Diagonaldi Very well executed

ThiefHott Too much of everything

Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

BlazeLime Strong and Moving!

thisanant Equipped with a lot of talented actors and maybe the best performance of Michael Douglas , this is one of a kind movie , great story and chemistry among cast , fully hilarious . watchable multiple times

ereinion This 2000 Curtis Hanson film was the second best he made after L.A. Confidential and together with Bedroom Window. It is a story of two people of completely different background, a middle aged writing professor and his student and protégé. The professor, played by Michael Douglas in one of his strongest roles, is going thru a crisis and drinks a lot, after his younger wife has left him. He is also having problems finishing his second book. The young and bright but troubled protégé is played by Tobey Maguire. Then there is also Douglas' eccentric and flamboyant editor and friend played by the excellent Robert Downey Jr. A guy who is a swinger and according to Douglas "is gay, or thinks he is". Katie Holmes also appears as another of Douglas' students who is smitten with him but he rejects her advances.There are also a few really amusing side characters, such as the man Douglas and Downey Jr. dub VERNON HARDAPPLE, who gives the movie a comical edge. The whole movie is somewhat of a dark comedy really, with scenes like the one where Maguire kills a dog who attacked Douglas and Douglas has to keep his body in the trunk of his car for a week or at the end where the manuscript for his latest book flies away. When he's asked by Downey Jr if he has a copy, he replies "I have an alternative ending of the second chapter". This is what is so enjoyable with this movie: not only is it a character study drama but also a humorous oddball comedy with some exciting plot twists. In the end the roles are almost switched as Douglas the mentor starts to learn from Maguire the protégé and discovers that he has talent. This also helps him revitalize his own talent and get his life back on track. Frances McDormand also appears as Douglas' love interest who is also the chancellor of the university where he works and is pregnant with his child. Really enjoyable and trippy film, a semi-classic. Hanson once again hit bullseye with this.

ashish sood "Wonder Boys" is that wonderful little film about writers that perhaps we've all been waiting for and has strange cast in the lead that comprises of Mic Douglas,Robert Drowney Jr. & Tobey Maguire. Michael Douglas stars as English literature professor Grady Tripp, and it's going to be the most hectic and unpredictable weekend of his life. He must deal with his wife leaving him, his affair with the chancellor's wife Sarah (Frances McDormand), his editor Terry Crabtree (Robert Downey, Jr.) who's in town looking for his latest novel (which is coming in at 2500+ pages, and there's still no ending in sight), and the unwarranted advances of student boarder Hannah Green (Katie Holmes). To top it all off, his most gifted and bizarre student, James Leer (Tobey Maguire), is attached to him at the hip after learning of the young man's certain perpetrations over the last 36 hours. The movie goes downhill, unfortunately, after the "murdered pet" incident, a perversely funny scene, and the only one in this self-described dark comedy. Instead of laughing at the continuing dog scenes, you're left wondering why the animal doesn't appear to bleed, or stink. Directed by Curtis Hansen (earlier directed L.A. Confidential) the movie has been wonderfully scripted by Steve Kloves adapted from Michael Chabon's novel. Moreover, the movie won Oscar for Best Music by Bob Dylan, that was pleasure to listen to. I have no reason to explain why this movie wasn't a box office gold which it deserved to be. Whosoever was responsible for promoting this movie, shame on you as you were not able to take this movie to its actual place that it deserved.MY RATING: 7/10

Foxbarking I was the assistant manager of a Crown Book store when "Wonder Boys" was in the theater. Before then, I had never read any Michael Chabon books or really had even heard of him (which is surprising since I was a book store manager). My manager knew that I was gay and he recommended the film to me because of the gay characters. It seems funny in retrospect because I generally get offended when someone assumes I will like something just because there are some gay overtones or characters in it.I saw "Wonder Boys" in the perfect setting. It was an afternoon showing in January, in an empty theater on a cold and snowy day. I had no idea what to expect but absolutely loved the movie. All of the actors were phenomenal. The story was great and involving. I fell in love with the soundtrack.The only thing that confused me is that it made no sense to me that the movie was called "Wonder Boys." It was only upon reading the Michael Chabon novel that it was revealed that the 2000 plus page book Grady was writing was titled "Wonder Boys," as it was about several siblings with the surname of Wonder.I watch this great movie several times a year. The movie alone is worth watching for the great scenes with Vernon Hardapple. "Quit calling me Vernon!" The best thing this movie did, though, was connect me to the books of Michael Chabon. Though "Wonder Boys" the novel is extremely different than "Wonder Boys" the movie, they stand together as my favorite movie and book. I recommend both.