Wonder Boys

As befits the century's first terrific<br>movie, "Wonder Boys" loves its characters and respects its audience. <br><br>That respect is bound to be mutual. The film's menagerie of characters features

Friday, February 25th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

As befits the century's first terrific
movie, "Wonder Boys" loves its characters and respects its audience.

That respect is bound to be mutual. The film's menagerie of characters features a blocked novelist, a suicidal student, a pregnant college chancellor and a gay man with a definite itch. Is this the stuff of comedy? So it is, and of a very human comedy.

Even those moviegoers who resisted the scent of "Magnolia" and the patina of "The Talented Mr. Ripley " will probably cheer "Wonder Boys." It doesn't coddle the audience but, rather, it invites viewers to join its open-hearted embrace of human nature. As directed by Curtis Hanson ("L.A. Confidential") and adapted by Steve Kloves ("The Fabulous Baker Boys") from Michael Chabon's novel, the film is one of the most accessible of joy rides.

Michael Douglas gives his best performance yet as Grady Tripp, a one-time literary wonder boy who's struggling with his second novel while teaching creative writing at a Pittsburgh university. The role could have been underplayed to blandness or overplayed to cuddly cuteness. Instead, Mr. Douglas delivers a thoughtful, penetrating performance that exposes the character's flaws while locating his strengths.

On this particular weekend, all of Grady's attributes will be tested. Trying to recover from his latest failed marriage, he discovers that his girlfriend, Sara (Frances McDormand), is pregnant. Sara also happens to be the university's chancellor, whose husband, Walter (played by Richard Thomas, one-time John Boy of "The Waltons"), is the head of the English department.

It is also the weekend of WordFest, a campus literary festival that forces Grady to acknowledge his own artistic shortcomings. Moreover, he devotedly plays chaperon to his prized student, James Leer (Tobey Maguire), a movie fanatic with a penchant for self-dramatization. When Grady's editor, Terry (Robert Downey Jr.), shows up for the weekend, all sorts of complications develop.
Director Hanson does for Pittsburgh what he did for Los Angeles in "L.A. Confidential." He creates a fascinating environment, probably a bigger challenge with Pittsburgh than with L.A.

He also creates a strong mood that defies classification. The humor is warm but never cloying, and mordant without being cynical.

The starry cast responds to the material eloquently. Ms. McDormand displays a gallery of warm-blooded emotions beneath her academic composure. Mr. Maguire plays the confused student with the natural charm that springs from a simple, uncalculated acting style. Mr. Downey again shows himself to be a remarkable, persuasive talent. In the screenplay's only relatively one-note role, Mr. Thomas displays a deadpan wit.

Two other roles demonstrate the moviemakers' thoughtful insights. Katie Holmes of "Dawson's Creek" plays Hannah, an intelligent student with an all-consuming crush on Grady. Rip Torn plays Q, a highly successful author whose pulpish novels are the antithesis of what Grady aspires to write. Either character could have been a caricature ? the campus vixen or the pretentious pop-culture guru. But they're written, directed and acted with affection and integrity.

"Wonder Boys" gets its laughs honestly. And it gets plenty of them.