Michael Douglas losing control agian, but in a totally different way than in "The game"
Curtis Hanson is mainly known for "L. A. Confidential" (1997). Apart from that he made a few commercially successful B-movies such as "The hand that rocks the cradle" (1992) and "The river wild" (1994). "Wonder boys" did not do well at the box office, but some are of the opinion that it was artistically one of the directors best movies.
The film is about an eccentric college professor in literature (Grady Tripp played by Michael Douglas) with a writers block. At the end of the film his second novel is lost and one of his pupils is on the brink of publishing his debut novel.
An eccentric college professor in literature, does that not sound like "Dead poets society" (1989, Peter Weir)? Maybe, but "Wonder boys" is an entirely different film. A teacher surpassed by his pupil, sounds like "All about Eve" (1950, Joseph Mankiewicz) for writers in stead of for actors? Again, this is not a good comparison.
In essence the film is about a man losing control of his life and trying not to face the fact that his best years are over. A few years earlier Michael Douglas had also played a character that loses control as Nicholas Von Orton in "The game" (1997, David Fincher). The character of Grady Tripp is however best compared with George in "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf" (1966, Mike Nichols). George is also a professor past his prime (or never having a prime).
"Wonder boys" is however far inferior to both films mentioned above. One of the reasons is I guess that not only the professor is eccentric, but nearly all the main characters. Due to this the film slides towards slapstick and has a weaker plot than "The game" and flatter characters than "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf".
On top of that there is an utterly inappropriate happy ending falling from thin air.
The film is about an eccentric college professor in literature (Grady Tripp played by Michael Douglas) with a writers block. At the end of the film his second novel is lost and one of his pupils is on the brink of publishing his debut novel.
An eccentric college professor in literature, does that not sound like "Dead poets society" (1989, Peter Weir)? Maybe, but "Wonder boys" is an entirely different film. A teacher surpassed by his pupil, sounds like "All about Eve" (1950, Joseph Mankiewicz) for writers in stead of for actors? Again, this is not a good comparison.
In essence the film is about a man losing control of his life and trying not to face the fact that his best years are over. A few years earlier Michael Douglas had also played a character that loses control as Nicholas Von Orton in "The game" (1997, David Fincher). The character of Grady Tripp is however best compared with George in "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf" (1966, Mike Nichols). George is also a professor past his prime (or never having a prime).
"Wonder boys" is however far inferior to both films mentioned above. One of the reasons is I guess that not only the professor is eccentric, but nearly all the main characters. Due to this the film slides towards slapstick and has a weaker plot than "The game" and flatter characters than "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf".
On top of that there is an utterly inappropriate happy ending falling from thin air.
- frankde-jong
- Apr 12, 2021