Rating: 
Summary: Pleasantly Surprised
Review: If you are a strugling writer, you will want to add this movie to your video collection for those times when you feel like giving up the craft. Take a well-written, creative script, interspersed with comedic wit, mix with wonderful acting by all participants, and you end up with a truly unique movie. A poignant story about a youthful writer who inspires a washed up writer-turned-teacher to see life the way it's meant to be viewed: in its simplest form. A very enjoyable movie.
Rating: 
Summary: I hate Katie Holmes and Toby Maguire,but I liked Wonder Boys
Review: Seriously, when I first saw the cast list for Wonder Boys, I cringed upon the sight of Katie Holmes and Tobey Maguire. But, in all reality, Wonder Boys is a really good film. Michael Douglas gives one of his best performances as Professor Tripp, a guy who's definitely going through some life changes. Overall, he's a pretty cool guy, a smart english professor, bestselling author, drunk, and habitual marijuana smoker. Robert Downey, Jr. is also great as Tripp's editor Crabtree. Typical Robert Downey, Jr. fare as he plays a gay urbanite whose seeking to resurrect his fading career. Frances Mcdormand gives a great performance as Sara, the Chancellor's wife, gritty and tough as ever. There are some really funny moments in Wonder Boys especially the scenes with Po, the Chancellor's dog and Crabtree's transvestite date. I'm not sure if they rewrote the ending because at the beginning of the movie it says "This film has been edited for content." The ending is a little too sweet for me to swallow but otherwise it's very well acted and directed fare.
Rating:
Summary: I'M A LITTLE WORRIED, JAMES...
Review: What an underrated but spectacular film. I saw it in the cinema when it was originally released. Michael Douglas gives the performance of a lifetime as a burned out, pot smoking English professor who published a book a decade ago, which was met with critical and commercial success, and has been working on the follow up (all 2000+ aimless pages of it) for the ten years since. His wife leaves him, his agent (Robert Downey, Jr.) comes to town, he deals with a suicidal, compulsive liar but brilliant student of his (Tobey Maguire), and he discovers his girlfriend (a fantastic Frances McDormand) is pregnant with his child. She happens to be the chancellor of the university where he teaches. Her husband is the head of the English department in which he works. Douglas as Grady Tripp is amazing as he drifts from one crisis to the next, never quite making decisions and trying to put band-aids on all the problems in his life. The dialogue is intelligent and witty, the acting is superb all around, and although the ending comes and ends neatly, it is still a nearly perfect film. Such a shame more people did not see it.
Rating: 
Summary: Even Waterworld wasn't that bad!!!
Review: I rented this movie because of the cast which included the Michael Douglas, Frances McDormand, Tobey Maguire and Robert Downey JR. I am surprised today that all these famous (some award winners!) agreed to have their name attached to this movie. Problems with the movie are: 1- the characters are not likeable or dislikable enough for the viewer to care. 2- The story line does not make any sense. You follow these guys aimlessly plotting their way through nonsense!! 3- The actors looked like they did not care of how the movie would come out. I haven't seen bad acting like this in years. No wonder I never heard of this movie while it was in theatres!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Boys
Review: So here's the scoop about this DVD. I'm not a big Michael Douglas fan. Not a big Robery Downey Jr. fan. And not a big fan of Pittsburgh, either. But, after seeing their two performances in this masterful piece of artwork which showcases the best of this huge Pennsylvania hamlet, I'm a big fan of all three.Wonder Boys spins the tale of Professor Tripp, new protege James Leer (brilliantly acted by the soon-to-reckoned with Tobey MacGuire), a feisty editor named Crabtree, and a confused Chancellor (by the amazing Frances McDormand), all meshing and re-meshing together over the course of a turbulent, bridge building weekend. Their paths are multiple and complicated; there is no room to rest in this film. You never doubt its story, up to its satisfying and right conclusion. You cannot go wrong with Wonder Boys. The DVD version is of good quality, yet lacking the now-expected director's commentary that would enlighten us even more about this film. His commentary on the Pittsburgh locations shed a little light on this film, but leaves you wanting more. Don't miss this cinematic, and sadly overlooked, treasure.
Rating:
Summary: College academia, professors' lives - worth viewing because.
Review: The true test of this movie's winning nature and detailed focus on college academia and campus politics was when my husband, who teaches at a local college, said he loved it (he was laughing throughout this movie). If I tried to give a bare bones outline of the plot, however, I'm afraid I'd discourage your interest but let me say that this one is far, far more than the sum of its various parts. I was a bit surprised, to say the least, that the same director made both this movie and L.A. Confidential. Then again, maybe that just shows how truly talented he is, able to do a superb job on such diverse films. The biggest shock to me, however, was Michael Douglas. Looking every bit the part of a rather burned out, over the hill man facing personal and professonal setbacks, Douglas gave an amazingly skillful performance, actually reining himself in at times and then letting loose, but only when necessary. I'm glad he has learned to make the transition from handsome young man to an actor who has learned to use his maturity with grace and skill in films. I'm used to seeing him in action-packed or suspense movies - the only movies of his that seemed even similar to his performance in Wonder Boys were Falling Down and The Game.. To my mind, Wonder Boys is the most compelling perfomance so far, mainly because of the humor that lightens the darkest moments. Don't let me give you the impression that this movie is depressing and gloomy. It is often funny, even laugh out loud funny, and Toby Macquire, Robert Downey Jr, Francis McDormand and Rip Torn (that IS Rip Torn, isn't it?) hold their own in their roles. Katie Holmes is also quite compelling as a young student smitten by Douglas. Often unpredictable and quite original, I'd put this high on your priority list of must-see movies. It is truly one of the best movies around. We watched Almost Famous the same evening and if I had to choose between the two, personally I'd chose Wonder Boys. This may be partly a function of being older - my teenage son preferred Almost Famous.
Rating:
Summary: A bittersweet, quirky film
Review: "Wonder Boys," directed by Curtis Hanson, explores some events in the life of a pot-smoking college professor (played by Michael Douglas) who is rapidly heading towards personal and professional crises. Based on the novel by Michael Chabon, this film is enlivened by witty dialogue and some terrific performances. Michael Douglas is the star of this film, and he really shines. He delivers a delightfully droll performance as the professor who is torn between his conflicting personal and professional commitments. The script walks the line between comedy and drama, and Douglas hits this balance perfectly. His performance in "Wonder Boys" is a stunning complement to his equally outstanding work in Steven Soderbergh's gritty drama "Traffic," released in the same year. The supporting cast is also very good. I especially liked Tobey Maguire as Douglas' morbid, but oddly loveable student protege. And Robert Downey Jr. is a delight as Douglas' editor. Unfortunately, the female characters seem a bit underdeveloped, although Frances McDormand and Katie Holmes do their best with the material. I found "Wonder Boys" to be flawed in some respects. In particular, the film's ending left me somewhat unsatisfied. But the wonderful performances make this film richly entertaining. And as a satire of academia and the publishing industry, it hits some intriguing notes. Give it a try.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: I am so glad I finally saw this movie and will surely be watching it again. What a fantastic cast - and a wonderful study of the characters as the movie slowly moves through a wacky winter weekend at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, the site of a writers' conference. Michael Douglas brilliantly portrays Grady, a seedy, pot-smoking professor who published one successful novel 7 years ago and cannot manage to complete a new book (even though he has written over 2,000 pages!). Hia life is further complicated by his affair with the university chancellor and his young wife's abandonment. Toby Maguire (James)plays to perfection the role of a confused student of Douglas'--confused about life and his sexuality--who has written a book but is also a compulsive liar. Robert Downey, Jr. is Douglas' long-suffering agent who shows up for the conference with a transvestite and ends up with James. He plays his part effortlessly. The movie follows James and Grady (in pain from a dog bite) as they drive around the city in Grady's old Fairlaine with a dead dog, a pistol, and a jacket that once belonged to Marilyn Monroe. What I especially liked about this movie is that it did not try to manufacture any false laughs--it is funny without really trying, genuinely funny. But I would never classify this as a comedy as so many of the early ads seemed to do. It is much more than that---a touching and lovely movie about people and their foibles.
Rating:
Summary: As Bad as it Gets
Review: You know a film is bad when you can't wait for it to end, and that's exactly what was happening as I watched Wonder Boys. Yes, it has a superb cast, but that's the only high point. The rest of the movie was a mash of horrible plots, bad scripting, and redundant scenery. Maybe my expectations for this movie were too high. Maybe after hearing how great this film was, I had expectations that the film could never meet. I'm not sure why I hated this movie so much, other than it moved me only to boredom. It lacked inspiration, it lacked hope, it lacked the reasons why I watch films in the first place. Maybe it's just me, but my recomendation is to avoid this film, unless you enjoy being uninspired.
Rating:
Summary: just another film about a guy in a midlife crisis
Review: Wonder Boys is without a doubt one of the best films I have watched in the past year. It is another one of those black comedies in which an aging man goes through a midlife crisis..Does anyone remember American Beauty? This film reminded me of Beauty a little bit. I thought it was a very well written screenplay, and I loved Alan Ball's screenplay even better(Beauty). The main character is played brilliantly by Michael Douglas, and the movie pretty much centers around him. I don't know if Wonder Boys will sweep the Oscars like Beauty did, but I think it deserves a few nods.-- Best Actor, best screenplay, and best director. Like American Beauty, I don't think this film is for everybody. It plays like a drama, but has comedic moments thrown in. I could rehash what the film is about like everyone else here, but I just want to voice that I think it is an excellent film that I was very entertained by. It was funny and though not fast paced, was very engrossing. Not to mention the amazing acting!! This film was a springboard for some of the best acting in the year 2000 -- Robert Downey Jr., Tobey McGuire, and Frances McDormand. If you are a fan of any of these actors, especially Michael Douglas, you will appreciate this movie.
|
