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Actors: Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Wonder Boys |
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Seven years ago, with the publication of his first novel, 50-year-old Grady Tripp (Douglas) was a "wonder boy," as was his young editor Terry Crabtree (Downey). Now, Tripp is stuck teaching at Carnegie-Mellon in Pittsburgh, with a second novel grown to more than 2,000 pages, his third wife moving out, and his married girlfriend pregnant. In addition, the girlfriend Sara Gaskell (McDormand) is chancellor of the college, and her husband is Tripp's department head. A smart-mouthed, lying student named James Leer (Maguire) has his own novel in the works, is on a hunt with Tripp to find a rare jacket once owned by Marilyn Monroe, and accidentally shoots the department head's blind dog. If that weren't enough, another writing student named Hannah Green (Holmes) is boarding in Tripp's house and has a sizable crush on him. This 2000 satire of campus faculty life is based on Michael Chabon's novel of the same name. It's dark and charming, but not terribly memorable.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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An unfinished novel, a stolen car, a murdered pet and a failing marriage are jus a few of the crises piling up like a logjam in this often hilarious story of bright promise gone awry. During a singe hectic weekend, college professor Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas) scrambles to gather together a life that has suddenly reeled out of control. Along for the ride are his gifted but troubled student (Tobey Maguire, Cider House Rules), his eccentric editor (Robert Downey J.), the married chancellor of hi university (Frances McDormand, Fargo) who is pregnant with his child and his sultry student boarder (Katie Holmes, Dawsons Creek). Directed by Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential), this darkly comedic odyssey of self-discovery was hailed by Roger Ebert as "One of the best movies of the year."
--Jessica W, Resident Scholar
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Insight looks at a writer/college professor,Grady Tripp (M.Douglas) semi-messed up life and his little life changing adventure with his brightest student,James Leer(T.Maguire).
--Jenny, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of Wonder Boys |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about
books by breaking them down into many different literary
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Comedy, primarily
Yes
Time/era of movie:
- 1980's-1999
Romance/Love/Hugging
Yes
Job/Profession/Poverty Story?
Yes
Job:
- teacher
Ethnic/Regional/Gender story?
Yes
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- writer
Age:
- 40's-50's
Eccentric:
Yes
- eccentric
Hair color?
- white
Hair type
- (man) short/standard wavey
Body type
- (man) average
Events of movie makes character more...
- happy
- sad
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Sense of humor?
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
Hair style
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) very skinny
Unclothed?
- chest
How much in movie?
- 80%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Female
Age:
- 40's-50's
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 40%
Hair type
- (woman) short/butch/lez
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Misc setting
- school
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Movie makes you feel...
- full of laughter
Any profanity?
- Some foul language
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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