Die Wonder Boys (2000)

Die Wonder Boys: Directed by Curtis Hanson. With Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand, Robert Downey Jr.. An English Professor tries to deal with his wife leaving him, the arrival of his editor who has been waiting for his book for seven years, and the various problems that his friends and associates involve him in.

“WONDER BOYS (2000) **** Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand, Robert Downey Jr., Katie Holmes, Rip Torn, Richard Thomas, Jane Adams, Michael Cavadias, Philip Bosco.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMichael Douglas is not one of the best actors of comedy .until now. In the adaptation of Michael Chabonu0026#39;s excellent novel of has-beens, chemical imbibing and a 2 day journey of self-discovery, he emerges as if an old pro in one memorable turn as its antihero, Grady Tripp (great name!)u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eTripp is – to make a funny here – having a bad trip in one disastrous day. It begins when his (unseen) wife leaves him. From there it only gets worse. Tripp is a tenured English professor at a Pittsburgh university and something of a has-been downward spiral loser (he once was praised as a `wonder boyu0026#39; for his first novel of acclaim and has been 7 years down the road struggling to finish its behemoth (over 2000 pages) follow-up) who has many balls juggling in the air as a weekend of literary workshops awaits his presence: namely his affair with his bossu0026#39;s wife, the Chancellor, Sara Gaskell (Mc Dormand giving another patented flawless performance) who announces with perfect timing that sheu0026#39;s pregnant. To make matters even worse, its at their cocktail party for a loquacious literary figurehead improbably known as `Qu0026#39; (Torn, subdued avuncularity) and in tow are his ambisexual New York editor Terry Crabtree (the always welcome Downey) hounding him for a peek at his epic tome who has brought along a titaness of a transvestite (Cavadias) he met on the plane and Gradyu0026#39;s two prized pupils, the warm, glowing (and obviously seductive) Hannah Green (the down right sexy baby fat sweet Holmes) and heir apparent, suicidally tormented chronic storyteller/liar James Leer (a star making turn by the incredible Maguire, showcasing his low-key subtle skills at full tilt). Both are perfect..u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhat ensues is a series of bad timing, unfortunate luck, a dead dog, mistaken identity, pill and alcohol binging (think a less venal `Fear And Loathing In Las Vegasu0026#39;), secrets revealed, the pilfering of Marilyn Monroeu0026#39;s wedding coat (donu0026#39;t ask, trust me it works!) and gradually the understandment of a particularly Zen-like kwon : it doesnu0026#39;t matter what one thinks of another when it comes to being a creative, artistic genius.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDouglas is a revelation as a bonafide movie-star allowing the actor heu0026#39;s always had inside (the last time I can recall a `realu0026#39; character heu0026#39;s done is the ticking human time bomb in `Falling Downu0026#39;) by allowing to deglam his persona of a slick, lady-killing cocksure swaggardly handsome devil and here allow himself to be absorbed by a lumpy, pot-smoking, hazy for the future shlump who discovers the truth lies within. And of course that little realization is by no means a slight since it is offered by the melancholic Maguire who exudes a spacey sadness when heu0026#39;s not busy polluting his body to cover his pain(s) or narrating his own assisted run to the menu0026#39;s room to recover (hilarious by the way). His James Leer is Sancho Panza to Gradyu0026#39;s Don Quixote in a twisted sense. Downey has fun as usual as the straw that stirs the drink of debauchery and chicanery that occurs.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFilmmaker Steve Kloves (who was originally set to direct and is best known for his debut with the fabulous `The Fabulous Baker Boysu0026#39;) adapts the off-beat quirky novel excellently to the screen with some great dialogue and unique situations (i.e. how to make the bad joke of a dead dog a good running gag).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDirector Curtis Hanson, better known for gritty noir influenced flicks like `Bad Influenceu0026#39; and the Oscar-winning `L.A. Confidentialu0026#39; plumbs the depths of humanity through humor and succeeds by making it a fun-filled ride into the inner sanctum of all artists: self-destruction is easy, self-acceptance isnu0026#39;t always.”