Movie Review

The Great New Wonderful (2006)

Reviewed by Lisa Schwarzbaum | Jul 05, 2006

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Lisa Schwarzbaum is a film critic for EW

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EW's GRADE

B-

Details Limited Release: Jun 23, 2006; Rated: R; Length: 88 Minutes; Genres: Comedy, Drama; With: Edie Falco and Maggie Gyllenhaal

$\'WONDERFUL\' AND EMPTY Gyllenhaal (right) and Ari Graynor in Leiner\'s post-9/11 N.Y. story$

Image credit: GREAT NEW WONDERFUL: Abbot Genser

'WONDERFUL' AND EMPTY Gyllenhaal (right) and Ari Graynor in Leiner's post-9/11 N.Y. story

The self-absorbed New Yorkers who inhabit The Great New Wonderful are an antsy lot in 2002: An aggressive entrepreneur (Maggie Gyllenhaal) schemes to crush a competitor (Edie Falco), a placid company drone (Jim Gaffigan) roils with internal rage, an old woman (Olympia Dukakis) stalls in an ancient marital rut. Working from a stagy script by Sam Catlin, director Danny Leiner uses a dainty palette of tristesse (untouched when he made Dude, Where's My Car?) to suggest that the shadow of 9/11 makes every discontent more pathetic.

Originally posted Jul 05, 2006 Published in issue #886 Jul 14, 2006 Order article reprints

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DVD Review The Great New Wonderful

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