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Cast
Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas)
James Leer (Tobey Maguire)
Sara Gaskell (Frances McDormand)
Terry Crabtree (Robert Downey, Jr.)
Hannah Green (Katie Holmes)
Directed by Curtis Hanson Written by Steve Kloves based on
the novel by Michael Chabon
Rated R for language, drug content and sexual content
Running Time: 112 minutes Distributed by Paramount
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Wonder
Boys is a well-made and character-driven drama. Grady Tripp
(Douglas) is a 50 year old, pot-smoking writer/professor living
in Pittsburgh. Grady hasn't had any material published since
he wrote an award-winning novel 7 years ago. However, Grady's
life will change over the current weekend. A few obstacles
that face Grady over the weekend are a unfinished book, a
murdered dog, a slick publisher named Crabtree (Downey, Jr.),
a pregnant lover named Sara (McDormand) and a student named
Hannah (Holmes) that has a crush on him. Grady finds himself
reeling from incident to incident in the company of his most
gifted writing student, James Leer (Maguire). James accompanies
Grady through his weekend of self-discovery and inspiration.
Wonder
Boys is a terrific film that contains a little bit of everything
in it. The film contains strong drama, lovable comedy, an
unlikely romance and unique inspiration. Director Curtis Hanson
does a potent and effective job directing Wonder Boys. Hanson's
previous credits include The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, The
River Wild and L.A. Confidential. I have always loved Hanson's
vision towards his projects. Hanson brings parallel structure
and balanced camera shots to all his projects. Hanson continues
his good direction with Wonder Boys. One of the best shots
in the film is when Grady and James are looking at Marilyn
Monroe's jacket. Hanson uses a mirror in this shot to give
audiences the reflection of Grady above James. I found that
this shot visually shows how the two characters begin to connect
in the film.
Steve
Kloves adapted Wonder Boys from the novel of the same name
by Michael Charbon. The characters and development are excellent
in the film. Though it seemed a few times that some characters
fell out of the film for a while, each character in the film
served a pivotal role. I like the whole structure of the script
from plot point to plot point. The sequencing was simple,
not complicated for this character-sketched story.
Wonder
Boys is mixed with talented veteran and young actors. Michael
Douglas plays the colorful Grady Tripp with perfect characterization.
One little aspect that Douglas sticks with in pulling off
his dominant performance is that he is always engulfed in
his character. An example is that Grady gets bit on the leg
by a dog 20 minutes into the film, and he limps with the pain
for the rest of the film. Douglas just doesn't walk off the
pain in a few scenes, like many actors would do. The little
things like this are what make Douglas' performance so memorable.
Tobey Maguire continues to shine as one of the best young
actors in Hollywood. Maguire conquers his character in a very
patient and simple manner. I also very happy to see Frances
McDormand returning to the screen. McDormand has only done
a couple of films since her Academy Award winning performance
in Fargo. McDormand does a nice job in Wonder Boys and I hope
to see her doing more films in the future. Robert Downey,
Jr. also turns in a strong supporting performance as Grady's
anxious publisher Terry Crabtree.
Wonder
Boys is a film that I believe will find its own audience at
the box office. It is a very balanced and enjoyable film.
Report
Card Grade: B+
Beastman's
Movie Reviews
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