Wonder Boys [Blu-ray]

Director: Curtis Hanson Curtis Hanson

Overview

In this comedy, a middle-aged man juggles his problems with women, literature, and a career, while a younger man chases the artifact of his dreams. Pittsburgh college professor Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas) is currently single following his divorce from his third wife; after publishing an acclaimed first novel, Grady has been working on a follow-up, but he's been sidelined by a severe case of writer's block. Grady has more than his writing career to think about; his affair with one of the (married) chancellors at the University of Pittsburgh (Frances McDormand), has resulted in her pregnancy, while Hannah (Katie Holmes), a student boarding at Grady's house, has developed a crush on him. While Grady is obsessed with his book, one of his students (Tobey Maguire) has an obsession of his own: finding a jacket once owned by Marilyn Monroe. Based on the novel by Michael Chabon, The Wonder Boys also features Robert Downey Jr., Rip Torn, and Richard Thomas.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/24/2020
UPC:	0032429349699
Original Release:	2000
Rating:	R
Source:	PARAMOUNT
Language:	English
Time:	1:51:00
Sales rank:	4,322

Special Features

Cast & Crew Interviews; Songs of Wonder Boys with Commentary by Curtis Hanson; "Things Have Changed" Bob Dylan Music Video

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Michael Douglas	Grady Tripp
Tobey Maguire	James
Frances McDormand	Sara
Robert Downey Jr.	Terry
Rip Torn	Q
Katie Holmes	Hannah
Jane Adams	Oola
Richard Knox	Vernon
Michael Cavadias	Sloviak
Richard Thomas	Walter
Alan Tudyk	Traxler
Philip Bosco	Emily's Father
George Grizzard	Fred
Kelly Bishop	Amanda,Actor
Bill Velin	Officer Pupcik
Charis Michelsen	Carrie
Yusuf Gatewood	Howard
June Hildreth	Emily's Mother
Elisabeth Granli	Emily (Photo)
Richard Hidlebird	Hi-Hat Bouncer
Screamer	Poe
Bingo O'Malley	Wordfest Party Guest
Patricia Cray	Wordfest Party Guest
Marita Golden	Wordfest Party Guest
Victor Quinaz	Wordfest Party Guest
James Ellroy	Wordfest Party Guest
Lenora Nemetz	Wordfest Party Guest
Tracey D. Turner	Wordfest Party Guest
James Kisicki	Wordfest Party Guest
Rob McElhenney	Student
Anika Bobb	Student
Katherine Sweeney	Actor
Amber Mariano	Extra
John W. Iwanonkiw	Father at Hospital
David Lean	Student
Christopher Young	Composer

Technical Credits

Steve Kloves

Michael Chabon

Curtis Hanson	Director,Producer
Ned Dowd	Executive Producer,Producer
Mali Finn	Casting
Jeff Imada	Stunts
John D. Milinac	Special Effects
Jerry Pooler	Special Effects
Scott Rudin	Producer
Adam Schroeder	Executive Producer,Producer
Steve Kloves	Screenwriter
Michael Chabon	Screenwriter
Ron Bartlett	Sound Effects
Bill Burns	Sound Effects
Dennis Drummond	Sound Effects,Sound Effects,Sound Editor
Norman Douglass	Stunts
David Giammarco	Sound Editor
Kirk Francis	Sound/Sound Designer
Lisa Grundy	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Michael Douglas hits a career high with his quietly hilarious star turn in Wonder Boys, a wry, understated comedy puckishly directed by Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential). Douglas plays a once-promising middle-aged novelist, now hopelessly blocked and teaching at a small northeastern college while trying to jump-start both his personal and professional lives. The solution to his problems -- in both arenas -- just might be eccentric but talented student Tobey Maguire, whose promising work Douglas is tempted to appropriate and represent as his own. The supporting players include Robert Downey Jr. as Douglas's predatory editor, Frances McDormand as his adulterous lover, and Katie Holmes as a level-headed student. Ingenious scripting keeps Wonder Boys from lapsing into predictability, and the film benefits additionally from Hanson's convincing replication of the academic milieu and his sharp character delineation. Released early in 2000 to largely favorable reviews but short-lived in the theaters, Wonder Boys seems destined to find a loyal and loving audience on video. It's the kind of comedy that sneaks up on viewers and gets better with every screening. The DVD includes interviews with Hanson, Douglas, McDormand, and Macguire; an interactive location map of Pittsburgh, where Wonder Boys was shot; and best of all, the music video for Bob Dylan's smashing title song, "Things Have Changed."