Wonder Wheel
Director: Woody Allen
Year Released: 2017
Rating: 3.0
Moll Carolina (Juno Temple), who ran away from her mobster husband, goes to Coney Island to live with her father Humpty (Jim Belushi) and step-mom Ginny (Kate Winslet) ... who's having an affair with lifeguard/aspiring dramatist Mickey (Justin Timberlake). It's Mr. Allen channeling Tennessee Williams in what sometimes comes across as a filmed play: Ginny's a typically hysterical Williams female figure and Humpty is a loud-mouthed and abusive but sensitive brute, while 'innocent' Mickey is there just to get experience and "a good story." As with most of Woody's late-period films, there's much to cherish, from the efficient plotting to the snappy dialogue to Santo Loquasto's sets - he's writing nostalgically (and with a touch of sadness) about the 1950's, when he was in his teens/early twenties. Don't expect a happy ending: the Sopranos guys are there for a reason.
