Wonderful World

Synopsis: Ben is a failed children's folk singer and less-than-extraordinary weekend dad. Deeply cynical, Ben's sole pleasure in life is derived from chess games with his Senegalese roommate Ibou. When Ibou is suddenly struck ill and an insensitive municipal employee exacerbates the emergency situation, Ben's pessimistic world view seems unequivocally confirmed. But when Ibou's sister Khadi takes his place in their apartment, what starts as an awkward living arrangement becomes something more, and Ben finds that cynicism may be all a matter of perspective.
Genre: Drama, Romance
Director(s): Joshua Goldin
Production: Magnolia Pictures
 
IMDB:
6.2
Metacritic:
48
Rotten Tomatoes:
42%
R
Year:
2009
89 min
Website
117 Views


- Latte and mocha.

- Thank you.

Thanks.

- Vincent's merger's dead.

- Don't worry about it, L.

You'll be out of here in 6 months.

The "until" job.

How long you been

working here, Ben?

Jesus.

I know. Pretty pathetic.

At least I don't delude myself

with hopes and dreams.

He's against hopes and dreams.

He's the anti-everything dude.

The antichrist.

You think getting a job in a TV series

is going to change anything?

In 3 days, you'll realize

it's just the same old crap

in a new package--

you'll still be working for The Man,

same as everyone else.

The Man? Who's The Man?

You know-- society, the establishment,

the corporate super-organism.

Him.

You're one dark dude, man.

He's here.

Hi, dad.

So what's new in school?

I don't know.

Math and stuff.

A guru from an ashram

in India came to visit us

in social studies.

He could remember

That kid recognizes you.

Probably from one of your C.D.s.

What were his past lives?

In one he was a prince.

In the other he was a

slave leading a rebellion.

That's the trouble

with reincarnation--

Everybody was always

a prince or a warrior.

Nobody was ever a museum guard,

a paramecium or a bed of moss.

People want to think

they were special, I guess.

Yeah, well,

that's how they get you.

They figure if they can fill you up

with that pie-in-the-sky stuff,

maybe you won't notice how much crap

you've eaten in your own lifetime.

Ready?

I think I'm a lesbian.

Why, 'cause you like hockey?

I like boys, but...

Not to kiss.

I like hanging out with them.

I wouldn't jump

to any conclusions.

You haven't even reached

puberty yet.

You're programmed from birth.

They have studies.

So...

What do you want to do?

You wanna go ice skating?

Dad, I like watching hockey.

I don't even know how to skate.

Do you want to go to McRory's?

Sure.

Very good. Nice-- Nice guitar.

Hey, Ben, this just came in.

Brazilian.

So fine it almost plays itself.

You want to play it?

Go ahead.

Jim and Sweeny are in the back.

Do you mind?

Just for a minute?

Maestro!

All right. I see

you got the Brazilian.

Sweet.

It's a shame.

What is?

To be so great at something

no one cares about.

I think I want to sleep

in my own room tonight.

Ibu snores too loud

and I have a bio quiz tomorrow.

Hey, what's the matter?

She wanted to come home,

that's all.

I love you, dad.

Hey, sweetie.

What did you say to her?

For God's sakes, Ben,

she's 11 years old. She still wants

to think the world is a nice place.

Hey.

She wants me to feed her

that positive-think crap.

We just exited the bloodiest century

in the history of civilization.

We got terrorism,

atomic bombs,

genocide of mythic proportions.

And what have all

these horrors produced

as we go into the new millennium?

Positive f***ing thinking.

You know what that's about?

It's about grabbing

as much as you can

with your greedy little fingers.

So why don't you do

something special with her?

Take her to a hockey game

or something.

The only crime left in the whole

f***ing world is negativity.

Negativity is treason.

They even have a pill for it.

It is a world in which The Man

is the presiding authority--

The 2 worst inventions

in the past 20 years--

The TV remote and positive thinking.

You know, I-- I hear something

on the radio today.

It was very interesting.

It was about this game theory.

They say if a man acts

in his own interests,

that he would act in a way that is

beneficial to those around him--

if he acts intelligently.

Big "if."

I don't know.

So I went on the internet

to read a little more

about it, you know?

And the cake is--

How you say?

Mutual game theory.

They say, you know,

The game theory between

like each one wanting

what is best for the other.

No fret, no fret.

Glucose spike, yeah?

Like you are my friend, right?

So that which you want,

I want for you.

I go out of my way

for you, Ben.

I would do it happily

because I know

you would do the same.

Great things can come

from this game theory--

Great things.

You know, the Wolofs back

in Senegal,

we don't say,

"that man has this"

or "this man has that."

That is why still magic

exists in Senegal, yeah?

What kind of magic is that?

When it rains, the fish,

they fall from the sky.

This happens

because we believe.

It is like-- like a form

of game theory, I think.

There's an old Wolof saying:

"Your thoughts are things."

And you've seen this?

You've seen fish fall from the sky?

With my own eyes.

The fish, they flap about in the grass,

trying to get back in the stream.

I told my sister about it in a letter.

She has seen it too, you know.

Check mate.

Every time we play, you get me

into one of these conversations.

It's a Goddamn decoy.

Maybe you should look at

the world as your friend.

Yeah,

as soon as I see fish

fall from the sky.

Your--

Your car is supposed to be

flush with the pole.

This has been going on

since I moved in.

It takes me 5 swings

to get out of my spot.

What do you do?

Come out here with a ruler?

Bottom line--

Your car is illegal.

I'm trying to be civil

about this, dude, you know?

I could just call the police

and have your car towed.

You know what you are?

You're a vampire.

You think you're new to the earth,

but you're not.

You've been around for,

like, 10,000 years.

You were in the bible.

You're indestructible.

You're like an insect.

And when the nuclear

holocaust comes,

there'll be swarms of you

driving around in your S.U.V.s

- informing on each other.

- Park where it's legal!

Shut up.

So 8:
30, Friday, funny bone.

Everyone's coming, right?

Cassie? Leon?

- Cassie?

- Yes.

Okay. Claire?

Funny bone, Friday?

You gotta come.

I rep a comic and he's

gonna be on at 10:00, so...

Who are you?

I'm The Man.

Are you God?

No, he deals with

the birds and beasties,

planetary alignments, quarks.

I just deal with

the human element.

Then I have a question.

Why are there soda machines

in schools?

Why is it all about

greed, agenda, money?

It is easier to

keep people in line

by appealing to their worst

impulses than their best.

Now everyone has bad impulses?

Not everyone has

good ones.

Maxine, go get dressed.

Lucas, go get dressed for school.

Lucas?

Thank you.

Go get dressed, sweetie.

Hey. Look at this ass clown.

- Who is that?

- It's a guy I work with.

- In proofreading?

- Yeah.

Did you know that there's

a new study that says

cinnamon is good

for the heart?

I'm not listening. You're just

trying to get me off my game.

No no no, seriously, though,

dark chocolate lowers

the blood pressure,

tannins in red wine.

All the medicine we'll

ever need is in the food.

you will have cancer--

The doctor will make you a salad.

Hey, Ben, Cyril G. Here.

I'm going down the list,

and you're coming, right?

You got somewhere to go?

All right, I'll see you there!

He just needs a warm body.

But of course, the consumables

have their own perils--

Mercury in the fish, caffeine.

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Joshua Goldin

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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