‘Wonder Wheel’ is a little like an opera, Woody Allen-style

Woody Allen has made so many great and near-great movies that every new release begins with an audience wondering — is this going to be another one? Usually, within about 15 minutes, the answer is apparent, and usually the answer is no. That’s how it works, even with the best. Babe Ruth hit a lot of home runs, but most of the time he made an out, and when he did get a hit, it was usually a single.

Allen’s latest, “Wonder Wheel” is a single — or maybe it’s a single stretched to a double on the basis of some fancy base running (acting) by Kate Winslet. In almost any other filmmaker’s oeuvre, this film would be considered a highlight.