Wonderful World

Josh Goldin's film begins in extremely depressing territory: divorced and failed children's folksinger Ben (a glum Matthew Broderick) shares a one-room apartment and works in a dead-end job as a law firm proofreader following the collapse of his music career. Ben's only distraction lies in weekend encounters with his 11-year-old daughter, Sandra (Jodelle Ferland), who has grown to hate him. Making matters worse, his roommate, a Senegalese immigrant named Ibou (Michael Kenneth Williams), falls into a diabetic coma and is hospitalized. But things change for Ben when Ibou's impossibly glamorous sister Khadi (Sanaa Lathan) arrives from Senegal and moves into her brother's half of the apartment. Khadi has an almost magical spirit about her—whether cooking extraordinary meals or teaching Sandra various African dances, she brings out the best in everyone. Even down-in-the-dumps Ben is shaken from his doldrums, ultimately falling in love with this remarkable woman. Wonderful World will probably draw comparisons to The Visitor, which covered similar territory in a more compelling and believable manner. While Broderick is adequate as the sad sack who gets a second chance to enjoy life, it is Lathan who gives Wonderful World its energy. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include an “As Soon as Fish Fall Out of the Sky” making-of featurette (5 min.), an HDNet production featurette (5 min.), a behind-the-scenes featurette (2 min.), a behind-the-scenes montage (2 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for an unexceptional film.] (P. Hall)