Review of Wonder Boys

Everybody has had their share of long, crazy weekends. However, most of them dull in comparison to the one in Wonder Boys, a dark comedy directed by Curtis Hanson. Centered on Grady Tripp (played by Michael Douglas), a professor at the University of Pittsburgh who is also a writer, the movie strings a series of events following him as he enters the strangest, most significant weekend of his life. Tripp, while in the midst of writing a follow-up to his award-winning The Arsonist's Daughter, smokes an abundance of weed and avoids finishing his novel due to fear that it will not be as successful as his previous one. His editor, Terry Crabtree (played by Robert Downey Jr.), goes to town to spend the weekend with him in hopes to see him deliver a rough draft so that Crabtree does not lose his job and also to attend Wordfest, a congregation of writers. Having just lost his third wife, a woman much younger than Tripp who felt that he was never there for her, Tripp finds love in Sara Gaskell (played by Frances McDormand), who is the chancellor at the university, also, whose husband is Tripp's boss. Along for the ride are James Leer (played by Tobey Maguire) and Hannah Green (played by Katie Holmes) who are students of Tripp. Leer, an introverted prodigy that has finished writing his own book, and Green, a beautiful young woman who rents out a room in Tripp's house are both very talented and are among the top students of his class. With the announcement of Gaskell's pregnancy to Tripp, several aspects of his life collide, creating a whirlwind of chaos and, ultimately, understanding. The crazy weekend includes: a transvestite, driving around with a dead dog in their trunk, a jacket worn by Marilyn Monroe, watching more than a thousand pages of Tripp's novel flying away, reclaiming a stolen car, drugs and alcohol, and, most importantly, the coming of age of Tripp and Leer.

With an all-star cast of characters, this movie provides light-hearted comedy with heavy substance. The ridiculously hilarious and strange situations Tripp finds himself and his friends in keep the movie interesting while not feeling like they were added as fillers. Although it is not easy to see how every event relates in the beginning, upon completion of the movie it shows that they serve to bring the characters together and help them reach a higher level of understanding of their lives. The goofy Grady Tripp's leap into mental maturity unravels as he is faced with numerous complications, driving him to the brink of death. However, at the pinnacle of their adventure, Tripp is able to understand that it is time to claim victory over his midlife crisis and take responsibility. Rather than falling off the edge of a few flights of stairs, he regains composure and takes control of his life.

The most interesting character of all was the main character and the narrator, Grady Tripp. Michael Douglas' acting is incredible in this movie; with the looks of an old man and the heart of a young child, he delivers all of his lines perfectly, catching the very essence of his character. Also, Tobey Maguire does an excellent job playing the character of the soft-spoken genius James Leer by revealing aspects of his character verbally. All of the lies told by his character seemed truthful until Tripp actually states that he is a compulsive liar. Although most of the actors delivered a great performance, Katie Holmes' character was not convincing. She did not provide enough flair to make me believe that she was in love with Tripp and his work. Rather, it seemed as if she was just a minor character, overshadowed by the funny situations the movie utilized. Had they developed her character further and included more interactions with Tripp, she might have passed as the young admiring seductress type that she tried to play.

Besides Katie Holmes' character or the lack thereof, the movie was overall highly enjoyable. The awkwardly funny scenarios fit perfectly with the overall personality of the movie, making it quirky and very serious at the same time. Maintaining a very light-hearted atmosphere throughout the whole movie, the overall theme of coming of age fit perfectly. The humor in the movie was not shallow slapstick humor. Rather, it was thoughtful and appropriate. While this movie may be very enjoyable for some, mainly people who are interested in literature, books, and English, it may not be recommended to those who do not appreciate intelligent humor and would rather see a comedy like Jackass. Most of the jokes in this movie would not be understood by children, so this movie is definitely not for them.

Wonder Boys fits into its own separate little niche, which is why only a certain niche of people can thoroughly enjoy it. However, this movie is still hilarious even without a complete understanding of it. The collision of so many different weird situations is enough to keep your eyes and ears glued to the screen.