With a great screenplay, an all-star cast, and an independent producer, Wonderland attacks its audience. The story of John Holmes, post pornography, is brilliant. Two tales of the same quadruple murder are told simultaneously, leaving the police and audience to solve the equation:
(1 ex-porn star/legend)
+ (1 drug kingpin)
? (1.2 million in drugs, jewels
and cash) .
= (4 murders on Wonderland Ave.)
After starring in over 2,000 XXX films, and sleeping with over 14,000 women, John Holmes, hero and pioneer of the adult entertainment industry, played magnificently by Val Kilmer, quits the industry he created. Now Wonderland begins with Holmes trying to score cocaine. Holmes has an insatiable addiction to the drug, and hangs out wherever and with whomever will let him "ski" for free.
Providing all the free snow is Ron Launius (Josh Lucas), who keeps Holmes around as a pornographic novelty item for parties and such. It's all one big crazy party, until a drug drought in L.A. forces Holmes, Launius, and the rest of the Wonderland Ave. entourage (four other junkies) to pull off a monster heist. Due to his celebrity, Holmes has befriended many powerful people, not the least of whom is Eddie Nash, who is played by Eric Bogosian.
Even though Nash acts as one of L.A.'s biggest gangsters and is widely known as a ruthless killer, the Wonderland crew decides that Holmes' relationship with Nash plays to their advantage. The robbery ends up a huge success, except for one problem: four of the Wonderland crew turn up dead. Now the Police, led by Detective Sam Nico (Ted Levine), must piece together a crime scene with no witnesses, a politically connected Eddie Nash as the prime suspect, and the Legendary John Holmes at the center of it all.
The cast is amazing, including Val Kilmer, Kate Bosworth, Josh Lucas, Lisa Kudrow, Dylan McDermott, Tim Blake Nelson, Carrie Fisher, Eric Bogosian, Ted Levine, Franky G, Janeane Garofalo and Christina Applegate. Finally, some good actors that know there is no such thing as a small part. When a cast like this gets together, the movie flows wonderfully. Lions Gate Films has clearly emerged as an independent film giant, producing quality films for over five years now. Maybe we can all get lucky, and no one will buy them out.
John Holmes' life has been portrayed on the big screen before (Boogie Nights), but the emphasis has been on the world of pornography. Wonderland manages an original point of view by telling the story of a John Holmes' life outside of porn. The story focuses on drugs and moral borders, masterfully showing that even an infamous ex-porn legend has many lines left to cross. Wonderland starts off astutely with what's on top of the looking glass, before allowing its audience to see the world through the looking glass. Desensitization of the audience towards the touchy subjects of pornography and drugs is absolutely necessary, in order to reveal the underlying conflicts of love, loyalty and undying, devoted friendship that most people can relate to.
Val Kilmer brings John Holmes to life brilliantly for an hour and forty minutes. You will laugh, you will be shocked, and you will be amazed. I give Wonderland an 85 out of a possible 100.
