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Wonderland
(Reviewed September 24, 2003)
-
Val Kilmer has never been a favorite of mine, and he seems on first consideration to be all wrong for the role of porn-star legend John Holmes. (Holmes always struck me as more of a sleazy grown-man
type, as opposed to addled, overgrown surf-bum type.) Then again, if you never have seen footage of the real Holmes, Kilmer does a good enough job making his not-convincingly-Holmesian character
believable. It's not an incredible simulation, in other words, but it's an acceptable substitution.
"Wonderland" recounts the true story of Holmes' involvement in a drug ripoff and the resulting revenge murder spree that occurred on Wonderland Avenue in early 1980s Los Angeles. It is
stylishly directed and has good supporting performances from Dylan McDermott (convincingly playing a biker badass in a bad fake beard, a character who has absolutely nothing in common with the lawyer
he played on TV's "The Practice"); Kate Bosworth (as Holmes' teenage girlfriend on the run); and Lisa Kudrow (as Holmes' long-sufferin' wife, a bitter but centered character who is universes away from
Phoebe on "Friends").
The faded, orange-overtone film stock and the grittiness of the images makes "Wonderland" resemble a documentary unearthed in a time capsule from the period. A little too much of the story is
told in flashbacks, with shifting viewpoints giving different versions of the story. Then again, this covers the problem of nobody knowing to this day exactly what exactly happened on Wonderland Avenue.
Not exactly a feel-good flick, but definitely worth a look.
Back Row Grade: B-
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