Wonder Boys
A poignantly funny film about how hard it is to be "a writer" . . .
There aren’t a lot of movies that actually connect with what it’s like to be a writer.
To confirm that statement, I asked Gemini+ (my AI sidekick) for a list of “movies about writers.” And sure enough, almost none of the protagonists actually write anything in the films.
But here’s one that does capture the difficulty of being/becoming “a writer,” as opposed to just a person who writes.
Wonder Boys is an eccentric screwball comedy about talent, ambivalence, and modern love in academia. And if you’ve ever gotten absorbed in the process of writing, and lost track of the goal; or if you’ve ever buried yourself in a writing project to avoid dealing with “real life” — you’ll see yourself in this movie.
But even if you haven’t had those particular experiences, you’re bound to identify with something in this crazy-quilt movie. It combines slapstick comedy and sophisticated satire with a gay coming of age story, a lampoon of literary publishing, a believably wry midlife romance, and a meditation on the perils of early achievement. Which is a lot for one movie.
Plus there’s a Little Richard lookalike, Marilyn Monroe’s jacket, an odd-fellows road trip, and some really good advice about writing well.
So you can spare two hours for a treat like that, can’t you?
Although screwball comedies aren’t easy to summarize, I can’t resist trying . . . .
Grady (Michael Douglas) has been struggling for years to write a “next” novel, even better than his celebrated prize-winner, The Arsonist’s Daughter. As the movie begins, he’s also teaching literary aspirants at a picturesque college and going through yet another divorce — all while having an affair with the married chancellor (Frances McDormand), who has just discovered she is pregnant.
And yes, it’s Grady’s baby.
Meanwhile, the chancellor’s husband (Richard Thomas) is oblivious to everything but the school’s annual literary festival, which is just about to commence. He’s also (a) peculiarly obsessed with Marilyn Monroe’s marriage to Joe DiMaggio, and (b) the chair of Grady’s department.
The action ramps up when Grady’s colorful literary editor arrives in town. Crabtree (Robert Downey, Jr.) is hoping for an update on the long-awaited new novel, which could save his faltering career. But Grady conceals the fact that his potential masterpiece is nowhere near finished, and already topping two thousand pages of single-spaced typescript.
During a party for honorees of the literary festival, Grady tries to aid one of his writing students — a serial confabulator whose name is probably James (Tobey Maguire) — and in the process gets his leg bitten by the chancellor’s husband’s dog.
James accidentally kills the dog with a cap pistol, impulsively steals Marilyn Monroe’s jacket from the chancellor’s husband’s prized collection, and inconveniently passes out in Grady’s car.
It’s really hard to capture what happens after that, but here are the most important plot points:
Grady realizes that James has invented his melodramatic life story, which revolves (supposedly) around a very strange family and an impoverished upbringing.
Exhausted and aggravated, Grady returns an unwilling James to the sprawling mansion of his real parents.
But Grady soon feels guilty about the decision (though he’s not sure why), and he enlists Crabtree in a mission to rescue James from his over-privileged life.
Their caper succeeds, and the chancellor’s husband’s dead dog ends up in James’s bed. James ends up in bed with Crabtree.
As events continue to spin out of control, Grady’s car is reclaimed by the Little Richard lookalike (that part defies abbreviation), with Marilyn Monroe’s jacket in it.
Grady and Crabtree try to retrieve the jacket — but in the process, Grady’s only copy of the never-ending manuscript blows into the river
And then . . .
I hope you’ll find out how all this ends by watching Wonder Boys. But if you’d like a hint about the outcome of Grady’s misadventures, here it is:
He realizes that his life is falling apart for the same reason his book is absurdly long. And vice versa.
Bravery comes in many forms for writers. Starting out, the challenge is to take yourself seriously. But further along, success creates its own difficulties. And Wonder Boys celebrates overcoming self-doubt — at any age, or any stage.
Thanks for reading! C