Wonder Boys (A or 4/4 stars)
'Wonder Boys', directed by Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential) takes a look into one crazy snowbound weekend at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University campus. Grady: 50-ish, unkempt, intelligent, & addicted to pot ... has not been having a good time, of late. On the same day that his 3rd wife has left him, he discovers that Dean Sara Gaskell (Frances McDormand), his married mistress (chancellor of the college he also works at), is preggers. And her husband chairs Grady's department! Anxiety over these facts, combined with the massive unfinished book that he's taken 7 yrs. to write, is getting to him. The college's annual literary festival is in town (stirring memories of better times; when he was considered a 'wonder boy', & won an award for writing 'The Arsonist's Daughter'). Coinciding with the immediacy of the festival, self-doubt & anxiety creep into Grady's brain with news of his new, but un-edited book's deadline.
Overwhelmed, & with nowhere to go, he returns to the only safe haven he knows ... a marijuana-induced haze. Through all of this, he must fend off Hannah (Katie Holmes), a college girl who's living with (and has the hots for) him. And another of his most gifted students, James Leer (Tobey Maguire), clings to Grady as a sort of father figure. Unfortunately for Grady, his bisexual editor Terry Crabtree (Robert Downey Jr.) shows up to take a look at the book, but winds up being transfixed by the shy, vulnerable James. The last thing Grady wants is his editor trying to seduce poor James. Over the course of the long weekend, misadventure after misadventure befalls the foursome. The hunt for a rare Marilyn Monroe jacket is on. A friend's dog is mistakenly killed & must be disposed of. And after a fender bender, a maniacal black bar owner named Vernon Hardapple (Richard Knox) is out to get Grady at all costs.
It all sounds crazy, right? And it is. But everyone plays their characters so straight, so deadpan, so naturally, that you can believe ALL the stuff that goes on; which makes everything all the more funny, devastating, & poignant. At its core, 'WB' is about the relationship btwn. Grady & James, and the importance of writing/storytelling. Hannah thinks Grady's current book is beautiful, but he knows it is exorbitant bullshit. He's become a cynic. It's the dead of winter, a festival is in town, they're all writers (some with writer's block); and they're living a wild weekend that anyone could write about & it would be a best-seller. The other characters (aside from Grady & James) matter, but basically serve as catalysts for the myriad of crazy events that occur.
As over-the-hill, downtrodden, slovenly bookworm Grady Tripp, Michael Douglas is absolutely fantastic. He usually plays self-assured, debonair types of men; so his ultra-relaxed Grady is a complete 180 degree turn. Tobey Maguire is wonderfully flat (if that makes any sense). And there's a scene with said Marilyn Monroe jacket that he knocks out of the park. Frances McDormand is a true delight. Katie Holmes shows that she isn't just a TV show actress. Richard Knox (Richard Little lookalike) is very humorous as Vernon Hardapple; he'll leave a lasting impression in your mind. And Robert Downey Jr. is superb as the razor sharp editor. He's understated (as they all are), & that's why he's great. Every character feels like a real person. So when mayhem occurs, it makes quite the impact.
I think, though, that my favorite aspect of the movie is how it captures 'campus life'. I'm currently going to college & can attest that this is EXACTLY how things get in the middle of the winter. People start losing their minds; there are due dates; they go stir crazy; & self-doubt kicks-in to everyone's tired minds. 'Wonder Boys' is also a terrific film about middle-age melancholy. And it's also about that small slice of life where offbeat circumstances arise, & unexpected people enter your life against your will. Grady teaches James to chase his dreams, take risks, & pursue writing. This is an original film to savor as the 21st century commences. It's stereotypical, yet fresh. Mindless, yet controlled. Quirky, yet sweet (in the end). Witty, droll & perverse ... without being offensive. I loved it.
Overwhelmed, & with nowhere to go, he returns to the only safe haven he knows ... a marijuana-induced haze. Through all of this, he must fend off Hannah (Katie Holmes), a college girl who's living with (and has the hots for) him. And another of his most gifted students, James Leer (Tobey Maguire), clings to Grady as a sort of father figure. Unfortunately for Grady, his bisexual editor Terry Crabtree (Robert Downey Jr.) shows up to take a look at the book, but winds up being transfixed by the shy, vulnerable James. The last thing Grady wants is his editor trying to seduce poor James. Over the course of the long weekend, misadventure after misadventure befalls the foursome. The hunt for a rare Marilyn Monroe jacket is on. A friend's dog is mistakenly killed & must be disposed of. And after a fender bender, a maniacal black bar owner named Vernon Hardapple (Richard Knox) is out to get Grady at all costs.
It all sounds crazy, right? And it is. But everyone plays their characters so straight, so deadpan, so naturally, that you can believe ALL the stuff that goes on; which makes everything all the more funny, devastating, & poignant. At its core, 'WB' is about the relationship btwn. Grady & James, and the importance of writing/storytelling. Hannah thinks Grady's current book is beautiful, but he knows it is exorbitant bullshit. He's become a cynic. It's the dead of winter, a festival is in town, they're all writers (some with writer's block); and they're living a wild weekend that anyone could write about & it would be a best-seller. The other characters (aside from Grady & James) matter, but basically serve as catalysts for the myriad of crazy events that occur.
As over-the-hill, downtrodden, slovenly bookworm Grady Tripp, Michael Douglas is absolutely fantastic. He usually plays self-assured, debonair types of men; so his ultra-relaxed Grady is a complete 180 degree turn. Tobey Maguire is wonderfully flat (if that makes any sense). And there's a scene with said Marilyn Monroe jacket that he knocks out of the park. Frances McDormand is a true delight. Katie Holmes shows that she isn't just a TV show actress. Richard Knox (Richard Little lookalike) is very humorous as Vernon Hardapple; he'll leave a lasting impression in your mind. And Robert Downey Jr. is superb as the razor sharp editor. He's understated (as they all are), & that's why he's great. Every character feels like a real person. So when mayhem occurs, it makes quite the impact.
I think, though, that my favorite aspect of the movie is how it captures 'campus life'. I'm currently going to college & can attest that this is EXACTLY how things get in the middle of the winter. People start losing their minds; there are due dates; they go stir crazy; & self-doubt kicks-in to everyone's tired minds. 'Wonder Boys' is also a terrific film about middle-age melancholy. And it's also about that small slice of life where offbeat circumstances arise, & unexpected people enter your life against your will. Grady teaches James to chase his dreams, take risks, & pursue writing. This is an original film to savor as the 21st century commences. It's stereotypical, yet fresh. Mindless, yet controlled. Quirky, yet sweet (in the end). Witty, droll & perverse ... without being offensive. I loved it.