Review: In the musical odyssey ‘Wanderland,’ a bit of twee goes a long way

One’s attention tends to wander while taking in “Wanderland,” a music-laced trifle concerning an uptight New Yorker’s surreal adventures in the hippie-dippy Hamptons that treads a shaky line between quirky and laborious.

A stressed-out, straight-laced millennial, Alex (likable Tate Ellington), is looking forward to a change of scenery after he responds to an email request for a sitter for a woman’s rural Long Island home.

However, he quickly discovers that his definition of R&R at Enchanted Forest is going to be challenged by a succession of eccentrics he encounters over the course of a wacky evening, a number of whom manage to break into song, accompanying themselves on various stringed instruments.

Although the prospect of watching a mash-up of “La La Land” and Martin Scorsese’s “After Hours” holds promise, director-writer Josh Klausner, in a departure from his screenplays for “Shrek Forever After” and “Date Night,” opts instead for offbeat spiritual enlightenment, but is unable to sustain a delicate tone that becomes increasingly twee as it goes along.

After a while, the parade of oddball characters played by the likes of Austin Pendleton, Harris Yulin and Tara Summers, grows tiresome.

Not helping matters are the bland songs (most cowritten by Klausner), none of which will be mistaken for “City of Stars.” The notable exception is Atarah Valentine’s lovely acoustic rendition of the Modern English hit, “I Melt With You,” performed during an inspirational seaside sunrise.

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‘Wanderland’

Not rated

Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Playing: Laemmle Monica Film Center, Santa Monica

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