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Age Guide8+
MPAA RatingPG
Year2017
Runtime1h 53m
StudioLionsgate Films
DirectorStephen Chbosky
Cast
Jacob TremblayJulia RobertsOwen WilsonIzabela VidovicNoah Jupe
DramaFamily
Wonder
2017
A boy with a facial difference attends public school for the first time in fifth grade and navigates the cruelties and kindnesses of his peers.
Content Guide
⚔️
Violence & ScarinessVery mild
Violence & Scariness
💬
LanguageMild
Language
👀
Sex & NudityNone
Sex & Nudity
🍷
SubstancesNone
Substances
😱
Frightening ScenesNone
Frightening Scenes
💚
Positive MessagesExcellent
Positive Messages
⭐
Role ModelsExcellent
Role Models
What's in this movie
- •Children are bullied and ostracized
- •Mild language including slurs directed at a child
- •Parental pressure and stress depicted
- •A beloved family pet dies
🌍 Cultural & Representation Concerns
Moderate
- •The film has been critiqued as 'inspiration porn' — a disability narrative that spends as much time on the emotional impact of Auggie's appearance on his non-disabled family members and peers as on Auggie's own perspective
- •Auggie's craniofacial condition is used as a vehicle for other characters' growth and empathy lessons
- •The film is largely positive in its disability representation but its structure frames disability primarily through how it affects non-disabled people
Educational Value
A profoundly empathetic film about kindness, perspective, and what it costs and gives us to be truly seen. Excellent for classroom discussion.
💬 Pause & Talk — Discussion Topics
- 1.What does the film gain by showing multiple characters' perspectives?
- 2.Is Jack Will a good friend, a bad friend, or both at different times?
- 3.What does August mean when he says he knows he is not ordinary?