Wonder

A boy with a congenital facial deformity and many plastic-surgery scars (Jacob Tremblay) enters public school for the first time at the age of 10, where he is met with a mixture of pity, confusion, fear and hostility. Adapted by Steven Conrad, Jack Thorne and director Stephen Chbosky from R.J. Palacio’s novel, the movie’s pro-tolerance, anti-bullying message is more than a little ham-handed, but it’s redeemed by Chbosky’s delicate direction and the honest performances he draws from everybody: Tremblay, certainly, but also Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson as his parents (and never better), Izbela Vidovic as his sister, Noah Jupe as his first friend at school, Mandy Patinkin as his principal. Jupe especially stands out in the movie’s best moment, when he remembers his own callous, hurtful insensitivity.