Julia Roberts in 'Wonder:' Worth seeing?

• Critic's rating: 3 out of 5 stars

“Wonder” will make you cry — that’s one of the main purposes of its existence — but it’ll also drive you a little crazy.

The film, based on R.J. Palacio’s novel, tells the story of Auggie (Jacob Tremblay of “Room”), who was born with facial differences; 27 surgeries later, he’s a 10-year-old who is home-schooled and wears a space helmet when he goes out in public.

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Stephen Chbosky directs and co-wrote the script; as writer and director of the film adaptation of his novel “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” one of the best young-adult films ever, he’s a good choice. He doesn’t let the film fall too far into sentimentality for the most part, and the plot takes off in some unusual directions.

But ultimately it’s not Chbosky’s story, and there are times when he can’t or won’t prevent the movie from lapsing into emotionally manipulative territory. (Full disclosure: I love dogs, but when the beloved aging family pet yelps in pain, I laughed out loud — this could mean only one thing, and it’s not good for the pup.)

Still, when it avoids those traps, it’s a nicely realized film that goes beyond Auggie’s struggles with his appearance to paint a picture of the difficulties everyone has fitting in at some point.

The story begins in earnest when Isabel (Julia Roberts), Auggie’s mother, decides he should attend fifth grade at school, not at home. Nate (Owen Wilson), her husband, isn’t so sure, but he’s not going to cross his headstrong wife.

They, along with older daughter Via (Izabela Vidovic), live in a dream brownstone in New York. We never find out what Nate does, but whatever it is, it pays well. Isabel gave up her graduate-school dreams when Auggie was born, realizing he would take up the bulk of her time and energy. (Her unfinished thesis is stored on floppy discs.)

Fifth grade goes about as expected — exactly as expected, really. There’s Julian (Bryce Gheisar), a smile-while-he-backstabs-you rich bully. There’s kind scholarship student Jack Will (Noah Jupe). There’s a big-hearted, practical principal (Mandy Patinkin). There’s a hip, wise teacher (Daveed Diggs).

They’re more types than characters, but just when you think the film will sink under the weight of its own clichés, it changes gears and tells the story from other perspectives. It’s not “Rashomon,” but it’s a welcome — and necessary — development.

We learn why characters act the way they do. Most effective is the perspective of Via, who understands her place in the family attention queue always will be behind Auggie. She’s not resentful, exactly (and Vidovic is quite good), but she has struggles to deal with, and the circumstances of her life dictate that she will face them mostly on her own.

It’s an intriguing storytelling technique, and probably wouldn’t work as well in another context. After all, Auggie fades from the forefront a little during these diversions, but never completely; he’s such a dominant presence in the lives of everyone who comes into contact with him that he can never disappear.

Despite this, the last act is predictable and at times almost maudlin. Auggie goes from sympathetic character to inspirational force, leading to a climax that’s meant to be uplifting and is, to a point. But it’s also too much, that final step over the line. It doesn’t detract from what’s right about “Wonder,” but it cheapens it a little.

Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: @goodyk.

'Wonder,' 3 stars

Director: Stephen Chbosky.

Cast: Jacob Tremblay, Izabela Vidofic, Julia Roberts.

Rating: PG for thematic elements including bullying, and some mild language.

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