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THE GREAT NEW WONDERFUL
Directed by: Danny Leiner.
Written by: Sam Catlin.
Produced by: Matt Tauber, Danny Leiner & Leslie Urdang.
Director of Photography: Harlan Bosmajian.
Edited by: Robert Frazen.
Music by: John Swihart.
Released by: First Independent.
Country of Origin: USA. 88 min. Rated: R.
With: Olympia Dukakis, Jim Gaffigan, Judy Greer, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Tom McCarthy, Sharat Saxena, Naseeruddin Shah, Tony Shalhoub, Edie Falco & Stephen Colbert.

Danny Leiner (Dude, Where’s My Car? and Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle) directs his first feature not made for stoners. Arriving between the release of United 93 and Oliver Stone’s upcoming World Trade Center, Leiner's The Great New Wonderful is a meandering collection of tenuously-connected vignettes whose only unifying feature is their shared setting: New York, September 11th, 2002.

Emme (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a bossy pastry chef for New York’s elite, always comes in second in competitions to chef Safarah (Edie Falco). Middle-class Allison (Judy Greer) and David (Thomas McCarthy) have a problem child, who is too much for even the most understanding PTA. Avi (Naseeruddin Shah) and Satish (Sharat Saxena), neighbors and coworkers, never quite see eye to eye. Judy Hillerman (Olympia Dukakis), unsatisfied with her routine life, reminisces on her earlier life as Judy Berlin. And after an undisclosed office killing, skittish worker bee Sandie (Jim Gaffigan) is examined for shock by Dr. Trabulous (Tony Shalhoub), revealing an ocean of regret and repressed anger.

All the characters cross paths in a packed elevator, reinforcing the idea that the film is showcasing a slice of New York life. They also all cry at various times for various reasons. Oh, and 9/11 hovers in the background, too. But it's curious, though, that the film's message is both absent and labored at the same time. So many scenes feel as if they were being wedged into an overarching purpose, but that purpose seems to have missed its curtain call. Some storylines deal with regret, some with trauma and repression, and still others deal with guilt and infidelity.

However, compared to how little time each actor is given to establish his/her character, the cast gives a phenomenal performance. Every individual role is elaborated by sideways glances, half smiles, nervous hand movements and other touches that give life to screenwriter Sam Catlin’s minimalist character sketches. In particular, Shah’s Avi and Dukakis’ Judy are reminders that actors can be more than mimes for a script; they can also be craftsmen of interpretive genius. Zachary Jones
June 24, 2006