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(More customer reviews)You'd think that "L.A. Confidential" was a tough act to follow. But director Curtis Hanson takes it in stride with his follow-up, "Wonder Boys". An adaptation of Michael Chabon's novel that is pretty far removed from "Confidential", and yet, manages to be equally compelling and uniquely sedutive on its own.
Much of it is probably owed to Michael Douglas. In a refined, carefully controlled performance the actor packs on some 30 pounds and looks totally dishevelled as a burned out college professor with a fondness for marihuana.
Douglas' perfect portrayal completely carries the film. It is, in essence, a melancholic comedy. Hanson and the screenwriter use this mood to set-up some very interesting situations and present very unusual characters. The situations are aided by Dante Spinotti's captivating cinematography. And at some instances, things get so bizarre and madcap that you might think you're watching a Coen Brothers movie. Particularly in a very mean-spirited subplot involving the fate of a blind pit bull, and in a wildly amusing scene involving a car accident and Douglas' work in progress. I think of it as psychological slapstick comedy. The thinking man's pie-in-the-face. The story is riddled with stuff like this that borders on the absurd but is presented as matter-of-factly as possible.
The whole thing with Douglas' female student played by Katie Holmes, for instance. He rents her a room in his house. She clearly has a deep crush on him. And the irony here is that in a strange way this ends up being a parody of the cinematic sexual escapades that Douglas is known for... In another movie, he might have succumbed to her seductions, but he plays a very different low-key character here. Holmes plays the part perfectly too. After seeing her give such assured performances in off-beat films like this, "The Ice Storm" and the underrated gem "Go", I find it hard to believe that "Dawson's Creek" is her day job. In some ways she's evry bit as daring and accomplished as her more "prestigious" contemporary Cristina Ricci.
But the real choice stuff lies elsewhere. Downey Jr's extremely likable character is a delicious treat to watch. When he develops a crush on Maguire it's actually pretty endearing. I like the tasteful way that this movie handles the "love affair" between Downey and Maguire. Some other movie might have exploited it as a chance to be "daring" and "controversial." Here, the fact is treated with naturalistic ease. Seeing Maguire and Downey lying in bed together with their shirts off is not geared to raise eyebrows. It's a positive plot point about genuine affection, handled with warmth and jolly humor.
And finally, an energetic subplot within a subplot involving a pregnant waittress named Oola (the underused beauty Jane Adams) and a neurotic James Brown lookalike named Vernon (hilariously played by Richard Knox) This entire block of the film feels like vintage Coen. With delightful off-center dialogues and moments of potentially lethal suspense handled with farcical sitcom glee.
But, ultimately, the film gets by on its honest human emotions and it's the relationships that are at the heart of the film. The relationship between Douglas and Frances McDormand rings true, all the more aided by McDormand's heartfelt performance. And once Douglas begins to serve as a kind of father figure for Maguire it's even more moving. It could be that Maguire creates a character that projects vulnerability with intelligence. The film has many memorable moments with him at the center. I was eerily mesmerized in a scene where he alphabetically goes through a list of all the Hollywood movie stars that have committed suicide. There is a darkness there but at the same time, the scene has poignancy and it is the foreshadow to a touching scene involving Maguire's fascination with the coat Marilyn Monroe wore on her wedding day.
Curtis Hanson has proven himself as a classy filmmaker. Gone are the days of plastic popcorn entertainment like "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle". With "L.A. Confidential" and now this, he has proven to be a meticulous and intelligent filmmaker that is very aware of the nuances of elegant cinematic storytelling and he knows how to work sensibly within the Hollywood system. It's rare to see a mainstream Hollywood film that isn't all that mainstream. "Wonder Boys" is a highly enjoyable and ultimately sober dramatic comedy with intelligence and truth... I even like the questionable fact that it boldly attempts to ultimately be an anti-drug parable. Hanson handles that point so subtly, that you wont feel as patronized as you should.
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A college professor who's been divorced three times and hasn't been able to overcome writer's block, gets his boss's wife, the college chancellor, pregnant.Genre: Feature Film-DramaRating: RRelease Date: 8-AUG-2006Media Type: DVD
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