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Wonder Boys |
 Michael Douglas Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures |
By Jesse Gale Come see the rest of Culturekiosque's Oscar 2001 Coverage! LOS ANGELES, 11 April 2000 - In the party scene of Wonder Boys, a hedgehog-shaped woman describes some film adaptation: "It's more literary than cinematic." She can't be talking about Wonder Boys itself (not while she's in it) but her game shrug suits Wonder Boys's sensibility. And her tone - wry, clever, and open to complications - also suits Wonder Boys, a film that wanders in a knowing mode. The narrator almost apologizes for his story: "It's complicated...more literary than cinematic." Wonder Boys is literary, in that it follows ideas rather than images. Its events (hardly a plot) trace the fool's errands of narrator Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas), an aging writer-in-residence with a taste for fresh pot and old movies. There's not much direction in Grady's life: he floats deeper into his interminable novel; he leans on student/border Hannah (Katie Holmes); and he good-naturedly bangs his chairman's wife, Sarah (Frances McDormand). But while Grady is searching for focus, he becomes saddled with the care and feeding of James Leer (Tobey Maguire). James, an annoyingly homicidal student, narrates as prolifically as Grady. But unike Grady, James makes choices. He lies and kills, but he finishes his work. Grady just can't seem to make choices, in work or in life. "It's complicated," he apologizes to Sarah. But Grady will make choices. Confronted by James's talented crimes, by Sarah's wise-eyed ultimatums, by Hannah's flirty legs, and by the prods of has-been editor Crabtree (Robert Downey Jr.), he must. And through the goofy machinations of his day - involving Marilyn Monroe's wedding coat, a hot classic car, and a lame college conference - Grady comes to a conclusion, despite his apologetic, complicated nature. Directed by Curtis Hanson (L. A. Confidential), Wonder Boys offers a haphazard but appealing view of the undirected life. The screenplay, adapted from Michael Chabon's novel by Steve Kloves (Racing with the Moon, Fabulous Baker Boys), depicts Grady's search for meaning without devolving into meaninglessness. The varied visual settings also add to the film's hodge-podge prettiness: moving from warm rooms to the surreal glitter of winter air, one becomes aware of how shifting atmospheres layer into Grady's shifting confusion. In Wonder Boys, the filmmakers are so knowing that Grady's confusion seems meaningful. The cast, too, add layers to the film. Michael Douglas adds dopey touchiness to Grady, while Frances McDormand adds competence and friendliness to Sarah. Tobey Maguire, nominated for an Academy Award for his work in The Cider House Rules, plays James with a surprised dullness that informs the cast with sleepy depth. Robert Downey Jr.'s Crabtree is a more sharp-eyed presence, often supplying the film with even more self-consciousness than its screenplay. In one scene, for example, Crabtree listens to James reel off a list of suicidal movie stars; and although James is being bizarre, it's Crabtree one wants to watch. Each time James mentions pills, Crabtree flinches, reminding us of Downey's own close calls. Some viewers may find the film's rueful self-consciousness too smarmy; some may be frustrated by the film's tendency to wander. But those viewers willing to thread through tangles will find in Wonder Boys a subtle, sweet-natured film - an apologia in the midst of apologies. Jesse Gale writes on film for Culturekiosque.com. |
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