Tidy ending weakens otherwise 'Wonder' story

By Matthew Barrett

Daily Film Editor

Director Curtis Hanson's much anticipated follow-up to "L.A. Confidential," considered by many to be one of the finest films of the '90s, is "Wonder Boys," a weekend-long look into the life of Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas), a college professor with big-time problems. Grady doesn't seem to meet the criteria of your typical English 125 instructor as he cheats on his wife (with Sara, the wife of the school's dean) and smokes weed on a daily basis. In addition, Grady is hard at work on his now 2000 plus page follow-up to a hit book that he wrote years ago. With no end in sight to his beast of a book, his editor in town looking for the manuscript and his wife leaving him for good that morning, it's safe to say that Grady Tripp is at a crossroads.

Grady's companion for much of the weekend is his student, James Leer (Tobey Maguire). James is the outcast of his English class due to his distant personality and the oddball stories that he writes. Grady recognizes the writing talent that James possesses and knows in his heart that someday soon the pupil will surpass the teacher.

The film kicks off with a classroom scene that establishes the connection between Grady and James and sets up the action for the remainder of the film. We're soon jettisoned to a party at the dean's house, where Grady slips off with Sara (Frances McDormand) only to find out that she's pregnant with his child. Things are further complicated when James enters the mix and pops Poe, the dean's dog, with a couple in the chest. The pooch is soon deposited into the trunk of Grady's car and so our weekend begins.

For the most part, Hanson handles the action well and once again benefits from a stellar cast. Each of these actors seems just right for the part, so much so that it's hard to picture anyone else as the characters. Douglas is on the mark as Grady and Maguire has the tortured artist thing down with James. McDormand is equally up to the task, in her first significant role since winning an Oscar for her performance in "Fargo." Also appearing are Robert Downey Jr. (on parole for the part?) as Terry Crabtree, Grady's editor, and Katie Holmes as Hannah Green, a student of Grady's who lives in his house and has her eye on him.

One of the main strengths of "Wonder Boys" is the way that Hanson allows the story to slowly develop in front of our eyes. Each character feels set in their own way of doing things, and it seems that Grady must be the leader of a movement of change, something he is very reluctant to do.

Perhaps this is why the last 20 minutes of "Wonder Boys" kill much of what the film had going for it. The entire ending feels fake, overly sentimental and as if it were delivered to us in a neat little package with a bow. These are all imperfect people, so to the give them a tidy conclusion just doesn't feel right. The film could also have done without Grady calling James "wonder boy," seeing as the film's title speaks for itself and is understood even if it's not heard. "Wonder Boys" is enjoyable and interesting to watch but is unable to overcome its final act and unable to hold a candle to Hanson's previous effort.

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

A talented cast leads "Wonder Boys," including Rip Torn, Robert Downey Jr., Katie Holmes, Tobey Maguire and Michael Douglas.