Every year, for one night, former rock star Devon (Richard Grieco) dines at his favorite restaurant. He reserves and pays for every table so that he’ll be the only diner. The staff stays until he leaves. If he leaves early, they leave early. If he leaves late, they leave late. Devon demands that everything in the restaurant remain identical to the last time he ate there. If the restaurant has recently changed anything, it changes back for that one night. Devon always orders the same thing and, despite the fact that he’s alone, he always orders two meals: one for him and the other for his wife if she were still alive. Ever since she died, Devon has been living like a recluse, unable to perform his music or move on.
On the latest night, something unexpected happens. It rains, which it hasn’t done before. A mysterious woman shows up and delivers a cake to Devon. At first, Devon is paranoid, but soon he starts to drop his defenses. He talks to his waitress. He talks to the bartender. The conversation turns to death and the loneliness of being a survivor. Soon, they come up with an idea about how to comfort those who have recently lost a loved one.
The Wonder Bar, which was released earlier today, is an interesting film. It was directed by the film’s star, Richard Grieco, and the first half of the film takes place at the Wonder Bar Steakhouse in Clarksburg, West Virginia. It’s a lovely restaurant, and Grieco frames the scenes with the care of someone who truly seems to love the location. (Judging from this film and Clinton Road, Grieco appears to be a director with a surprisingly good eye for locations and an understanding of why it’s important to set your story in the exact right place.) The scenes at the steakhouse feel very much like a play, with the characters discussing the type of issues that we all think about but rarely discuss. The first half of the film feels very assured and, despite the inherent staginess of the concept, I found myself sincerely interested in both the characters and the location. The second half of the film, which moves the story out of the steakhouse, isn’t quite as strong because it actually deals with how the characters put their thoughts into action and, as we all know, it’s always easier to talk about our thoughts than to act on them. I didn’t completely buy the second half of the film, nor did I necessarily believe that everyone who interacted with Devon and his newfound friends would have quite the same positive reaction to them that they have in the film. That’s about as much as I can say without totally spoiling the plot.
That said, the first half of the film was nicely done and had a quiet power to it. It made me think about how I’ve been reacting to death over the past few years. And, of course, the restaurant was lovely.
