Wonder

A bright ten-year-old boy with a congenital facial disfigurement confronts the challenge of settling into a new school in this thoughtful drama, which suggests that growing up is tough for even the most well-adjusted children. Impressive in the kidnap study Room, gifted young actor Jacob Tremblay shines again here, cutting a touching but rarely self-pitying figure behind the prosthetics, and he's ably supported by Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson as doting but careworn parents. Working from RJ Palacio's acclaimed novel, writer/director Stephen Chbosky expands the scope of the story, adopting various perspectives - including Tremblay's somewhat ignored older sister, and a somewhat two-faced classmate. This shows how peer pressure acts insidiously across the social spectrum of school-age children, but is most keenly felt by those outsiders who just don't look the part. An uncommonly engrossing and subtle affair for much of the way, Chbosky's film eventually tugs a little too vigorously at the heartstrings. Still, there's enough empathy and insight here to forgive its understandable desire to play to the gallery.