Rating: 
Summary: Altogether terrific.
Review: Curtis Hanson followed his excellent L.A. CONFIDENTIAL with another difficult-to-mount literary adaptation, WONDER BOYS. This film, starring an excellent, shoulda-been-Oscar-nominated Michael Douglas, is based upon Michael Chabon's second novel. Douglas stars as Grady Tripp, a washed-up, perpetually-stoned author and college professor. As the movie opens, Tripp's wife has left him. His girlfriend (who is also his boss' wife) is pregnant, and his oversexed agent is coming to town to see the novel Tripp's not yet finished, though it's over 1,000 pages at this point. Tripp's best writing student is a suicidal depressive, and another of his students, who rents a room in his house, wants to seduce him. Throw into that mix a transvestite with a tuba, a pregnant waitress named Oola, a possibly-stolen car and a dead dog that one of the characters accidentally shot. From that comes the loopy, brilliant plot of this movie. Though some might find Tripp's weekend a bit implausible, people who realize that some writers work best when they're in the middle of real-life chaos will embrace this insightful, well-written film. It's funny and touching. Tobey Maguire makes a great impression here as the impressionable, odd and suicidal student writer James Leer. Katie Holmes carves a terrific niche for herself in one of the film's smaller significant roles. Robert Downey Jr. is particularly terrific as the agent who understands his client's idiosynchracies a bit too well, and Frances McDormand manages to make her long-suffering character sweet and lovable. This is a great movie, particularly if you've ever thought of yourself as something of a writer.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: The movie was astounding. A spitting image of my perfect college experience. A must see for any college student.
Rating: 
Summary: Skip it.
Review: Incredibly stupid, psuedointellectual film starring Michael Douglas and Robert Downey Jr. as a couple of losers in the publishing/writing business stoned for like 90% of the movie who corrupt a compulsive liar/follower (Tobey McGuire) who happens into screwing up his life. American Beauty was a fairyly bad movie (though many disagree with me), this is much the same only worse. Pot and homosexuals dont make a good movie despite popular belief.
Rating:
Summary: Prof. Tripp is over 50 and just coming of age.
Review: Many creative people strive for perfection, especially in their first true work. Amongst other things, "Wonderboys" explores what might happen if perfection was actually achieved. Professor Grady Tripp, (Michael Douglas), is a lecturer in Creative Writing whose first novel was a critical success. That was seven years ago and he is still working on his follow-up work. Many of his students admire him, he smokes a lot of dope, is having an affair with his boss's wife and occasionally becomes unconscious for no apparent reason. He is a man without ambition, coasting through life. Mildly jealous of those who still show a passion for life, he becomes entangled in the world of one of his students, James Leer (Toby Maguire), who manages to show even less passion for existence than the professor. James is recognised by his peers as being both weird, in an introverted semi-postal way, and yet more talented than the rest of them put together. Their half-hearted attempts to pull him down to their level are ignored, leaving James mired in his own depressing view of reality. It's even possible that he has chosen Professor Tripp as his mentor; somehow hoping that someone, almost as disconnected from reality as himself and yet capable of publishing a seminal work, might be able to show James a way through the maze. In a way, this is exactly what happens, but not in any sort of linear fashion. While the film largely follows the professor's point of view, James is often the one our sympathies are drawn to. He lies constantly, in such a creative and self-consistent way, that no one truly knows what is going on in his life. It's as if he is testing plot lines on an unsuspecting audience in an effort to hone his story-telling skills. Despite concentrating on these two characters, the film is an ensemble piece, chock full of minor but lovingly crafted people that, for the most part, we'd love to get to know better. Tripp's Editor, Terry Crabtree, (Robert Downey Jr.), is an unsuccessful man who has little confidence but an irrepressible energy; seemingly determined to dance until someone shuts off the stage lights. Tripp's student boarder, Hannah Green, (Katie Holmes), is one of the saner characters in the film. She feels a natural admiration for her teacher; a feeling which she tries to promote into a more adult relationship following the off-screen departure of his young wife. How any flesh and blood man could reject Hannah's scantily clad advances is beyond my understanding, nevertheless that's exactly what Grady does. The dean of the college, Sara Gaskell, (Francis McDormand), who is also Professor Tripp's girl friend, is married to the Dean of English, Walter Gaskell, (Richard Thomas), a clueless boor who obsesses over Marilyn Munroe and Joe DiMaggio. Sara truly loves Tripp and yet sees him for the rudderless ship he is. She is very centered, confident and assertive; firmly placing the emotional ball in Tripp's court. He must decide what he wants or loose the only thing he still seems to enjoy in his post novel depression. As you might imagine, when all of these interesting people are thrown into the mix; along with a murdered dog, stolen memorabilia, an enormous novel that can't find an ending and a determined ex-jockey car thief possibly named Vernon; nobody can predict the result. The only certainty is that it will make for an interesting ride. As Director Chris Hanson says, "All the characters are disparate and yet similar in certain ways. They're all mucking around trying to figure out their lives, just like we are - only they're more amusing along the way."
Rating:
Summary: Wonder Boys is like a House of Fun carnival ride
Review: You enjoy the sights and thrill-a-minute ride but when you get off and try to describe the ride to someone else, it's hard to convey the full impact of the event and all the impact that it had on all your senses. The adventure seeking sense and the intelligence seeking sense as well. Micheal Douglas. Wow, I thought I knew ya. But I had no idea he could be this loose and carefree and actually CONVINCE ME that he could play that role so well. He really carried the movie with his "let my hair down" acting and his voice-overs. Robert Downey Jr? Previously, his smarmy acting has always annoyed me. But I LIKED his smarmy acting in this movie. That's what his role called for and he was perfect for the character he portrayed. The other actors were good too but these two really shined. There's a small but revealing moment in this movie. When Micheal Douglas and Toby McGuire are talking, a black and white movie is playing in the background. It's the Picture of Dorian Gray. The part of the movie we hear is ..."There's no such thing as a good influence. All influence is immoral. Why? Because the aim of life is self-development. To realize one's nature perfectly. That's why we're here for. A man should live out his life fully and completely. Give form to every feeling. Reality to every dream...There's only one way to get rid of temptation and that's to yield to it. Resist it? So goes sick with longing for the things for which it has forbidden itself." That is what this movie is about. Micheal Douglas denies himself nothing and gives form to every feeling and we get to enjoy the ride with him. Watching him digging for drugs in someone's personal belongings and him swallowing said drug without even trying to figure out what it is. And we get to watch him longing for the one thing that he wants. The one thing which is forbidden to him. The Chancellor's wife. While Micheal Douglas the writer English professor is watching her with longing from afar, his voice-over says (and this is my very favorite part as I am a voracious reader myself) "She was a junkie for the printed word and lucky for me, I manufactured her drug of choice. She loved to read. She read everything. Every spare moment." This movie is pure seduction for someone like me who loves word play. Yes, one can enjoy this movie purely for the fun adventures and action and there is plenty to be had from beginning to end. Heck, the adventures of Vern (or is it Vernon?) and his pregnant and angelic-looking-Marilyn-Monroe-Jacket-wearing-girlfriend is worth the price of the movie itself. But beware, in the background, there is an intelligent thought and a bigger picture just waiting for you to dig even deeper into. For every dead dog almost-found escapade, there is Robert Downey Jr. spewing deep thoughts, for every page of the Professor's manuscript that gets tossed to the wind, there is a camera pan at a cover of THE PLAGUE by Albert Camus. Whereas the Picture of Dorian Gray ends sadly this Wonder of a movie ends happily for all - fitting and appropriate for all the characters involved. I really enjoyed this movie and all it had to offer. I am shocked that no one I knew has ever recommended this movie to me. No wonder they call movies like this Sleeper films. Heck, I LOVED this movie!
Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: I liked this movie. It's not the greatest movie I've ever seen but it was good for a night on the couch. I have mixed feelings about Tobey Maguire. At times he seems almost wooden. He's very stiff and when he talks his jaw barely moves at all. It's like he should have a puppet with him because his lips hardly open when he speaks. I'm not sure if he's purposefully doing that or if he's just a bad actor. At times he's very good though.
Rating:
Summary: Michael Douglas has never been better!!!
Review: Wonder Boys is one of the best American comedy-dramas in recent years. The story is funny without being silly and it is touching without being overly sentimental. The actors give great performances - especially Douglas, who delivers his greatest performance ever. With this film director Curtis Hanson proved that LA Confidential was not just a lucky punch. Finally one must not forget Dylan's Oscar-winning song "Things Have Changed", which ranks among his greatest songs in the past 20 years.
Rating:
Summary: good stuff, vastly entertaining with a top-notch cast
Review: This is one of those "crazy things happen to ordinary people" movies that I love. Michael Douglas plays Grady Tripp, an author with one best-seller to his name -- a "wonder boy", if you will -- who is constantly at work on another novel that just never seems to go anywhere. He is married, but having an affair with his boss's wife (Frances McDormand) -- who announces she is pregnant. In his house is a gorgeous female student (Katie Holmes) who is ALWAYS wearing her cowboy boots. His gung-ho editor (Robert Downey Jr.) wants to see his latest work, and there is a young student (Tobey Maguire) who reminds Tripp a little too much of himself back when he was pure potential. The two make an unlikely duo as they share a whacked-out weekend together simultaneously running away from and solving their myriad problems among the large cast of characters. It's just their lives, condensed into a crazy two-day span filled with many out-of-the-ordinary happenings (a blind dog, an historic piece of Marilyn Monroe's wardrobe, etc.) that all tie up in the end but not the way you would expect.
Rating:
Summary: An Effortless Success
Review: An account of aging author Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas) who has managed to turn out one hit novel but can't seem to recreate the magic on his second time around. It's been seven years since the first and he is in the midst of attempting a second book that is currently upwards of 2000 pages. This, because he can not wrap his brain around an ending. What he lacks, it seems, is impetus to make the choices necessary to set the plot on a path to its completion. Like troubles are also reflected in Tripp's personal life, though he takes it all in stride. He has a chronic pot problem and goes about stoned most of the time. He has a young wife who has left him and a 42 year old girlfriend (Frances McDormand) who is pregnant. She is the chancellor and wife to his direct employer who heads the English department at the small school in Pittsburgh where Tripp is a tenured professor. This clueless, Harvard educated, husband's doomed dog is destined to meet his fate at the hands of one troubled, yet brilliant, young student of the Professor's, James Leer (Tobey Maguire), who has some kind of unexplained Marilyn Monroe fetish, sticky hands, a celebrity death obsession and dramatic suicidal tendencies. After a weekend escapade with James and others (Robert Downey, Jr.) who are also struggling, Grady will discover that he and the devious Junior Lit major have very much in common. In fact, he seems to subconsciously know anyway what he really needs to do to get where it is he is going. He and James are a real couple of Wonder Boys. What I liked the most in this movie was the persistent endurance of the ostensibly vulnerable characters and the way they manage ultimately to meet their problems head on and with such an extraordinary sense of humor. They are all struggling, but don't dwell much on it. They simply do that which is necessary to keep from falling apart and to keep on pushing forward in their lives. What I didn't really care for was the character of Hannah (Katie Holmes) as matched opposite Grady. Regardless of the fact that nothing happens between them there's still a dirty old man quality to the whole thing which really turns me off. I mean I find his character fascinating, but I wouldn't want to touch him. Bleah. Thankfully, her part is slight and doesn't detract much. The story has a dismal quality that makes my science college self a little sad. But I imagine, and have in fact been told directly, that that is much what it is like amongst those in the liberal arts. I s'pose one must suffer to create. Get it, watch it, love it. That is all. Also Recommended: Kicking and Screaming, Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society
Rating:
Summary: A Classic!
Review: It's sort of a rule of thumb that if you release a movie early in the year, no matter how good it may be, its forgotten by Oscar time. Such was the case with "Wonder Boys," a phenomenal film that came out in February of 2000. THough the studio wisely re-released it much later in the year, it failed to gain any further momentum. This is a pity, because "Wonder Boys" is one of the most well-written, offbeat, and clever films to come out in a long, long time.
Michael Douglas gives what is undoubtedly the performance of his career. As Grady Tripp, a middle-aged author/college professor who is having what is seemingly the weekend from hell, Douglas is convincing and touching. As his eccentric, troubled student, Tobey Maguire is fantastic. The two of them are aided by a terrific supporting cast, including Frances McDormand, Robert Downey Jr., and Katie Holmes.
Perhaps the real hero of this film, however, is director Curtis Hanson. Like he did with Los Angeles and the Hollywood Hills in 1997's "L.A. Confidential", Hanson perfectly creates a lush, detailed, and oddly enough, nurturing environment for his characters to run amouck in. There are moments in this film where things seem so vivid and authentic, that you can almost smell or feel the cold air all the characters are breathing. If Los Angeles was his muse in "L.A. Confidential," suburban Pittsburgh serves that part in this film.
There's a terrific soundtrack to boot, including three Bob Dylan songs (one, written especially for the film won the Oscar), as well as tracks by John Lennon, Neil Young and Leonard Cohen.
"Wonder BOys" is a rich, finely crafted film that is both funny and touching and gets better with each viewing.
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