Wonder Boys was a film that I really regretted
missing at the Cinemas but the lack of publicity really didn’t help the film. This
could have been quite a big success if there had been a little more effort put into
advertising and publicity. It sports some big names in Michael Douglas, Robert Downey Jr.
and of course Tobey Maguire who is making a really good impression in film circles. Surely
these actors alone could have drawn a lot more attention to the film.
None the less when I finally did get to enjoy it in my own lounge room I was most
impressed.
Michael Douglas plays the character of a passionate writer/university professor who
seems be struggling in finishing his current novel. Over the course of the weekend, a
brilliant student, who is also a natural writer, changes his life dramatically: James Leer
(Tobey Maguire).
Grady Tripp (Douglas) has had his wife leave him in the morning and then finds out that
the woman he is having an affair with Sara (Frances McDormand) is pregnant. While he comes
across as friend to her husband their dog does not have the same impression of him.
On the same weekend Grady’s editor Terry Crabtree (Robert Downey Jr.) is in town
to give Grady a bit of a hurry up on his new novel. Terry develops a bit of an unusual
relationship with James and it becomes apparent that James has quite a knack for story
telling; in fact most of his life is a story it seems.
And while all of this is unfolding there is one more character that throws another
slice in the pie Hannah Green (Katie Holmes), is boarding with Grady and she also has a
bit of crush on her professor.
The plot really has quite a few tangents, which all come together very nicely, and make
for an enjoyable afternoon on the couch!
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