'Next Stop': a clever, likable romantic comedy

Oh no! Another movie about destiny! When will it end? This might be your reaction when you hear about Next Stop, Wonderland. But wait--this movie isn't annoying or clichéd, like so many films that deal with the issue of fate. Surprisingly, it's even kind of refreshing.

The film begins when Erin (Hope Davis), a Harvard Med School dropout-turned-nurse, gets dumped by her environmental activist boyfriend. She tries to cope by spending quality time with herself, repeating the credo that, contrary to popular belief, a woman can really be alone and content, yet she grows increasingly cynical about life--and in particular, men. To make matters worse, her controlling mother tries to help by placing a personal ad for her in the paper. In a moment of desperation, Erin checks her messages to find that she has 64 new suitors. A series of comically horrible dates ensue. Erin meets men who try to reel her in by pontificating on topics such as the importance of those small rubber pads on the bottom of your phone. Things are not going well.

On the other side of Gotham is Alan (Alan Gelfant), a plumber studying to be a marine biologist. Alan has his own set of problems: a large debt and a persistent, flaky classmate he somehow can't resist, to name a few.

The two stories run parallel throughout the movie, leaving the viewer curious to see how fate will weave them together. What keeps the film from being predictable is that it questions the existence of destiny without shoving an answer down the viewer's throat. Erin and her friends disagree on the issue; her friends insist that destiny must exist, and that believing in fate is what makes life exciting. Erin maintains that life has no direction and is nothing more than a series of coincidences.

Ultimately, the movie suggests that either or both could be true. Events crop up that help to bring Erin and Alan closer together; others force them to remain apart. While you know that their paths will eventually intersect, you aren't ever sure how, or more importantly, why they will.

The film also deals with the age-old topic of loneliness in a refreshing way. So many romantic comedies try to tell us that all anyone wants is companionship. This film, on the contrary, suggests that the company of someone else can often make us feel even more lonely. As Erin says, you can be by yourself and feel content, but be in a crowded room or on a subway full of strangers and feel completely alone. As she runs down her list of 64 gentlemen callers, who all try to woo her with ridiculous pretensions, you can feel just how badly she wants to go home and curl up with a good book.

It is largely Davis's performance that holds the viewers attention. Erin's character, a cynical 20-something with a readiness to write off every man who crosses her path, might be boring in the hands of another actress. But Davis manages to deliver her lines with an acerbic wit; when a middle-aged man in a bar tries to pick her up, she tells him in a deadpan voice that he should get the birthmark on his nose checked for melanoma.

But Davis's body language and facial expressions often reveal even more than her words. When she is in another bar with a man who actually seems promising, she suddenly glimpses an older woman and is overcome with sadness. Her face clouds over and the viewer knows that she is feeling the horrible loneliness that she talks about throughout the movie. No line could convey her sadness as well as this expression.

Director Brad Anderson adds some interesting touches that set the film apart from the run-of-the-mill Hollywood romantic comedy. The camera often gets in very close to the scene, making the viewer almost a part of it. Shots are often quick and abrupt, a technique which, while slightly nauseating at times, offers a perspective that breaks up reality in an interesting way. Also, South American music frequently plays in the background of the film, adding to the appealing bittersweet mood.

Of course, Next Stop, Wonderland is not without fault. Some of the subplot seems to be irrelevant, such as the controversy taking place at the aquarium where Alan works. During these scenes, you can't help but ask, "And this relates to the theme of the movie how?" Still, on the whole, Next Stop, Wonderland proves that even overdone topics make for good movies when they are dealt with in new, clever ways. Sorry to disappoint you, but you may actually find yourself liking this film after all.

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• Miramax Films' official site for Next Stop, Wonderland

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