his wife's disparaging remarks and briefly cusses.
ENZO CILENTI plays their estranged son who's seen having sex with a woman and occasionally smokes.
IAN HART plays Debbie's separated and worthless husband who smokes, uses strong profanity, and leaves their son alone when he's supposed to be spending time with him.
PETER MARFLEET plays that son.
JOHN SIMM plays the father of Molly's baby who quits his job, but doesn't tell her, and then disappears for a while after they have a fight about that.; SHIRLEY HENDERSON plays their other sister, a hard-partying hairdresser who's separated from her husband, smokes, uses strong profanity, and receives oral sex from a man in one scene.
KIKA MARKHAM plays the sisters' mother who can't stand her husband (their father), cusses, and ends up poisoning the neighbor's constantly barking dog.
JACK SHEPHERD plays her mostly reserved husband who puts up with his wife's disparaging remarks and briefly cusses.
ENZO CILENTI plays their estranged son who's seen having sex with a woman and occasionally smokes.
IAN HART plays Debbie's separated and worthless husband who smokes, uses strong profanity, and leaves their son alone when he's supposed to be spending time with him.
PETER MARFLEET plays that son.
JOHN SIMM plays the father of Molly's baby who quits his job, but doesn't tell her, and then disappears for a while after they have a fight about that.; KIKA MARKHAM plays the sisters' mother who can't stand her husband (their father), cusses, and ends up poisoning the neighbor's constantly barking dog.
JACK SHEPHERD plays her mostly reserved husband who puts up with his wife's disparaging remarks and briefly cusses.
ENZO CILENTI plays their estranged son who's seen having sex with a woman and occasionally smokes.
IAN HART plays Debbie's separated and worthless husband who smokes, uses strong profanity, and leaves their son alone when he's supposed to be spending time with him.
PETER MARFLEET plays that son.
JOHN SIMM plays the father of Molly's baby who quits his job, but doesn't tell her, and then disappears for a while after they have a fight about that.; JACK SHEPHERD plays her mostly reserved husband who puts up with his wife's disparaging remarks and briefly cusses.
ENZO CILENTI plays their estranged son who's seen having sex with a woman and occasionally smokes.
IAN HART plays Debbie's separated and worthless husband who smokes, uses strong profanity, and leaves their son alone when he's supposed to be spending time with him.
PETER MARFLEET plays that son.
JOHN SIMM plays the father of Molly's baby who quits his job, but doesn't tell her, and then disappears for a while after they have a fight about that.; ENZO CILENTI plays their estranged son who's seen having sex with a woman and occasionally smokes.
IAN HART plays Debbie's separated and worthless husband who smokes, uses strong profanity, and leaves their son alone when he's supposed to be spending time with him.
PETER MARFLEET plays that son.
JOHN SIMM plays the father of Molly's baby who quits his job, but doesn't tell her, and then disappears for a while after they have a fight about that.; IAN HART plays Debbie's separated and worthless husband who smokes, uses strong profanity, and leaves their son alone when he's supposed to be spending time with him.
PETER MARFLEET plays that son.
JOHN SIMM plays the father of Molly's baby who quits his job, but doesn't tell her, and then disappears for a while after they have a fight about that.; PETER MARFLEET plays that son.
JOHN SIMM plays the father of Molly's baby who quits his job, but doesn't tell her, and then disappears for a while after they have a fight about that.; JOHN SIMM plays the father of Molly's baby who quits his job, but doesn't tell her, and then disappears for a while after they have a fight about that.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

Here's a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated drama. Profanity is rated as extreme due to the use of at least 40 "f" words, while various other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Several sexual encounters occur, with one featuring a man having oral sex with a woman and another showing views of male and female nudity. The beginnings of another encounter are seen, as is some unrelated nudity.

Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, including a middle-aged woman who hates her husband and poisons the next-door neighbor's dog to silence its barking. Meanwhile, barely seen assailants attack and rob a boy at night. Tense family moments arise among various family members, while various characters drink and/or smoke.

Although it's highly unlikely that many kids will want to see this picture, should you still be concerned about is appropriateness for yourself or anyone in your home, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed content listings for more specific examples of what occurs in the film.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: People, including Nadia and her date/someone she met, have drinks at a party (and the man with her won't tell her what's in her drink).
A couple has champagne in front of them on a train and then playfully pour some during foreplay in a hotel room.
Nadia has a beer while her date has a drink.
One of Nadia's dates tells her about some rock star who called him up while she was "stoned."
While talking to himself about what will happen in the future if he stays with his current job, Eddie says that he'll start drinking.
A man has a beer after having oral sex with Debbie.
Dan has a beer.
Bill and a neighbor lady have drinks.
Eddie has a drink.
Nadia has a beer, as does Dan.
Eddie picks up a bottle of wine at the grocery store.
People, including Dan, have drinks in a bar.
A man Nadia had sex with has a beer.

BLOOD/GORE: We see a dead, but not gory dog (that's been poisoned) and then see it being buried (with shovels of dirt landing on its body in a hole).
We see a cut/scrape on Eddie's hand and head after he's wrecked his motorcycle.
We see a few brief shots of Molly's baby as it's being born (nothing graphic/explicit) and the baby is a bit bloody (as is usual).

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: Eileen is mean toward Bill in their marriage, and at one point calls him pathetic.
Dan gets mad and curses at other drivers while stuck in traffic.
Eddie doesn't tell Molly that he quit/lost his job with their baby on the way at any moment. He then appears to steal something from a grocery store (while walking out the alarm goes off, but he keeps walking).
A man Nadia just had sex with (or fooled around heavily with) no longer is interested in her once they're done (and doesn't make any effort to help her get home beyond offering to call a cab).
Eileen puts rat poison in some meat that she feeds to the neighbor's barking dog to kill it (she's successful).
Although Dan is supposed to be watching Jack over the weekend, he often leaves the boy at home by himself while he goes out to the pubs.
Some unseen thugs rough up and apparently rob Jack at night.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: Those who've lost a pet might find a scene where Eileen puts rat poison in some meat that she feeds to the neighbor's barking dog to kill it (she's successful) as unsettling (as they might seeing the dog being buried with shovels of dirt landing on its body in a hole).
It's possible some viewers could find the scene where Molly is yelling, screaming and obviously in pain during childbirth as a bit unsettling.
Some unseen thugs rough up and apparently rob Jack at night (in a somewhat disorienting scene where we really can't tell what's happening although we can hear the boy screaming).

GUNS/WEAPONS: While talking to himself about what will happen in the future if he stays with his current job, Eddie says that he'll get a gun and then be holed up inside his house with his family and the police outside (this never happens and isn't visualized).

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Due to the accents and bad sound recording (where the dialogue is often drowned out by the surrounding sounds), the following should be considered a minimum.
Phrases: "F*ck off," "What's your f*cking problem?" "For f*ck's sakes," "F*cked up," "F*cking hell," "F*ck off," "Where the f*ck have you been?" "Shut up," "Horny bugger," "Bastard," "Bloody hell" and "Freaked out."
Eileen puts rat poison in some meat that she feeds to the neighbor's barking dog to kill it (she's successful).

JUMP SCENES: None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): None.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): A song playing on the radio in one scene has lyrics something along the line of "I want to take you home."

PROFANITY: Due to the accents and bad sound recording (where the dialogue is often drowned out by the surrounding sounds), the following should be considered a minimum.
There are at least 40 "f" words, 9 "s" words, 2 slang terms for breasts ("t*t"), 3 hells, 3 uses of "God," 2 of "For God's sakes," and 1 use each of "Jesus," "Oh God" and "Oh my God" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY: Due to the accents and bad sound recording (where the dialogue is often drowned out by the surrounding sounds), the following (related to sexual dialogue) should be considered a minimum.
It sounds like Debbie tells Nadia that she's going to get "shagged" that night.
We see a couple passionately making out while standing in a hallway on a moving train and then while seated in the train. We then see them in a motel/hotel room bed with him kissing her bare back and we see most of her bare butt sticking out from the edge of the sheets. We then see various glimpses of her bare breasts as well as brief full frontal views of both of them as they wrestle around on the bed (her on top of him, then him getting on top of her between her legs). We then see them in bed presumably after sex.
As Eddie stands in a phone booth, we see all sorts of small advertisements plastered on the booth that show women in various stages of undress (bare breasts, bare butt, small stars covering nipples, etc.).
While talking to himself about what will happen in the future if he stays with his current job, Eddie says that he'll take a lover.
We hear Debbie's pleasured sexual sounds and then see her pleasured facial expression from a man giving her oral sex (we briefly see his head down at her crotch, partially covered by her clothing so that we don't see anything explicit). We also see his hand caressing her chest (and she's just in her bra up top). After he's done, she tells him that he's done that before and he says that he has. We then see her dancing around in her bra (while her clothing is back down around her crotch).
We see part of a man's bare butt as he puts his underwear on.
Debbie tells Molly that an odd dream she had means that she's a "horny bugger."
Nadia makes out with a man on his couch. He takes off her outer layer of clothing, lies down on top of her and then removes his shirt. She then gets on top of him and they remove her shirt (we see her in her bra). The scene cuts away and we later see this man putting his clothes back on (no nudity) and see her in her underwear as she pulls up her pantyhose. Thus, it's strongly implied that they had sex or heavily fooled around.
Bill tries to put the subtle moves on Eileen while in bed, but she swats him away and finally just gets out of bed.
We see a man and woman in bed together, but nothing sexual is happening between them.

SMOKING: Both Debbie and Dan smoke more than five times each, while Eddie and Darren smoke several times and various other characters and background characters also smoke.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: Eileen can't stand her husband Bill and their marriage suffers for it. We see many scenes where they don't get along. In addition, they worry about their son Darren who reportedly left home because of Eileen.
Dan and Debbie are separated or divorced and either share custody rights or Dan has weekend privileges with their son Jack, but he often ignores him/leaves him home by himself during these times.
Molly and Eddie have a fight and he doesn't return for the night.
A man gets mad at a woman (who's presumably his mother) for trying to intervene in his life.
Dan worries about Jack who's been missing for a day and Debbie then gets mad at Dan for losing him.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: Family relationships and dynamics.
Why Bill and Eileen stay together when it's obvious that they don't get along.
Eileen puts rat poison in some meat that she feeds to the neighbor's barking dog to kill it (she's successful).

VIOLENCE: Jack watches a scene from a prison movie where a convict is hitting/defending himself from others with a wound up towel (or something wrapped in a towel).
Eileen puts rat poison in some meat that she feeds to the neighbor's barking dog to kill it (she's successful).
Eddie wrecks his motorcycle and is injured (we later see a cast on his leg and some cuts on his head, etc.).
Some unseen thugs rough up and apparently rob Jack at night (in a somewhat disorienting scene where we really can't tell what's happening although we can hear him screaming).

Reviewed August 4, 2000 / Posted August 11, 2000

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