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The Great New Wonderful

Play trailer Poster for The Great New Wonderful R 2005 1h 27m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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73% Tomatometer 41 Reviews 45% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
In the year following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, New Yorkers gradually get back to the normal routine of their lives. A successful pastry chef (Maggie Gyllenhaal) struggles to unseat her longtime rival as queen of cake. A couple (Tom McCarthy, Judy Greer) try to save their marriage and cope with their troubled son. A therapist (Tony Shalhoub) counsels a man who witnessed a violent incident. Two immigrants (Naseeruddin Shah, Sharat Saxena) observe life in the city.

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The Great New Wonderful

The Great New Wonderful

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Critics Consensus

Set in post-9/11 New York, this largely evocative dramedy interweaves the stories of five disconnected individuals who share an unspoken emotional malaise that shadows their attempts at returning to normal life.

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Critics Reviews

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Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader 09/12/2023
Tries way too hard to be clever and shrewd. Danny Leiner (Dude, Where’s My Car?, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle) directed a script by Sam Catlin, and though both have their moments, they’re rarely the same moments. Go to Full Review Bob Longino Atlanta Journal-Constitution 08/31/2006
B-
Not all the little stories and vignettes work (some seem almost pointless), but most of the performances, especially a haughty luncheon under a veil of politeness with Gyllenhaal and Falco, are spot on, involving and revealing. Go to Full Review Chris Vognar Dallas Morning News 08/25/2006
A-
It may be the 9/11 movie to which the most people can relate. For most of us, that date wasn't about personal heroics or losing loved ones or survival. It was about processing the impossible and realizing that life, with all its ups and downs, must go on. Go to Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews 11/29/2009
2/4
...The Great New Wonderful boasts a pervasively aimless atmosphere that slowly but surely wears the viewer down and ensures that the film's overtly positive elements are ultimately rendered moot. Go to Full Review Prairie Miller WBAI Web Radio 04/29/2007
Candid but hermetic NYC emotional aftershocks Of 9/11. Go to Full Review MaryAnn Johanson Flick Filosopher 10/13/2006
No film that I've yet seen better captures the dismal mood that gripped the city in the wake of the [9/11] attacks... Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Geke g @RT40239519 08/11/2024 Soooo clever directing See more Munkhchimeg T @RT64187897 08/11/2024 Inclusive, terrific movie. So grounded into life like a real life. Good2 See more Bahad j @RT27093708 08/11/2024 The young people behind the film have done a great job and it can be seen in this film. I liked it very much. See more 02/12/2015 This movie was probably brilliant but it also made me want to die. I've been thinking about it for years since I've seen it, so that's something, but I don't feel like any of those thoughts were positive. This movie is probably a weapon of mass destruction. See more 11/05/2013 Entertaining and moving ensemble movie in the same vein as Steel Magnolias and Shortcuts. While the characters and the subplots are amusing and hold your attention, the cohesion is lacking though. See more 07/12/2013 This film captures the disconnected malaise that New Yorkers felt a year after 9/11. It is subtle and elicits a sense of being lost in the viewer, much like New Yorkers must have felt at that time. A remarkable, but somewhat disturbing series of vignettes that strike home. See more Read all reviews
The Great New Wonderful

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Cast & Crew

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Danny Leiner

Director

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Emme

Tom McCarthy

Davie Burbage

Judy Greer

Allison

Naseeruddin Shah

Avi

Sharat Saxena

Satish

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The Great New Wonderful

The Great New Wonderful (2005) The Great New Wonderful (2005) A scene from the film "The Great New Wonderful." A scene from the film "The Great New Wonderful." A scene from the film "The Great New Wonderful." The Great New Wonderful (2005) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In the year following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, New Yorkers gradually get back to the normal routine of their lives. A successful pastry chef (Maggie Gyllenhaal) struggles to unseat her longtime rival as queen of cake. A couple (Tom McCarthy, Judy Greer) try to save their marriage and cope with their troubled son. A therapist (Tony Shalhoub) counsels a man who witnessed a violent incident. Two immigrants (Naseeruddin Shah, Sharat Saxena) observe life in the city.
Director
Danny Leiner
Producer
Leslie Urdang, Danny Leiner, Matt Tauber
Screenwriter
Sam Caitlin
Production Co
Sly Dog Films, Serenade Films
Rating
R (Some Sexuality|Language)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 22, 2005, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Jun 23, 2006
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 24, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$150.1K
Runtime
1h 27m