It is the middle of winter in Pittsburgh and 50-year-old Grady Tripp's (Michael Douglas) wife has just left him. It figures; nothing seems to be going right for this "wonder boy" who seven years ago was basking in the glory of an award-winning novel. Under pressure to complete a new work of fiction, this exhausted English professor has patched together a manuscript of 2,611 pages. Now just for the final ignominy, Sara Gaskell (Frances McDormand), his lover and wife of his boss, Walter (Richard Thomas), has told him that she's pregnant with his child.
Tripp's agent, Terry Crabtree (Robert Downey, Jr.), arrives in town for Wordfest, the college's annual literary festival. He's desperately hoping to take a peek at his favorite client's novel. Meanwhile Grady has taken under his wing James Leer (Tobey Maguire), the most promising writer among his students. Although lacking in social skills, he has already written a novel demonstrating his boundless imagination. Leer is about the only one who believes in the professor besides Hannah Green (Katie Holmes), an attractive student in his class. The star of Wordfest is Q (Rip Torn), a successful writer who cranks out a new work of fiction every eight months.
Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential) directs this comedy that demonstrates a healthy respect for oddballs who don't fit in anywhere. The screenplay by Steve Kloves is based on a novel by Michael Chabon. Thanks to a dog, a Marilyn Monroe outfit, a stolen car, and a few other mishaps, Grady Tripp is catapulted into a chance to transform his miserable life. The breakdown of his marriage and his career signals an opportunity to start afresh. Instead of fighting the chaos that descends on him, he decides to use it to make some long overdue changes in his life. It is easy to cheer him on because we've all experienced similar moments when a leap into the dark was required to set things on a new course.
Special DVD features include exclusive cast and crew interviews; Pittsburgh interactive location map with a commentary by Curtis Hanson; songs of Wonder Boys with a commentary by Curtis Hanson; Bob Dylan music video "Things Have Changed"; and scene selection.
