Wonder Boys

Wonder Boys (2000) starring Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand, Robert Downey, Jr., Katie Holmes. Professor Grady Tripp (Douglas) is 50 years old and stands at a crossroads of his life. His young, beautiful wife has left him, and he's struggling to write his second novel, seven years after the first novel was a big hit. Plus, his girlfriend Sara (McDormand) announces that she is pregnant. The movie follows Tripp through a picaresque weekend in which he blunders around town in a marijuana haze, trying to figure out what to do and specifically what he wants. In the process, he gets involved in the life of a morose student (Maguire) and fends off the advances of an attractive female student (Holmes). I found the film to be fairly entertaining, though there were some bits that didn't work. The Extras on the disc are mostly of the self-congratulatory type. English subtitles for the hearing-impaired are provided and are highly legible. Plus, the songs are subtitled! Grade: B