Wonder Boys

Wonder Boys (2000)

  • 81% of critics liked it
    (124 reviews)

  • 79% of users liked it
    (37,981 ratings)

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… More

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R, 1 hr. 52 min.
Directed By
Curtis Hanson
Written By
Steve Kloves
Genres
Drama, Comedy
In Theaters
Nov 8, 2000 Wide
On DVD
Mar 13, 2001
Paramount Pictures

Critic Reviews

  • Emanuel Levy, Variety

    Michael Douglas gives the best perfromance of his career (to be remembered at Oscar time) in this screwball comedy about a college professor who's pushed into maturity by forces beyond his control; a well-acted coming-of-age saga for adults.

  • Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

    Get going, you laggards.

  • A.O. Scott, New York Times

    Wonder Boys is like a George Cukor movie with a bad head cold -- slow, muffled and vague.

  • Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com

    With a cast this terrific and a story this rich and wry, Wonder Boys really can't miss.

  • Robert Horton, Film.com

    After enduring a lot of jokes about May-December romances, Douglas comes bouncing back with one of his best performances.

Read all 23 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Jennifer X


    It's perfectly fine. I don't really buy anybody's character though. Michael Douglas, a depressive writer? Tobey Maguire, a psychopath? Katie Holmes, a writing ingenue? No, no, and no.

  • Steven C


    "Wonder Boys" is just a lot of fun. It's not really saying anything in the way of college professors, writers or students, but it certainly gets all of their personalities correct. The movie is more about character and dialogue- this is an actors film. The cast works… More

  • Ross C


    I don't like movies about movies and this is the next worse thing. A self-indulgent writer's fantasy. Putting a pair of glasses on A-list stars and making them waffle on about obscure facts doesn't turn them into convincing academics. Typical quirky American indy with… More

  • Conner R


    This is a really fun story with a lot of great characters. While it can be a little pretentious at times, I feel like that wasn't the message of the movie but the particular character Tobey Maguire plays. Michael Douglas and Robert Downey Jr. are a powerhouse and create some… More

  • ♥˩ƳИИ &


    Cast: Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand, Robert Downey Jr., Katie Holmes, Rip Torn, Jane Adams, Richard Thomas, Alan Tudyk, Philip Bosco, George Grizzard, Kelly Bishop Directed by: Curtis Hanson Summary: This endearing slice of life centers on unraveling English… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

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Trailers & Clips