The first thing I have to say about "Wonder Boys" is GO SEE THIS MOVIE! I don't care who you are or what kind of movies you normally like. As long as you are not missing a large portion of your frontal lobe, you must see "Wonder Boys."
"Wonder Boys" is a wonderful, interesting, realistic movie that I can guarantee will make you scream and clutch at the sides of your head at least once before the movie is over. You might ask why the screaming and clutching. It's simple. The movie is truly, mindbendingly frightening. But not frightening like a horror flick, frightening like a John Waters movie.
This is not so much a case of "Wonder Boys" being gross or perverse, rather there are simply things in the film that just should not happen in the real world, never ever, and yet they obviously could happen, and in this movie they do.
Perhaps the best example of this comes towards the beginning of the film. It happens really early so I feel free to ruin one tiny surprise for you -- it's when the main character's editor arrives from New York and has picked up a transvestite on the flight down to Pittsburgh. The editor comments that he has always prayed to meet a woman like that. The only appropriate response to something like that is to scream at the agony it has put your brain in and then as soon as the initial pain subsides, worship the script-writer for all you're worth.
Plot-wise, "Wonder Boys" is interesting, if not groundbreaking. The basic storyline is that Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas), a creative writing professor at the University of Pennsylvania, has been working on a follow-up to his critically acclaimed first novel. Unfortunately, he's been working on this second book for seven years and isn't really getting anywhere. Plus, he's sleeping with his boss's wife (Frances McDormand) and she's pregnant. But don't worry, he's got tenure.
On top of all this, we have Tobey Maguire turning in an amazing performance as one of Tripp's students and Katie Holmes (from Dawson's Creek) looking really hot. Both of these character's hang out with their professor and get high and engage themselves in his adventures. Mind you, this is a drama, not a slapstick, so don't expect it to be like Animal House, but it's incredibly funny nonetheless, and it really sucks the viewer in.
I can't stress enough that the people who wrote this movie are geniuses. Everything about the film is utterly amazing from the acting to the way they shoot each scene. Tobey Maguire is also a genius since he just can't seem to pick a bad movie to star in.
However, probably the most important aspect of the film is that it is actually about my life. That's right, me. I'm a creative writing major. Anybody who wants to know what it's like being me should go and see the movie just so they can feel jealous of how great my life is. I even killed a dog with Michael Douglas once.
On the downside, after you see "Wonder Boys," you will probably have such a deep understanding of what my life is like that you will be able to review movies at least as well as I can, and I'll be out of a job and back to paying for my tickets. But I love you so much that I'm willing to run that risk just so you can watch this film.
"Wonder Boys" is not perfect, although it comes close. There are two problems with the film as a whole. First, the final scene, which is about three minutes long and wraps up the rest of the story, is utterly anti-climactic and trite. This is such a letdown after the brilliance of the rest of the screenplay.
Second, the soundtrack is heavy-handed. This is an almost unnoticeable imperfection overall, but in a few particular scenes, the songs playing in the background all but scream at the audience to feel a certain way or think a particular thing. These flaws are unfortunate because other than that the movie is absolutely perfect.
So to sum up, if you haven't been paying attention, go watch "Wonder Boys." All of you. Tonight. Michael Douglas is great, Tobey Maguire is great, Katie Holmes shows up wearing only a shirt in one scene. I'm buying this flick when it comes out on tape. Go see it.
