Movie · 2017 · Family, Drama · 1h 53m · PG · English
Curator score: 5.5/10 (785.8K ratings)
Who gives you the courage to face the world?
Overview
The story of August Pullman – a boy with facial differences – who enters fifth grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time.
Ratings
Curator score: 5.5/10
IMDb: 7.9/10
Letterboxd: 3.58/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Metacritic: 66
TMDB: 8.1/10
Director
Stephen Chbosky
Production
Lionsgate, Participant, Walden Media, Mandeville Films, TIK Films
Cast
Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Izabela Vidovic, Noah Jupe, Millie Davis, Bryce Gheisar, Mandy Patinkin, Danielle Rose Russell, Daveed Diggs, Mark Dozlaw, Rukiya Bernard, Jennifer March, Elle McKinnon, Ty Consiglio, Kyle Breitkopf, James A Hughes, J. Douglas Stewart, Ali Liebert, Joseph Gordon
Where to watch
fuboTV, MGM Plus, Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A sincere, crowd-pleasing family drama that leans hard into sentiment, but does so with enough warmth and craft to land for many viewers. It’s especially effective as an empathy-forward school story and a tearjerker for audiences open to emotional uplift.
Best for
families looking for a safe, meaningful watch
viewers who like inspirational dramas
people who respond to tearjerkers and redemption arcs
classroom or parent-child viewing
audiences interested in stories about kindness, inclusion, and belonging
Skip if
you dislike overt sentimentality
you want subtle, ambiguous drama
you’re tired of inspirational bullying-and-overcoming narratives
you prefer edgy or ironic storytelling
Overview
Wonder is built as a gentle fable about empathy, and it knows exactly how to guide its audience toward tears. The film’s biggest strength is its emotional clarity: it wants children and adults alike to think about how cruelty spreads, how kindness matters, and how a family absorbs the strain of being different in public.
Worth noting
It can feel engineered at times, and some viewers will find the storytelling too polished or too eager to underline its points. But the sincerity is real, and the performances help keep it grounded. Jacob Tremblay gives the movie its heart, while the supporting adults make the home life feel lived-in rather than purely symbolic.
Bottom line
If you’re in the mood for a clean, accessible drama with a strong moral center, this works. If you need restraint, complexity, or a less obvious emotional roadmap, it may feel manipulative. For the right audience, though, it’s an effective and genuinely moving crowd-pleaser.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Karsten (2★) · 3609 likes
This is like if Bed Bath & Beyond made a movie
shay (4★) · 3249 likes
i know we're living in an alternate universe because owen wilson was in this and he never said "wow" at least once
bel (4★) · 1631 likes
why is Owen Wilson in another film where the dog dies. Honestly stop doing this to that poor man.
Also slightly pissed he didnt say ‘Wow’ once, i thought it would be in his contract.
kayla (4★) · 1579 likes
Um I legit ugly cried from beginning to end
alex (3★) · 1289 likes
it's a good thing i wasn't the mom in this movie because i would be drop kicking so many children