Wonder Boys
- Directed by: Curtis Hanson
- Starring: Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand, Robert Downey, Katie Holmes, Rip Torn, Richard Knox, Jane Adams, Michael Cavadias, Richard Thomas, Alan Tudyk, Philip Bosco, George Grizzard, Kelly Bishop, Bill Velin, Charis Michelsen, Yusuf Gatewood, June Hildreth, Elisabeth Granli, Richard Hidlebird, Screamer, Bingo O'Malley, Patricia Cray, Marita Golden, Victor Quinaz, James Ellroy, Lenora Nemetz, Tracey D. Turner, James Kisicki, Rob McElhenney, Anika Bobb, Katherine Sweeney
- Genre: Dramas
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Rating:
- Rating Reason: Language and drug content.
- Theater Release: 02/23/2000
- Video Release: 03/13/2001
Synopsis
In Curtis Hanson's WONDER BOYS, based on the novel by Michael Chabon, Michael Douglas delivers one of his most compelling performances as Grady Tripp, a disheveled, perpetually adolescent English professor amiably coasting toward a midlife crisis. On the inaugural day of his university's literary festival, Grady's third wife leaves him, and his mistress, university chancellor Sara Gaskell (Frances McDormand), announces that she's pregnant with their child. To further complicate matters, Grady's reckless editor, Terry Crabtree (Robert Downey Jr.), desperate to revive his flaccid career, arrives to pick up Grady's far-from-finished seven-years-in-the-making follow-up to his critically acclaimed first book. As if that weren't enough to keep him reeling, Grady soon becomes an unwilling accomplice to a canine homicide and the heist of a rare jacket once worn by Marilyn Monroe, both committed by his brightest student--the languid, slightly pathological James Leer (Tobey Maguire). Dressed in a ratty pink bathrobe and driving a stolen car with a dead dog in the trunk, Grady must now find a way to return Marilyn's coat, write the great American novel, nurture James's literary talents, discourage the advances of an amorous coed (Katie Holmes), avoid the wrath of a tiny James Brown look-alike (Richard Knox), and reconcile with Sara...all before the weekend is over.
In Curtis Hanson's WONDER BOYS, based on the novel by Michael Chabon, Michael Douglas delivers one of his most compelling performances as Grady Tripp, a disheveled, perpetually adolescent English professor amiably coasting toward a midlife crisis. On the inaugural day of his university's literary festival, Grady's third wife leaves him, and his mistress, university chancellor Sara Gaskell (Frances McDormand), announces that she's pregnant with their child. To further complicate matters, Grady's reckless editor, Terry Crabtree (Robert Downey Jr.), desperate to revive his flaccid career, arrives to pick up Grady's far-from-finished seven-years-in-the-making follow-up to his critically acclaimed first book. As if that weren't enough to keep him reeling, Grady soon becomes an unwilling accomplice to a canine homicide and the heist of a rare jacket once worn by Marilyn Monroe, both committed by his brightest student--the languid, slightly pathological James Leer (Tobey Maguire). Dressed in a ratty pink bathrobe and driving a stolen car with a dead dog in the trunk, Grady must now find a way to return Marilyn's coat, write the great American novel, nurture James's literary talents, discourage the advances of an amorous coed (Katie Holmes), avoid the wrath of a tiny James Brown look-alike (Richard Knox), and reconcile with Sara...all before the weekend is over.
Production Notes
Filmed on location at Carnegie Mellon University and in and around Pittsburgh, PA.
Author Michael Chabon is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. His first big success was THE MYSTERIES OF PITTSBURGH.
The film was rereleased with a new marketing campaign in November 2000.
Bob Dylan's song "Things Have Changed," for which he wrote the music and the lyrics, won the Golden Globe award for Best Original Song--Motion Picture. It was the first time Dylan had ever written a song specifically for a motion picture that he was not in. (He had previously written "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" for PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID, in which he starred.) The film also features other Dylan songs: "Buckets of Rain," "Not Dark Yet," and "Shooting Star."
Tobey Maguire and Katie Holmes also appear together in Ang Lee's THE ICE STORM.
Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper (EBERT AND ROEPER AND THE MOVIES), Paul Tatara of cnn.com, Jack Matthews of the New York Daily News, Matt Zoller Seitz of the New York Press, Andrew Sarris of The New York Observer, Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek, Stephen Garrett of Time Out New York, Film Comment, the Dallas-Ft. Worth Film Critics Association, and the National Board of Review all voted WONDER BOYS one of the 10 best films of 2000.
The Chicago Film Critics Association nominated WONDER BOYS for Best Picture. It also nominated Michael Douglas for Best Actor and Steve Kloves for Best Screenplay.
The Broadcast Film Critics Association nominated WONDER BOYS for Best Picture and named Frances McDormand Best Supporting Actress. It also awarded Steve Kloves Best Adapted Screenplay.
The Boston Society of Film Critics named Frances McDormand Best Supporting Actress for ALMOST FAMOUS and WONDER BOYS and awarded Steve Kloves Best Screenplay.
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association voted WONDER BOYS its runner-up for Best Picture and named Michael Douglas Best Actor. It also named Frances McDormand Best Supporting Actress for both ALMOST FAMOUS and WONDER BOYS.
The Florida Film Critics Circle named Frances McDormand Best Supporting Actress for ALMOST FAMOUS and WONDER BOYS.
Michael Douglas was named Best Actor, Comedy or Musical by the Golden Satellite Awards presented by the International Press Academy.
WONDER BOYS was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture--Drama, Michael Douglas was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture--Drama, Steve Kloves was nominated for Best Screenplay-Motion Picture.
Filmed on location at Carnegie Mellon University and in and around Pittsburgh, PA.
Author Michael Chabon is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. His first big success was THE MYSTERIES OF PITTSBURGH.
The film was rereleased with a new marketing campaign in November 2000.
Bob Dylan's song "Things Have Changed," for which he wrote the music and the lyrics, won the Golden Globe award for Best Original Song--Motion Picture. It was the first time Dylan had ever written a song specifically for a motion picture that he was not in. (He had previously written "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" for PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID, in which he starred.) The film also features other Dylan songs: "Buckets of Rain," "Not Dark Yet," and "Shooting Star."
Tobey Maguire and Katie Holmes also appear together in Ang Lee's THE ICE STORM.
Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper (EBERT AND ROEPER AND THE MOVIES), Paul Tatara of cnn.com, Jack Matthews of the New York Daily News, Matt Zoller Seitz of the New York Press, Andrew Sarris of The New York Observer, Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek, Stephen Garrett of Time Out New York, Film Comment, the Dallas-Ft. Worth Film Critics Association, and the National Board of Review all voted WONDER BOYS one of the 10 best films of 2000.
The Chicago Film Critics Association nominated WONDER BOYS for Best Picture. It also nominated Michael Douglas for Best Actor and Steve Kloves for Best Screenplay.
The Broadcast Film Critics Association nominated WONDER BOYS for Best Picture and named Frances McDormand Best Supporting Actress. It also awarded Steve Kloves Best Adapted Screenplay.
The Boston Society of Film Critics named Frances McDormand Best Supporting Actress for ALMOST FAMOUS and WONDER BOYS and awarded Steve Kloves Best Screenplay.
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association voted WONDER BOYS its runner-up for Best Picture and named Michael Douglas Best Actor. It also named Frances McDormand Best Supporting Actress for both ALMOST FAMOUS and WONDER BOYS.
The Florida Film Critics Circle named Frances McDormand Best Supporting Actress for ALMOST FAMOUS and WONDER BOYS.
Michael Douglas was named Best Actor, Comedy or Musical by the Golden Satellite Awards presented by the International Press Academy.
WONDER BOYS was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture--Drama, Michael Douglas was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture--Drama, Steve Kloves was nominated for Best Screenplay-Motion Picture.
Reviews
"...Witty and sophisticated....A gratifying entertainment of leisurely elegance and delicious nastiness..." (Variety)
"Michael Douglas digs deep and delivers one of the best performances in WONDER BOYS--a comic dazzler of roguish wit and touching gravity..." (Rolling Stone)
Ranked #8 in Entertainment Weekly's "Lisa Schwarzbaum's BEST MOVIES OF 2000" (Entertainment Weekly)
"...WONDER BOYS is an intelligent movie about real people. It has serious points to make but makes them in a witty and engaging way. What more could you ask?..." -- 4 out of 5 stars (Box Office)
"...The film's Pittsburgh settings gleam like an eccentric urban fantasy. Hanson has also orchestrated uniformly excellent performances from his cast..." (Los Angeles Times)
"...The movie is an unsprung screwball comedy, slowed down to real-life speed....This is a funny and touching story..." (Chicago Sun-Times)
3 stars out of 5 -- "Tobey Maguire shakes it up as the erratic student....A lot of smart dialogue is delivered by pros..." (Empire)
"...Witty and sophisticated....A gratifying entertainment of leisurely elegance and delicious nastiness..." (Variety)
"Michael Douglas digs deep and delivers one of the best performances in WONDER BOYS--a comic dazzler of roguish wit and touching gravity..." (Rolling Stone)
Ranked #8 in Entertainment Weekly's "Lisa Schwarzbaum's BEST MOVIES OF 2000" (Entertainment Weekly)
"...WONDER BOYS is an intelligent movie about real people. It has serious points to make but makes them in a witty and engaging way. What more could you ask?..." -- 4 out of 5 stars (Box Office)
"...The film's Pittsburgh settings gleam like an eccentric urban fantasy. Hanson has also orchestrated uniformly excellent performances from his cast..." (Los Angeles Times)
"...The movie is an unsprung screwball comedy, slowed down to real-life speed....This is a funny and touching story..." (Chicago Sun-Times)
3 stars out of 5 -- "Tobey Maguire shakes it up as the erratic student....A lot of smart dialogue is delivered by pros..." (Empire)
