Underrated biopic that attempts to piece together ‘70s porn king John Holmes’ descent into cocaine addiction and whether or not he was involved in the grisly 1981 murder of four people on Wonderland Avenue in the Hollywood Hills. Holmes’ film career was on the downswing, leading him to associate with rather unsavory characters to support his habit. John finds himself entangled in quite a mess when one group of dirtbag friends decides to rob another group of scumbag colleagues for drugs and money. Unfortunately, the dope and cash belong to notorious LA mobster Eddie Nash. Nash has them killed in a scene that compared to the Tate-La Bianca murders over ten years before. Holmes provided background info for both home invasions to take place. Some have speculated that Nash forced him into the Wonderland Avenue killings. Val Kilmer plays John Holmes as if he is still acting as Jim Morrison in The Doors, but Josh Lucas digs into his part as the doomed junkie ringleader with gusto. I wanted more screen time for Eric Bogosian’s equally fine performance as Eddie Nash. Other notable actors like Carrie Fisher and Christina Applegate disappear into their roles and are virtually unrecognizable. Folks who have done their reading on the subject will find that Wonderland actually covers these events with reasonable accuracy from multiple perspectives. Everyone who has watched Boogie Nights should see Wonderland as its much darker flipside.
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