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Premise - Wonder Boys tells the story of Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas)
as he struggles to finish his second novel, whilst all around him his life
is seemingly falling apart.
Wonder Boys is very understated movie,
very gentle in pace. For me Douglas gives the performance of his career
here. His turn as the dope smoking English professor with anti-writers
block (he cant stop writing) is marvellous. It reminded me a lot of D-Fens
from Falling Down. Not as intense clearly, but almost like D-Fens if he
calmed down and took up writing. :-)
The ensemble cast on show is
also excellent. Tobey Maguire impresses more and more with each film I see
of his. His portrayal of troubled teenager James Leer is spot on, very on
edge. Frances McDormand is, as always excellent as is Rip Torn in his (all
too) few scenes. Even Katie Holmes gives a cracking performance, given the
talent she is sharing the screen with she never seems out of her depth.
Stand out from the support however is Robert Downey Jr. It is
crime to the profession of acting the way this obviously talented actor
has wasted his talent on the fast life. If only he could get himself
sorted out, I'm sure we could see many more performances of this calibre.
The script is clever and witty with many laugh out loud moments.
Screenwriter Steve Knowles is clearly not afraid to mix subtle comedy with
tense dramatic moments. It's a mix that works.
Director Curtis
Hanson's follow up to the stunning LA Confidential (4/5) is well worth the
wait. It seems strange to me that Hanson also made the reprehensible The
River Wild (2/5). Obviously action is not his forte and going by his two
films since, he should stick to what he does best, cracking drama.
Wonder Boys, whilst ponderous in places is well worth the effort.
If only to see Michael Douglas giving a career best performance.
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