Barnes & Noble

Michael Douglas hits a career high with his quietly hilarious star turn in Wonder Boys, a wry, understated comedy puckishly directed by Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential). Douglas plays a once-promising middle-aged novelist, now hopelessly blocked and teaching at a small northeastern college while trying to jump-start both his personal and professional lives. The solution to his problems -- in both arenas -- just might be eccentric but talented student Tobey Maguire, whose promising work Douglas is tempted to appropriate and represent as his own. The supporting players include Robert Downey Jr. as Douglas's predatory editor, Frances McDormand as his adulterous lover, and Katie Holmes as a level-headed student. Ingenious scripting keeps Wonder Boys from lapsing into predictability, and the film benefits additionally from Hanson's convincing replication of the academic milieu and his sharp character delineation. Released early in 2000 to largely favorable reviews but short-lived in the theaters, Wonder Boys seems destined to find a loyal and loving audience on video. It's the kind of comedy that sneaks up on viewers and gets better with every screening. The DVD includes interviews with Hanson, Douglas, McDormand, and Macguire; an interactive location map of Pittsburgh, where Wonder Boys was shot; and best of all, the music video for Bob Dylan's smashing title song, "Things Have Changed." Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

In this comedy, a middle-aged man juggles his problems with women, literature, and a career, while a younger man chases the artifact of his dreams. Pittsburgh college professor Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas) is currently single following his divorce from his third wife; after publishing an acclaimed first novel, Grady has been working on a follow-up, but he's been sidelined by a severe case of writer's block. Grady has more than his writing career to think about; his affair with one of the (married) chancellors at the University of Pittsburgh (Frances McDormand), has resulted in her pregnancy, while Hannah (Katie Holmes), a student boarding at Grady's house, has developed a crush on him. While Grady is obsessed with his book, one of his students (Tobey Maguire) has an obsession of his own: finding a jacket once owned by Marilyn Monroe. Based on the novel by Michael Chabon, The Wonder Boys also features Robert Downey Jr., Rip Torn, and Richard Thomas. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 097363326144
• Source: PARAMOUNT
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85.1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Surround
• Language: English, Français
• Subtitles: English
• Time: 1:52:00
• Sales Rank: 8,431

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