WONDER BOYS
"Wonder Boys." is humorous, poignant, and surprisingly uplifting given the dubious nature of it’s central figure, Professor Grady Tripp. He’s a one time best selling author whiling away his years teaching creative writing waiting for the spark of genius to strike again. "Wonder Boys" has a jaunty syncopated rhythm that fearlessly pauses here and there to flesh out a new character, introduce a new twist, or set up the next scene. There is a continuous sense of the unexpected looming underneath every layer of its plot. Unfortunately the ending betrays the movie’s sense of fun. It may have something to do with all the loose threads that incongruously come together after a man’s life unravels - or the dead dog that figures in the publication of an obscure academic endeavor. The wrap up is just too neat for a group of people whose lives are anything but tidy. It’s a small annoyance, like the proverbial pea under the princess’ mattress, if only because the rest of the movie is so damned good! "Wonder Boys" has a richness of character and a wealth of detail that owes as much to the offbeat performances of its actors as the realistic setting chosen by director Curtis Hanson and writer Steve Kloves for the story’s milieu - the weathered streets of an old college town, and the insular world of university life.
Professor Grady Tripp is a pot smoking, ego impoverished, adulterous, once promising member of the literati. His wife has flown the coop; his side action, the School Chancellor - Sara Gaskell (Frances McDormand) - is pregnant; his most gifted student, James Leer (Toby Maguire) exhibits suicidal tendencies; and his agent (Robert Downey Jr.) is in town with a transvestite on his arm hoping to catch a glimpse of a book that exists solely in the confines of Grady’s imagination despite the evidence of a two thousand page plus manuscript. A dog belonging to Sara’s egocentric husband, Dr. Walter Gaskell (Richard Thomas) - the head of the English Department - viciously attacks Tripp. Leer shoots the dog and Tripp stuffs the dead animal in the trunk of his car. The incident binds them for life. Then, the car is stolen. Tripp is stressed. His leg hurts, his fainting spells are out of control, and it’s the weekend of Word Fest - the literary highlight of the scholastic year. Achievements will be recognized, prizes will be awarded, futures will be made, and Tripp’s life is going to the dogs! (Pardon the pun.) Remarkably, the stellar cast makes it all believable with Michael Douglas and Toby Maguire at the top of their game. They are the Wonder Boys.
Michael Douglas is not afraid to deliver more paunch than punch to bring Grady Tripp to life. He is rumpled, wry, and rueful. Tripp is a delightfully different kind of animal than the Lotharios and bad boys of the board room that defined Douglas’ oeuvre from "Fatal Attraction" in 1987 through "The Perfect Murder" last year. Toby Maguire finally brings an edge to his trademark inexpressive face. You never know what’s going on behind his baby blues, but you know the wheels are turning in his brain. He observes life with a critical eye, turning minute details into gripping dramatic fiction. He is, in Tripp’s estimation, a fine writer.
Grady Tripp and James Leer conspire to affect each other’s future, however obliquely, in a way that has an unforeseen influence on the fortunes of others. Tripp takes a paternal instinct in Leer and Leer sees Tripp’s life as fodder for his stories. Tripp’s interest in Leer spills over into his agent’s life, and Leer’s prose opens up a window to Tripp’s soul. This cross pollination of thoughts, ideas and emotions has a ripple effect that not only helps them to stimulate each other’s creative impulses, but also satisfies the needs of everyone even remotely connected to them, from the car thief who looks like James Brown, to the guest moderatorHH of Word Fest - a best selling writer played with bombastic glee by Rip Torn. Herein lies the rub. Every little background story is happily resolved. Granted. Everything reaches its logical conclusion, but the ending just seems too perfect for a movie that draws its staying power from the imperfect world that the filmmakers have so painstakingly helped to create.
Curtis Hanson once performed a similar feat of cinematic alchemy that worked. All the disparate elements of his intricately plotted masterpiece, "L.A. Confidential" (1997), were allowed to congeal into a cohesive whole that had a downside for every upside. A crime ring is busted but truth and justice are sacrificed for the good of the LAPD. A little reciprocity for "Wonder Boys" could have turned a pretty good movie into an even better one.
A video pick from out of left field!
"Blackboard Jungle" (1955) - Dir. Richard Brooks. Why this? Because Grady Tripp from "Wonder Boys" is old enough to have seen it in the movies when he was a kid! How could he not have been influenced? It’s about an English teacher! A bona fide classic with Glenn Ford as the idealistic daddy-o who wants to bring culture to the urban class room but runs up against the harsh realities of life of gang life in the New York City public school system. With Sidney Poitier, Vic Morrow, and Paul Mazursky as his students, and Richard Kiley and Louis Calhern as his fellow teachers.
A look back at some beginnings just because "Wonder Boys" is about starting over.
Three screenplays from the director, Curtis Hanson
"The Silent Partner" (1978) - A Canadian production with Elliot Gould as a bank employee who tries to outsmart bank robber Christopher Plummer at his own game. Terrific surprise ending makes this one worthwhile.
"White Dog" (1982) - Based on a book by Romain Gary and directed by Sam Fuller. This film saw a short life because of its controversial nature. Kristy McNichol finds out the hard way that the stray dog she took in has been trained to attack Blacks. Paul Winfield is a dog deprogrammer. Unusual to say the least.
"Never Cry Wolf" (1983) - True story of a nature writer played by Charlie Martin Smith, who ran with the wolves to study them in their natural habitat in the North Canadian wilderness. Gorgeous movie from ace Nature cinematographer turned director Carroll Ballard
Two early Michael Douglas films made before he produced the Oscar winning "One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest" and before he honed his acting chops on TV in The Streets of San Francisco, just to see how far he’s come.
"Hail Hero" (1969) - A certified dud but worth a look to see Douglas as a hippie! A curio, to say the least when you realize it came out the same year as "Easy Rider." It has something to do with the generation gap and the Viet Nam War. Doug doesn’t dig it.
"Summertree" (1971) - Once again, Douglas clashes with his parents over the Viet Nam War. Based on a hit play