The most holistic and healing way to live is to embrace the world, believing it is filled with meanings and marvels we can discover. But we cannot experience the full wonder, mystery, and adventure of the world if we hold a totally negative image of it. Physicist Albert Einstein was once asked, "What's the most important question you can ask in life?" He replied, "Is the universe a friendly place or not?" We all know people who would immediately answer no to that question.
Ben Singer (Matthew Broderick) is one of those people. He's a cynic who sees the dark side of everything he comes across. He has been working as a proofreader at a law firm for eight years and doesn't like most of the people he comes into contact with there. Divorced, Ben sees his 11-year-old daughter (Jodelle Ferland) on weekends but he has taken very little interest in her loneliness and struggles at school. Most of the time he spends with her are given up to rants against "the Man" and the reign of selfishness and greed in American life. His wise Senegalese roommate Ibou (Michael Kenneth Williams) plays chess with him and tries to cheer him up but once he's asleep, Ben smokes pot and then retires for the night.
When Ibou is felled by a complication from his diabetes, Ben helps him to the street but is enraged when he finds his car is being hauled away. He tries to tell the man in authority that he needs to make an emergency run to the hospital but the man refuses to listen and takes the car anyway.
Ibou's sister Khadi (Sanaa Lathan) arrives from Senegal to look after her brother. A woman tutored in the wisdom of the tribe, she has a big heart and loves dancing. She brings beauty and fresh air into Ben's cramped and rumpled lifestyle. In a moment of intimate sharing, she learns that Ben was once a star in the world of children's music but gave it up. Khadi has more of an impact on him than his conversations with an imaginary "the Man" (Philip Baker Hall).
Josh Goldin is the writer and director of Wonderful World, one of those films about spiritual transformation that can easily fall by the wayside in the face of big blockbuster films and traditional Hollywood fare. Similar to The Visitor, it shows how an unhappy American's life is renewed in the presence of foreigners who, despite their lack of money, have discovered that wealth is found amidst the magic and bounty of everyday life. Ibou's quiet wisdom and his sister's joyful presence help break down the walls that have isolated Ben from involvement with others.
Spiritual writer Robert Sardello has written: "Seeing the world as friend is like seeing the world for the first time." There is a scene in Wonderful World where Ben walks through the doors at the airport that perfectly conveys this transformation. Watching this movie, we realize how miraculous it can be when cynicism is replaced by a new appreciation of life.
Special features on the DVD include closed captions; "As Soon as Fish Fall Out of the Sky": Character and Story of Wonderful World; behind the scenes: working with writer/director Josh Goldin and actor Matthew Broderick; and behind the scenes montage: "HDNET: A Look at Wonderful World".
