Wonder Boys starring Philip Bosco,
Robert Downey Jr., Frances
McDormand, Michael Douglas,
Richard Thomas
Great Performances By All
Wonder Boys is one of those movies in which more twists and turns disrupt
the life of the hero in one weekend than would bother most of us our whole
lives. Professor Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas) is an aging one-novel
wunderkind at a small Pittsburgh college whos laboring on his seven-
years-in-the-making, 2000-plus page second opus with no end in sight.
The morning of the colleges literary lollapalooza, WordFest, Gradys wife
leaves him; that evening, his mistress (Frances McDormand) announces
shes pregnant (shes also the chancellor of the school, as well as the wife
of Gradys boss). Gradys voracious editor (Robert Downey Jr.) is also in
town, transvestite date in tow, determined to read the highly anticipated
new book; theres also the nubile student (Katie Holmes), who seems more
than willing to ease Gradys pain. And then theres James Leer (Tobey
Maguire), the mordant and brilliant writing student whos the catalyst for
Gradys lost weekend, which involves a soon-to-be-dead blind dog, a stolen
car, and the jacket that Marilyn Monroe wore when she wed Joe DiMaggio.
Had enough flights of fancy? Its only the beginning, and in the hands of
director Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential) and screenwriter Steve Kloves
(The Fabulous Baker Boys), Wonder Boys will have you begging for more.
Adroitly adapting Michael Chabons novel and distilling it to its droll,
melancholy essence, Kloves and Hanson have fashioned a briskly
unsentimental and darkly funny tale; these characters may be down on
their luck, but they sure dont feel sorry for themselves. Douglas, by turns
dryly sarcastic and sincerely heartfelt, single-handedly makes up for years
of alpha-male posturing as the passive pothead Tripp, and whoever
thought of pairing him with the resilient McDormand is brilliant--they
convey the complexities and history of their relationship in a single glance
or movement. And under Hansons guidance, the rest of the cast is truly
exceptional, with Maguire in a breakthrough performance and Downey at
his manic best. The ending of Wonder Boys may feel a little too pat, but
after everything these characters have been through, a happy ending
seems a just reward. --Mark Englehart
There have been too few times when I've wandered across such a fun and
entertaining experience as 'Wonder Boys'. Every performance seemed
spot-on, even those from actors that I'm not usually enamored with. There
didn't seem to be any wrong steps taken here, from writing, to casting, to
directing and post production. Each of the characters are contending with
such an avalanche of personal peccadilloes, quirks, and professional
quandaries, that you can't help but feel affectionate pity for them. Even
when their faults range into a less than admirable zone, there's plenty of
room left for compassion and laughter.
Michael Douglas has turned in many fine performances over the years,
including many of a more serious nature, but I can't think of a finer creation
than his turn as professor Grady Tripp. It's been too many years since his
critically acclaimed novel was published. He's marking time while teaching
creative writing, and struggling to get his follow-up novel off the ground.
Things would be easier if his life weren't such a train-wreck of dope
smoking, fainting spells, professionally dangerous infidelity, and o ther
irresponsibility. His editor is in town to poke and probe about progress on
his overdue novel, and it's the kind of eccentric role that Robert Downey,
Jr. does best. Along for the ride is Grady's gifted, troubled, and hilariously
quirky student played by Tobey Maguire, and the university chancellor,
who also happens to be Grady's partner in infidelity, played by Frances
McDormond. Even Katie Holmes turns in a performance that works, as
Grady's sultry student boarder, compulsively clad in red cowboy boo ts.
The story is compressed into one hectic weekend, a writers festival and
workshop hosted by the university. There are enough mini catastrophes to
keep everyone off balance, and you, the viewer, smiling if not laughing out
loud. As comedy, it's slightly dark and off color, and full of messy, lovable
humanity.
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