Next Stop Wonderland
Miramax Films | Release Date: August 21, 1998 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Smart and beguiling, it manages the impressive feat of believing wholeheartedly in the power of love without checking its mind at the door. Read full review
90
The New YorkerKen Marks
Unlike the heavy-handed "Good Will Hunting," this gifted-Boston-misfit romance floats, adroitly mixing thoughtfulness, farce, and surprise. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Anderson brings compassion to his amused sense of yuppie tragicomedy, as he does to his nuanced understanding of Boston, the setting of this appealing fairy tale. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
This low-key romantic comedy proves that destiny-powered love stories can be formulaic without being predictable. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Anderson and co-writer Lyn Vaus have a wonderfully light touch with dialogue both comic and sad, and Davis is the perfect mirror for the movie's gracefully shifting moods, and its soulful bossa nova score. Read full review
80
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Low on plot but high on charm and personality, Next Stop Wonderland is a sly, hand-crafted indie that is very alive and attentive to its characters' feelings and foibles. Read full review
80
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Shot with a shaky hand-held camera, Wonderland is a sentimental fairy tale with a gritty documentary feel. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
Both actors are so appealing, you root for the inevitable meeting to happen somewhere in the vicinity of Wonderland. Read full review
70
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Next Stop Wonderland isn't really much more than a beautifully acted, finely edited sitcom, but it creates and sustains an intelligent, seriocomic mood better than any recent film about the urban single life. Read full review
70
Village VoiceAmy Taubin
The style of the filmmaking, the freewheeling handheld camera movement, the associative editing, and the buoyant Brazilian score convey Anderson's sense that chance plays a major role in our lives and that what's happening on the periphery is often more important than what's staring us in the face. Read full review
70
Dallas ObserverJean Oppenheimer
While too many things about the story don't ring true for the film as a whole to work, there is enough in Next Stop Wonderland to keep the viewer wide awake and entertained. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Anderson pulls it off, thanks in large part to his witty writing, punchy editing and a likable supporting cast. Read full review
70
Washington PostRita Kempley
It's the individual characters, so carefully crafted, who count, as opposed to a tidy conclusion. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
The premise works despite its inbred hokiness due to Anderson's sure direction and the lovely central performances of Hope Davis and Alan Gelfant. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
The characters in Wonderland show an intelligent complexity and sharpness of contemporary observation that transcends romantic-comedy clichés. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
There are times when, as diverting as it can be, Next Stop, Wonderland feels like a lengthy prologue to an as-yet unmade film. Read full review
60
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
What's good about Next Stop Wonderland -- and nearly good enough to warrant recommendation -- has nothing to do with Anderson's sloppy, disjointed filmmaking, and everything to do with Hope Davis' far more disciplined and appealing lead performance. Read full review
50
SalonCharles Taylor
Like too many young filmmakers, Anderson seems to equate honesty with choppy editing, bad lighting (so harsh in a couple of shots you can see the pancake on Davis' face) and herky-jerky camera movements. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The movie gains a few points for its colorfully filmed Boston background and bright bossa-nova music. But it's filmed in a fake-spontaneous style that's as stale and artificial as the relationships between the characters. Read full review
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