Wonder Boys (2000)

Summary

Follows the adventures of a college professor whose life is falling apart.

Director

Curtis Hanson

Downey Factor

Medium.

Character

Terry Crabtree, has-been book editor trying to salvage his career.

Looks

Pretty good, though I hate to say he looks a little old at times.

Performance

Not riveting, but he has a great rapport with Michael Douglas.

Line

"God knows I don't exactly fit the new corporate profile."
"Which is?"
"Competence."

Love & Sex

A random transvestite and Tobey Maguire.

Dies, Gay or Villain

No. Yes. No.

Cast

Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand, Katie Holmes

Connection

Michael Douglas in Avengers: Endgame.

Curtis Hanson's Lucky You.

Katie Holmes in The Singing Detective.

Tobey Maguire in Tropic Thunder.

Frances McDormand in Short Cuts.

RDJ Says

There's like three generations in this, too, there's the Tripp, the Crabtree and the Leer generations. I feel like a dinosaur compared to Tobey and I see him as a super-talented young guy ... I guess that's why this film is so poignant in a way. You can experience that 'wonder boy' phenomenon regardless of what generation you are in. It reminds me of people in the '80s who were living high off the hog in New York and L.A. They were at all the clubs and had all the new clothes and so on. Now, 10 years later, they're still wearing the same stuff and still trying to ride on the same coattails, except that it's just not working anymore. They really haven't done anything for 10 years. I think that's how it is with Grady and Crabtree. They're both in crisis ... [Curtis Hanson's] work is very refined stuff, regardless if he's doing a thriller or a period noir piece or whatever, he brings that same level of fine-tuning and it's just super thoughtful ... For three days, [my character] can pretty much drink and take pills and smoke pot and make huge mistakes, and in the midst of all that he still has this genuine talent.

Lit Reference

Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
It's a rather faithful adaptation of this novel, with much of the dialogue coming directly from the book.

Time & Place

Present day (2000), Pittsburgh.

Gossip

This film inspired the song Hannah on Downey's album, The Futurist.

Availability

Released in theaters 25 February 2000. On DVD in Region 1, 2 and 4.

Foreign Titles

Argentina: Fin de Semana de Locos (Weekend of Crazies)
Brazil: Garotos Incríveis (Amazing Boys)
Croatia: Zlatni Dečki (Golden Boys)
Poland: Cudowni chlopcy (Wonder Boys)
Portugal: Prodígios (Prodigies)
Spain: Jovenes Prodigiosos (Prodigious Youths)

Rotten Tomatoes

81% Fresh | 124 Reviews

Critical View

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: In a movie in which every other character is vague, ambivalent or drug-addled, Downey plays Crabtree with crispness and invention.

Joe Queenan, The Guardian: Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand, Rip Torn and Robert Downey Jr are all far better actors than Michael Douglas and discreetly outperform him here ... Robert Downey Jr is perfect as the jaded, sexually perplexed, morally depleted book editor who has flown in for the weekend.

Does It Hold Up

For a movie from the year 2000 based on a book from 1995, it's aged pretty well, aside from a few old pop culture references.

2 Reasons to See It

1. It's a good off-beat movie.
2. Sparkling dialogue throughout.

Overall

It's a dark, clever and amusing drama. Definitely worth seeing.

If You Like It

You might also like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), Home for the Holidays (1995), writing workshops.

Photos

Video