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| Directed by Curtis Hanson Starring: Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand, Katie Holmes, Rip Torn, Robert Downey Jr. Producers: Curtis Hanson, Scott Rudin Screenplay: Steve Kloves Distributor: Paramount Pictures |
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Rating:  (out of )The comparisons between Wonder Boys and Finding Forrester are unavoidable when viewing this film. They both involve an older talented writer who has lost some of his edge and a young promising writer with a bright future if he can be steered in the right direction. While Finding Forrester is the more feel-good and upbeat movie, Wonder Boys is a darker, more realistic look at the story. A bit edgy in its presentation, as evidenced by a pot-smoking professor, this movie still comes across a winner in the end, albeit without the feel-good ending presented by Finding Forrester. Michael Douglas plays Grady Tripp, an untidy professor whose last book was a critical success, who is struggling with writer's block on his next book, which has taken him years to write. Compounding the problem is his editor Terry Crabtree (Robert Downey, Jr.) who needs the book to jumpstart his career, and his married girlfriend Sarah Gaskell (Frances McDormand) who is now pregnant with his child. He also must be a mentor to a talented, but confused young writer James Leer (Tobey Maguire) who wants to spend time with him. These various relationships are interwoven nicely by director Curtis Hanson, whose previous work includes his masterpiece L.A. Confidential. The relationship between Grady and James are contrasting because one needs inspiration from the young idealistic writer, while the other needs the meaning of writing from the older, wiser writer. They both play off each other's weaknesses, pushing them to both come to terms with them. Grady must decide to marry Sarah and take responsibility for his lifestyle, while being infused with newfound confidence to finish his book. James must learn to take all his idealistic themes with a grain of salt, learning that sometimes passion for writing is the only thing that will make him successful. Supporting roles by McDormand and Holmes are good, and Robert Downey, Jr.'s character is his usual interesting personality. I was a little disappointed with Maguire's performance, considering his strong outing in last year's best film, The Cider House Rules. He seemed a little too cold for the part, needing a little more effort to be believable. But Douglas gives one of his better performances in a while on screen, leading me to think it is Oscar-worthy. I think the movie was probably a little darker than it needed to be, almost pushing it purposely in that direction when it didn't need to be. It does end on a somewhat uplifting note, but by this time you are tied to the thoughts of other parts of the film. Although it doesn't begin to reach the heighths of L.A. Confiential, Wonder Boys does do a good job of portraying the story it is given to tell. © 2001 Jonathan Cornwell | |||
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| Masterpiece - Movie perfection |
 | Excellent - One of the best films of the year |
| Good - Recommended |
| Fair - Worth a look |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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