Julia Roberts is basically synonymous with the "movie mom" role these days, but her turn in the 2017 film Wonder hits differently. It’s not just a tear-jerker. It’s a masterclass in how a $20 million budget can turn into $300 million just by being honest about how hard it is to be a parent when your kid is suffering.
You’ve likely seen the clips. The little boy in the space helmet. The "Choose Kind" hashtag that took over classrooms for a few years. But there is a lot more to the Julia Roberts movie Wonder than just a feel-good Sunday afternoon watch. Honestly, it's one of those rare cases where the star power actually served the story instead of distracting from it.
The Isabel Pullman Factor
Julia Roberts plays Isabel Pullman. She’s the mother of Auggie, a 10-year-old born with Treacher Collins syndrome. In the book by R.J. Palacio, Isabel is a bit of a background force of nature. In the movie, Roberts makes her human. She’s not just a saint. She’s a woman who put her entire life—her thesis, her career, her identity—on a shelf to homeschool her son and keep him safe from a world she knew would be cruel.
When Auggie finally heads to Beecher Prep for fifth grade, you see that famous Roberts' smile, but it’s brittle. It’s a mask. One of the most heartbreaking scenes isn't even about Auggie; it's the moment Isabel realizes she might get her own life back, and the guilt that comes crashing in with it.
The movie manages to avoid being "inspiration porn" by showing the mess. It shows the tension between Isabel and her husband Nate, played by Owen Wilson. Wilson is surprisingly great here. He’s the "fun dad" who uses humor as a shield, while Roberts is the one doing the heavy emotional lifting. They feel like a real couple who have been through the ringer of twenty-seven surgeries and a decade of isolation.
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Why the Perspective Shifts Mattered
A lot of people forget that Wonder isn't just Auggie's story. The film keeps the book's structure, jumping between different characters. We see the world through the eyes of Via, Auggie's older sister.
Via is the "invisible" child. She loves her brother, but she’s spent her whole life coming second to his medical needs. Izabela Vidovic plays her with this quiet, aching resentment that never turns into bitterness. It’s a tricky needle to thread. The film also gives us the perspective of Jack Will, the friend who betrays Auggie and then has to find his way back.
What the Movie Left Out
If you’re a die-hard fan of the novel, you probably noticed some big changes. The most glaring? The hearing aids. In the book, Auggie's hearing loss and his "Lobot" hearing aids are a major plot point. The movie just... skipped it.
There’s also the character of Summer. In the book, she sits with Auggie on the first day because she actually wants to be there. In the movie, it feels a little more like she’s stepping in after Jack Will’s betrayal. It’s a small shift, but it changes the "purity" of her kindness. Also, the movie is very much a "New York elite" story. The Pullmans live in a gorgeous brownstone and send their kids to an expensive private school. Some critics felt this cushioned the blow of the story's harder themes.
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The Box Office "Wonder"
No one expected this movie to be a juggernaut.
It opened against massive blockbusters and just kept going. It had "legs," as they say in the industry. It stayed in theaters for months. Why? Because it tapped into a collective exhaustion with negativity. Roberts herself called the film a "handful of revolutionaries" in a world that felt increasingly grim.
- Production Budget: $20 million
- Worldwide Gross: Over $310 million
- ROI: A staggering 1400% plus
Those are superhero movie numbers for a film about a kid in a corduroy jacket. It proved that audiences actually want stories about empathy, provided they don't feel like a Sunday school lesson.
Real-World Impact: The "Choose Kind" Movement
The legacy of the Julia Roberts movie Wonder isn't just the box office. It’s the way it changed how schools talk about bullying. The "Precepts" from the movie—like the Wayne Dyer quote, "When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind"—became actual curriculum in thousands of middle schools.
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It also gave a platform to people with craniofacial differences. While Jacob Tremblay (who is fantastic under all those prosthetics) doesn't have the condition himself, the production worked closely with families and organizations like the Children’s Craniofacial Association to make sure the portrayal was respectful.
Actionable Takeaways for Your Next Rewatch
If you’re planning to revisit Wonder, or if you’re showing it to your kids for the first time, keep these things in mind to get the most out of the experience:
- Watch the Background: Pay attention to Via in the scenes where the family is focused on Auggie. The movie does a brilliant job of showing her "erasure" without saying a word.
- Compare the Humor: Notice how Nate (Owen Wilson) uses jokes to de-escalate Isabel’s anxiety. It’s a very specific, recognizable parenting dynamic that’s rarely captured this well.
- The Space Helmet Symbolism: The helmet isn't just a toy. It’s a physical manifestation of Auggie's "safe space." Watch for the specific moment he decides he doesn't need it anymore—it’s earlier than you think.
- Discuss the "Julian" Perspective: The movie doesn't give the bully a "chapter," but the deleted scenes and the spin-off book Auggie & Me provide more context on why kids act out. It's a great conversation starter about peer pressure.
The Julia Roberts movie Wonder is a reminder that being kind isn't a passive thing. It’s a choice you have to make every single day, especially when it’s inconvenient. It’s a solid, well-acted piece of cinema that manages to be "sweet" without being "saccharine," and that’s a harder feat than most people realize.