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Wonder Boys

"Undependable. Unpredictable. Unforgettable."

2000-02-22 Comedy 1hr 51m

Grady is a 50-ish English professor who hasn't had a thing published in years—not since he wrote his award winning 'Great American Novel' 7 years ago. This weekend proves even worse than he could imagine as he finds himself reeling from one misadventure to another in the company of a new wonder boy author.

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Storyline

Grady is a 50-ish English professor who hasn't had a thing published in years—not since he wrote his award winning 'Great American Novel' 7 years ago. This weekend proves even worse than he could imagine as he finds himself reeling from one misadventure to another in the company of a new wonder boy author.

  • Released
    2000-02-22
  • Revenue
    $33,426,588
  • Budget
    $35,000,000
  • Runtime
    1hr 51m
  • Genre
    Comedy, Drama
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English
  • imdb-logo
    7.2
  • Production
    Paramount Pictures, Mutual Film Company, Scott Rudin Productions, Curtis Hanson Productions, BBC, Marubeni, TOHO-TOWA, Tele München, MFF Feature Film Productions

Crew

Curtis Hanson
Director
Michael Chabon
Novel
Curtis Hanson
Producer
Keywords:
adultery infidelity robbery based on novel or book police pennsylvania, usa winter midlife crisis professor college liar coming of age marijuana snow writer university drugs dog bisexual man drag pittsburgh, pennsylvania gay theme small town america

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Cast

Michael Douglas

Michael Douglas
Grady Tripp
Tobey Maguire

Tobey Maguire
James Leer
Frances McDormand

Frances McDormand
Sara Gaskell
Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr.
Terry Crabtree
Katie Holmes

Katie Holmes
Hannah Green
Rip Torn

Rip Torn
Q
Richard Knox

Richard Knox
Vernon Hardapple
Jane Adams

Jane Adams
Oola
Michael Cavadias

Michael Cavadias
Miss Sloviak
Richard Thomas

Richard Thomas
Walter Gaskell
Alan Tudyk

Alan Tudyk
Sam Traxler
Philip Bosco

Philip Bosco
Emily's Father
George Grizzard

George Grizzard
Fred Leer
Kelly Bishop

Kelly Bishop
Amanda Leer
Bill Velin

Bill Velin
Officer Pupcik
Charis Michelsen

Charis Michelsen
Carrie
Yusuf Gatewood

Yusuf Gatewood
Howard
June Hildreth

June Hildreth
Emily's Mother
Elisabeth Granli

Elisabeth Granli
Emily (photo)
Richard Hidlebird

Richard Hidlebird
Hi-Hat Bouncer
Screamer

Screamer
Poe
Bingo O'Malley

Bingo O'Malley
Wordfest Party Guest
Patricia Cray

Patricia Cray
Wordfest Party Guest
Marita Golden

Marita Golden
Wordfest Party Guest
Victor Quinaz

Victor Quinaz
Wordfest Party Guest
James Ellroy

James Ellroy
Wordfest Party Guest
Lenora Nemetz

Lenora Nemetz
Wordfest Party Guest
Tracey D. Turner

Tracey D. Turner
Wordfest Party Guest
James Kisicki

James Kisicki
Wordfest Party Guest
Rob McElhenney

Rob McElhenney
Student
Anika Bobb

Anika Bobb
Student
Katherine Sweeney

Katherine Sweeney
Student
Katrina M. Faessel

Katrina M. Faessel
Student (uncredited)
John W. Iwanonkiw

John W. Iwanonkiw
Father at Hospital (uncredited)
Sean King

Sean King
Student (uncredited)
David Lean

David Lean
Student (uncredited)
Jackson Nunn

Jackson Nunn
Night Club Dancer (uncredited)
Sandy Slicker

Sandy Slicker
Woman in Forum (uncredited)
Andrew Zehner

Andrew Zehner
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Movie Reviews

Reviews for Wonder Boys
reviewer avatar

A Review by narrator56 9

Written by narrator56 on 2021-02-08

I have to believe I saw this movie a year or two after it came out, but I had no feelings of deja vu as I watched it, so perhaps not. I usua... read more

I have to believe I saw this movie a year or two after it came out, but I had no feelings of deja vu as I watched it, so perhaps not. I usually have very little patience for movies about writers because I am one, and I get tired of them bringing up writers’ block, which I don’t believe exists, or else they have the character become wildly successful in record time. There are a lot of struggling actresses and musicians and waitresses in movies, but writers often get fast-track succes. Anyway, I wander off topic. I enjoyed the movie with its range of quirky characters, and minor plot twists. There are only a couple of two-dimensional characters; the rest are given depth, even a few who don’t have a lot of screen time. It shows what can be achieved with a good ensemble cast and a decent script.

reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2024-03-14

"Prof. Tripp" (Michael Douglas) hasn't his troubles to seek. He hasn't been able to follow up on his first novel for almost seven years - mu... read more

"Prof. Tripp" (Michael Douglas) hasn't his troubles to seek. He hasn't been able to follow up on his first novel for almost seven years - much to the chagrin of his agent "Terry" (Robert Downey Jr); his third wife has left him and he is about to father a child with his (married) boss (Frances McDormand) at the university where he works. His writer's block isn't really much helped by the omnipresence of his star pupil "James" (Tobey Maguire) nor by his increasingly debilitating pot habit. It's the man's mid life crisis from hell, but can he navigate a way out of this and keep some semblance of his self respective and, maybe even his career! Meantime, his protégé is having a few issues of his own - not least because he accidentally shot the principal's dog and he is the object of the amorous attentions of the ambisextrous "Terry" too! There's quite a decent dynamic between Douglas and Maguire as both men have to come to terms with their own problems and with their growing reliance on and frustration of each other and there is plenty of witty dialogue that is more complexly structured and subtly potent at times. The narrative is quite tightly packed into just one weekend, and that helps keeps the momentum going as the characters develop in quite a plausible - and not always likeable - fashion. Luckily, the one-dimensional Katie Holmes appears only sparingly as the plot thickens to a nicely bubbling stew at the end. It's a decent reminder that Douglas could act, given a strong story and script, and he shows us that well here with this superior ensemble drama.

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by Peter McGinn

I have to believe I saw this movie a year or two after it came out, but I had no feelings of deja vu as I watched it, so perhaps not. I usually have very little patience for movies about writers because I am one, and I get tired of them bri...

reviewer avatar

A Review by narrator56 9

Written by narrator56 on 2021-02-08

I have to believe I saw this movie a year or two after it came out, but I had no feelings of deja vu as I watched it, so perhaps not. I usually have very little patience for movies about writers becau...

read more
reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2024-03-14

"Prof. Tripp" (Michael Douglas) hasn't his troubles to seek. He hasn't been able to follow up on his first novel for almost seven years - much to the chagrin of his agent "Terry" (Robert Downey Jr); h...

read more