The Road to WellvilleThe key to getting fit is wearing athletic apparel everywhere you go in public.Others, like those in this dramedy, maintain exercise and diet is the key.Breakfast cereal magnate Dr. Kellogg (Anthony Hopkins) operates a wellness center in the Michigan woods where the world's wealthiest (Matthew Broderick, Bridget Fonda) come for treatment for an assortment of ailments.Surprisingly, most of the cures come from sexual and business liaisons with a hodgepodge of eccentrics (Lara Flynn Boyle, John Cusack, Dana Carvey) instead of coming from Kellogg's brand of abstinence and colon cleansing.But it's those extracurricular activities that threaten the retreat's existence. A star-studded affair that was both a critical and financial flop, this perverted depiction of Kellogg's clean living criteria from 1994 is more lecherous than humorous. And that includes Hopkins' cringe worthy turn as the cornflake maker. Besides, who wants to swim in a pool full of milk?Red Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

Did you find funny any film involving characters named "Focker"? How about "The Hangover"? Did you think "Avatar" was well-acted or well-written? Was any "Lord of the Rings" or "Harry Potter" film silly? Was "Titanic" without historic inaccuracies? Just curious. The above questions embody the primary criticisms of Wellville. Leaving out, of course, the obligatory "poop jokes are gross" remarks. I'm certain those who lodge this complaint never were amused by scatological humor. Or ever told such a joke. Of course not.If someone you liked told you a joke, then, presuming the delivery was similar, were told the same joke by someone you despise, would you laugh both times? Be truthful.Point being this: Is the movie really as bad as you say, or are you unable (or maybe unwilling?) to suspend your disbelief because you're pre-programmed so to do? Taste may be subjective, but is also subject to manipulation.So now ask yourself: What was the last movie you thought was great, whether others liked it or not?

Based on the novel by T.C. Boyle, THE ROAD TO WELLVILLE is a delightful lark of a film that wickedly spoofs the health fads of the early 1900s--and in particular those set forth by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, co-inventor of the famous Kellogg cornflake and proponent of numerous "healthful" ideas that seem calculated to make moderns squirm.The film presents a triple story line. William and Eleanor Lightbody (Matthew Broderick and Bridget Fonda) are a young married couple in trouble: Eleanor has accidentally poisoned William and hopes a trip to Dr. Kellogg's sanatorium can set him right. Charles Ossining (John Cusack) has come to Battle Creek in the hope of striking it rich by creating a breakfast cereal to cash in on America's fitness craze--only to find himself involved with various thieves and scoundrels. These include George Kellogg (Dana Carvey), who seems to live to make the life of his adoptive father Dr. Kellogg (Anthony Hopkins) unmitigated hell.The various stories are extremely entertaining as they intertwine--but most of the laughs come at Dr. Kellogg's expense as he advocates yogurt enemas, electric baths, and other bizarre treatments that seem to arise primarily from his idea that sex "is the sewer drain of a healthy body." Patients are humiliated, harassed, and harangued about their sex lives even as they remain largely ignorant of their own sexual natures, which was typical of many Americans in this era. Much of it is crude, bad taste, bathroom humor--but it is expertly, hilariously handled. Any one who can sit through THE ROAD TO WELLVILLE without hooting out loud doesn't simply lack a sense of humor: they're probably dead.The performances are sharp, clever, and make the most of the various outlandish situations into the characters are forced. Broderick carries the film with tremendous charm and Fonda follows suit, but the real acting awards go to Anthony Hopkins, Dana Carvey, and a supporting cast that includes outrageously funny performances by the likes of Camryn Manheim, Traci Lind, Colm Meaney, and John Neville. The DVD has nothing in the way of bonus features and is, alas, only available in pan-and-scan, but don't let that stop you. Laugh your way to health the Kellogg way! GFT, Amazon Reviewer

I have been trying to catch up with this for years...ever since it was barely released...critically slammed...and buried. Now that it has finally been allowed to escape back into pay cable play (and is out on DVD....in pan and scan only....since it and it's fans get no respect)I have finally been able to discover what an over looked gem it is. This is not only one of the quirkiest, bravest, and flat out funniest comedies of it's decade...it is also among the handsomest and best cast "Period Pieces".I was prepared to enjoy the film....if only for the chance to savor the enormous amount of talent involved....but I had not expected to discover that each member of the cast was at their absolute peak! What a year Bridget Fonda had...wonderful in "It Could Happen To You"....and so heart stoppingly radiant in her period finery here!....One has to ask "What Happened?????"...She looks so ready for a HUGE career...and the past decade of film could have so used her beauty, talent, and class. Her costars Cusack and Broderick have, of course, had better luck....but this should have put them in line for a level of mainstream A-List stardom that never quite came true. Anthony Hopkins and Dana Carvey are so unexpectedly flat out brilliant and hysterical (I will never be able to hear John Huston's voice again without thinking of Hopkin's wicked riff on it) that they seem to be operating on a plain far removed from there usual level.I could also go on for many paragraphs about the sensational supporting cast....every member of which was perfectly chosen....I have to at least mention Cameryn Manheim....who glows with such sexy charisma that she dominates every seen she appears in....So refreshing and erotic in the modern Hollywood universe of undernourished Barbie Clones.In Summation....all I have to say is sit back...savor it for two hours....think about it in comparison to almost all of this years "Blockbusters" and understand what is really wrong with Hollywood...Too many critics recognize class hen they see it...and too few audiences get a chance to discover it for themselves....HERE IT IS PEOPLE....Enjoy.