One of the myths of being single is that no one ever likes being alone. We see a woman sitting without a companion in a cafe reading and we immediately feel sorry for her. Or we walk by a fellow sitting on a bench by the ocean and we assume he's lamenting the plight of not having anyone to share the moment with. In this charming romantic comedy set in Boston and written and directed by Brad Anderson, a single man and a single woman share a love of solitude without loneliness. Fate brings them together eventually and when it happens, their union feels so right.
Erin (Hope Davis) is a night-shift nurse who is trying to get over being dumped by her social activist boyfriend (Phil Hoffman). When her gregarious mother (Holland Taylor) places a personals ad for her in a newspaper, she meets some of the men and is consistently disappointed. Then at work, Erin encounters a Brazilian (Jose Zuniga) who shares her love for Bossa Nova.
Meanwhile, Alan (Alan Gelfant) is trying to change his life. A plumber, he's taking courses and volunteering at the aquarium in order to eventually become a marine biologist. This goal is waylaid by his father's gambling debt and a fellow student (Cara Buono) who has the hots for him. Next Stop Wonderland is probably the only film you'll ever see that celebrates solitude as the perfect milieu for nurturing love.