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"Small
'Wonder'"
by Scott Mantz
"Wonder Boys"
Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Michael Douglas
has carved out quite a niche for himself as an actor by playing
not one, but two types of roles with magnetic aplomb. On one hand,
his Academy Award-winning role as a scrupulous businessman in "Wall
Street" led to his being cast in similar roles in "The Game" and
"A Perfect Murder". On the other hand, he exposed the dark side
of sexual lust in films like "Fatal Attraction", "Basic Instinct",
and "Disclosure". That's all fine and dandy, but even an actor of
Douglas's stature must get sick of doing the same thing over and
over again. Thanks to "Wonder Boys", Douglas gets a chance to broaden
his range and play somebody a little more real. He easily gives
his strongest performance since "Wall Street" and quite possibly
his most heartfelt performance ever. It's just too bad the rest
of the film doesn't rise to the occasion.
English college
professor Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas) is not having a good day.
His third wife has just left him. His book editor (Robert Downey
Jr) is flying in from New York to pick up his still unfinished second
novel. To top it off, the married school chancellor (Frances McDormand)
has just dropped the biggest bomb of all--she's pregnant with his
baby. Seven years earlier, Grady wrote a best-selling novel, but
now writer's block (or writer's binge) is preventing him from finishing
the follow up. Just when things couldn't get any worse, Grady develops
an unusual relationship with a highly gifted student (Tobey Maguire)
with suicidal tendencies and a slight case of kleptomania. Can Grady
and James help each other get through their problems so they can
both get on with their lives?
"Wonder Boys"
is a coming-of-age tale, not just for James, but for Grady as well.
It's time for Grady to grow up and practice what he preaches, which
is about the need to make choices in life. His life is in shambles.
He walks with a limp after being bitten by a dog. His book-in-progress
is up to 2611 pages (and counting). He is prone to blackouts brought
on by his penchant for smoking too much dope. He is impressed by
young James' writing abilities, but he is worried about his state
of mind. Maybe by helping James confront his problems, he'll be
able to confront his own.
There's a lot
going on in "Wonder Boys", and therein lies the problem. For a film
so caught up with the need to make choices, it would seem that Curtis
Hanson couldn't follow his own advice when it came to the direction
of his film. After impressing Hollywood with his slick and smart
adaptation of the seemingly unfilmable noir drama "LA Confidential",
Hanson seems to have lost some of his focus with "Wonder Boys".
There's no doubt that the talent involved is top notch and the dialogue
is sharp, witty, and funny, but the progression of events feels
more like a convoluted mess then a polished piece of work. At a
little more than halfway through the film, I still couldn't quite
determine what it was about or where it was going.
What the film
lacks in structure it more than makes up for with its excellent
performances, particularly where Douglas is concerned. It's more
like a showcase for Douglas's talents, and what a showcase it is.
He's literally a mess and falling apart at the seams, but he takes
it all in stride and puts in a liberating and touching performance.
Tobey Maguire's gawky and deadpan delivery works much better here
than it did in "The Cider House Rules", and it matches perfectly
with the mysterious, suicidal genius that his character portrays.
Robert Downey Jr. provides some added comic relief as Douglas's
desperate, gender-dabbling editor, and Frances McDormand is her
usual impressive self, holding the film together with a strong and
self-assured performance.
The film's soundtrack
is filled with crossroads-themed and life-affirming songs by John
Lennon and Bob Dylan, but one song that would have fit right in
is "Lean on Me". All the characters are having a tough time, but
they get by with a little help from their friends, old and new.
We can all sympathize with the people portrayed here, because at
some point, we've all been there. "Wonder Boys" makes you wonder
about the choices that we've made in the past, but more importantly,
it makes you wonder about the choices that we'll make in the future.
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