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Val Kilmer, Kate Bosworth, Lisa Kudrow, Josh Lucas, Dylan McDermott ... see more see more... , Tim Blake Nelson , Christina Applegate , Eric Bogosian , Carrie Fisher , Franky G , M.C. Gainey , Janeane Garofalo , Ted Levine , Faizon Love , Natasha Gregson Wagner , Stephanie Roth , Chris Ellis , Louis Lombardi , Michael Pitt , Joel Michaely , Paris Hilton , Alexis Dziena , Michelle Borth , Chris Cioffi , Steve Cox , Karen Lakritz , George Leonarpopoulas , Kim Mariner , Scoot McNairy , Tess Parker , Joliegh Pulsonetti , Russell Sams , David Solomini , Julianne Steiger

James Cox directs the sleazy Hollywood murder tale Wonderland, starring Val Kilmer as legendary porn star John Holmes. Using a non-linear plot structure, the film explores different perspectives of th... read more read more...e quadruple homicide that occurred on July 1, 1981, in the Hollywood Hills. At the lowest point of his career and the height of his drug addiction, Holmes was implicated in the murders of the Wonderland gang: Ron Launius (Josh Lucas), Billy Deverell (Tim Blake Nelson), Barbara Richardson (Natasha Gregson Wagner), and Joy Miller (Janeane Garofalo). Launius' wife, Susan (Christina Applegate), was the only survivor. Led by Detective Sam Nico (Ted Levine), the police investigation reveals a dark criminal underworld surrounding Holmes, his disapproving wife, Sharon (Lisa Kudrow), and his innocent teenage girlfriend, Dawn Schiller (Kate Bosworth). Eric Bogosian stars as notorious Hollywood nightclub owner Eddie Nash. Wonderland premiered at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

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66% liked it

17,365 ratings

Critics

34% liked it

100 critics

R, 1 hr. 44 min.

Directed by: James Cox

Release Date: October 3, 2003

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DVD Release Date: February 10, 2004

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Flixster Reviews (913)

  • TheDudeLebowski65
    December 13, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Wonderland in my opinion is fairly underrated. Based on the true story of John Holmes, a famed porn star. This film is about the Wonderland murders and John Holmes' involvement. I really don't understand why this film has gotten so much flack. I thought it was a very good film wi... read moreth a good cast. I'm not normally one to care for Val Kilmer, but at times he can deliver a good performance. Wonderland in my opinion is his best performance since 1995's Heat. In Wonderland, director James Cox crafts a very good dramatic thriller. The films plot is engaging and the performances of the cast are very good. Wonderland is an engaging drama film and there's plenty to enjoy from such a film. Wonderland is for me, an intense film that shows the downfall of one of the most famed porn actors at the height of his lowest point. This film is very interesting, entertaining and well put together. Director James Cox has made a good drama film. I very much enjoyed the film for what it was, and I think it's much underrated. Sure, the film isn't as strong as Boogie Nights, but it's worth watching nonetheless. If you enjoy a good real life inspired drama film, Wonderland is the film you should see. This film is much better than what most critics have said about the film. Wonderland has its faults, but for the most part, it succeeds at being a very entertaining drama with a good cast to boot. Along with a good story, what's not to like?
  • LoughnerWasLucid
    March 1, 2011
    LoughnerWasLucid
    Even though you dont know this is made by a showoff director with not much to show off, and shit writers, you should want to see it because it has the most amazingly awful cast of almost any movie:
    Lisa Kudrow. uh. Josh (Sweet home Alabama) Lucas. ok, keep talkin'. Kate Bosworth... read more. well how much is the "bos" worth? you have to see this movie. Christina Applegate. HOLY SHIT-CAKES. Janeane Garofalo as a junkie. A snackie snack eating Carrie Fisher who has hopefully retired her "Return of the Jedi" metal bikini. and... ANDD.... five mind-crowaving seconds of Paris Hilton as a hoe on a yacht. oh yea, the movie is about the John Holmes murder case but you don't care about that.
  • RCCLBC
    September 7, 2010
    RCCLBC
    Does a great job at showing how convoluted and confusing it is to piece together and solve a murder when your only witnesses are drug lords, drug dealers, drug users and prostitutes.

    Really strong performances from the entire cast, but Kudrow's performance (though a somewhat m... read moreinor role) really stood out for me.
  • middleeasternfilms
    April 28, 2010
    middleeasternfilms
    Crack pipes and syringes and 13" penises and vicious mass-killings. Actually only one 13" penis, my mistake. Great acting, but not really a film to watch more than once or twice.
  • ythelastman89
    November 18, 2009
    ythelastman89
    I really liked the style and the look of the film. What made it sub-par to others like it (Zodiac, Summer of Sam) was the choppy editing. It's sad that such a small component can ruin a movie. Other than that, I loved the acting and the story. Val Kilmer was the perfect self abso... read morerbed moron.
  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    August 22, 2008
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    Brilliant performance from Val Kilmer. His best work next to "the Doors."
  • webalina
    February 11, 2008
    webalina
    This is the true story of the 1981 quadruple homocide in L.A. with a pretty famous suspect -- John Holmes, the infamous porn mega-star who by this time is a washed-up drug addict. Pretty decent, but this film is nasty -- not in the sexual sense, in that we only get references to ... read moreMr. Holmes' past career and most famous appendage but don't see any of it. Rather, almost no one in this film is redeemable. Nearly everyone is either a dopehead, a thief, a sponge or a backstabber. With the outrageous drug-fueled lifestyles of these scumbag individuals, you can't really be sure they didn't deserve to die, although maybe not with a lead pipe to the noggin. Lots of familiar faces here, with Val Kilmer playing Holmes, Lisa Kudrow as his estranged wife Sharon, Kate Bosworth as his barely legal girlfriend, and Josh Lucas, Dylan McDermott (as a biker with an obviously fake goatee) and Tim Blake Nelson as Holmes' partners in crime. It seems unfinished, with a end scroll of the current whereabouts of the main players, because the real story is unfinished. All involved were acquitted, and no one was ever finally convicted of the murders.
  • mjgildea
    November 20, 2006
    mjgildea
    Plays like son of Boogie Nights, but Kilmer's performance is incredible.
  • michaelneumann
    February 24, 2004
    michaelneumann
    I'm laughing so hard after reading the following "What do you think?" from The Onion.

    [font=Courier New][color=red]WARNING! CLICK AT YOUR OWN RISK! HUMOR IS HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE, AND WON'T BE FUNNY FOR SOME![/color][/font]
    [url="http://www.theonion.com/wdyt.php?i=1"]Colorado ... read moreFootball Under Fire[/url]

    [url="http://www.theonion.com/"]www.theonion.com[/url]

    Hilarious, yet oh so wrong. And it's even about my alma mater's school scandal.



    So I'm gonna watch 'The Passion Of The Christ' tomorrow night. I really can't wait, even after reading all these negative reviews. If anything, they're only further increasing my confidence in this film's power.



    In other news, I'm really craving donuts right now. Damn.
  • stevetheman1236
    October 22, 2011
    stevetheman1236
    Despite some rough editing (which can make the film a bit incomprehensible at times), Wonderland is a riveting look at the sleazy LA drug underworld. There are so many temptations that famed people endure that it eventually gets to them and their lives just spiral out of control,... read more straight downwards, and Wonderland captures it very realistically. At times, it can even get a little scary. I often found myself lingering on the very edge of my seat.

    Besides a great story, Wonderland is riddled with good performances from an ensemble cast and good-enough direction from James Cox to make it an entertaining and interesting watch.

View All Wonderland Reviews

Critic Reviews

Geoff Pevere
October 24, 2003
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

Rarely has so much of so little consequence been so closely examined. Full Review

Jay Boyar
October 24, 2003
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

Sometimes Wonderland does make you wonder why you're wasting your time with these losers. But there's also a lot here that stays with you. Full Review

Liam Lacey
October 24, 2003
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

The main interest here is the acting, which is, by turns, entertaining or just entertainingly bad, with lots of grungy seriousness and Method-trained twitching, but also some moments of real gusto. Full Review

Michael O'Sullivan
October 17, 2003
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

A film whose effects are as hard to wash away as blood.

Stephen Hunter
October 17, 2003
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

Overblown, overheated, overdirected, overacted, overlong and over here, in the local bijoux.

Walter V. Addiego
October 17, 2003
Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle

If for some reason you are fascinated by the Wonderland murders, look up the Rolling Stone article of 1989 that brought national attention to the gruesome case. Otherwise, your local cineplex has lots... Full Review

Joe Baltake
October 17, 2003
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

A movie that manages to make both sex and violence dull. Full Review

Tom Long
October 17, 2003
Tom Long, Detroit News

Wonderland may not be the feel-good movie of the year; in fact it feels pretty lousy most of the time. But it offers a dark story well-told with some truly fine performances.

Terry Lawson
October 17, 2003
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

An unsettling, sordid, overly stylized and intensely well-done drama. Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
October 17, 2003
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

For all Wonderland's kinetic energy, the mind wanders. Full Review

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  • What 2 movies were based on the life of John Holmes?  Answer »
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