RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Wonder Boys
Wonder Boys

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Wonder Boys (2000)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
82 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:121

Fresh:99

Rotten:22

Average Rating:7.2/10

Consensus: Michael Douglas and Tobey Maguire do wonders in this clever dark comedy.

Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Douglas delivers one of his most compelling performances as Grady Tripp, a disheveled, perpetually adolescent English professor amiably coasting toward a mid-life crisis. On the inaugural day of... Douglas delivers one of his most compelling performances as Grady Tripp, a disheveled, perpetually adolescent English professor amiably coasting toward a mid-life crisis. On the inaugural day of his university's literary festival, Grady's third wife leaves him and his mistress, university chancellor Sara Gaskell (McDormand), announces that she's pregnant with their child. Her husband Walter (Thomas), the self-absorbed chair of the English department, suspects nothing, but with a baby on the way scandal looms just over the horizon. To further complicate matters, Grady's reckless editor Terry Crabtree (Downey), desperate to revive his flaccid career, flies in from New York to pick up the manuscript for Grady's seven-years-in-the-making follow-up to his critically acclaimed first book -- but at 2612 pages, it remains far from finished. As if that weren't enough to keep him reeling, Grady soon becomes an unwilling accomplice to a canine homicide and the heist of a rare jacket once worn by Marilyn Monroe, both committed by his brightest student -- the languid, slightly pathological James Leer (Maguire). Dressed in a ratty pink bathrobe and driving a stolen car with a dead dog in the trunk, Grady must now find a way to return Marilyn's coat, write the great American novel, nurture James's literary talents, discourage the advances of an amorous co-ed (Holmes), avoid the wrath of a petite James Brown look-alike (Knox), and reconcile with Sara...all before the weekend is over! [More]

Starring: Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand, Robert Downey

Starring: Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand, Robert Downey, Katie Holmes, Rip Torn, Richard Knox, Jane Adams, Michael Cavadias, Richard Thomas, Alan Tudyk, Philip Bosco, George Grizzard, Kelly Bishop, Bill Velin, Charis Michelsen, Yusuf Gatewood, June Hildreth, Elisabeth Granli, Richard Hidlebird, Screamer, Bingo O'Malley, Patricia Cray, Marita Golden, Victor Quinaz, James Ellroy, Lenora Nemetz, Tracey D. Turner, James Kisicki, Rob McElhenney, Anika Bobb, Katherine Sweeney

Director: Curtis Hanson

Director: Curtis Hanson
Screenwriter: Steve Kloves
Producer: Curtis Hanson, Scott Rudin
Composer: Christopher Young
Studio: Paramount Pictures

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Wonder Boys

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
tomato

Wonder Boys digresses so entertainingly, you forget how quickly Grady got into the mess he's in, and can't imagine where we might be headed.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 26 2006 03:16 AM

Time Out

tomato

Charlotte O'Sullivan

With so much to say, Hanson's movie is too frenetic.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 02 2002 08:29 AM

Sight and Sound

tomato
3/5

Matthew Turner

Given the Weinsteins' genius for Oscar-gathering, don’t be surprised if Michael Douglas bags Best Actor come March 2001… Recommended.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 30 2002 08:29 AM

ViewLondon

tomato
3.5/5

Rich Cline

Douglas is superb, playing his age for once and finding rhythms and humour in the most unexpected places.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 10 2001 06:35 PM

Shadows on the Wall

tomato
4/5

Ben Falk

A film with the courage to do what it wants, safe in the knowledge that its characters are strong, funny, and interesting enough to suck the audience in.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 01 2000 12:00 AM

BBC

tomato
5/5

Colin Kennedy

Wonderful.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 01 2000 12:00 AM

Empire Magazine

tomato
10/10

Ian Waldron-Mantgani

Mess is excruciating to experience and hilarious to watch.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 01 2000 12:00 AM

UK Critic

N/R

Ted Murphy

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 08 2009 03:16 AM

Hollywood.com

tomato
B+

Nick Davis

If Douglas and Hanson have aimed to make Grady as simultaneously weary and jazzed...as Bob Dylan's Oscar-winning theme song is, they have come enticingly close, with marvelous highs along the way (not just the narcotic kind), but they haven't fully got th

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 01 2009 11:57 AM

Nick's Flick Picks

tomato
4/5

Jim Lane

Writer Steven Kloves and director Curtis Hanson turn Michael Chabon’s novel into a quirky goofball pleasure.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 07 2008 03:17 AM

Sacramento News & Review

tomato
A-

Emanuel Levy

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.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 05 2007 05:59 PM

EmanuelLevy.Com

tomato
A-

Frank Swietek

As Tripp, Michael Douglas, looking hugely disheveled, does his best work in years; playing a real character after so many pictures in which he's glided by on an air of silken yuppiness, he proves that he's still a true actor.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 24 2006 03:16 AM

One Guy's Opinion

tomato

Mark Bourne

...smart, charming, and funny ... It's about finding the right inspiration and making the right choices. Hanson and Kloves, it's abundantly clear, made a lot of right choices.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 08 2006 10:47 AM

DVDJournal.com

tomato
4/5

Chris Gore

Don't let the lame marketing for this film turn you off, this film is surprisingly enjoyable.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 06 2005 07:46 PM

Film Threat

tomato
4/4

Steven Snyder

I've never quite seen a movie like Wonder Boys. It is sometimes self-deprecating, often nostalgic and optimistic, but always slightly mysterious.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 01 2005 03:42 AM

Zertinet Movies

tomato
A-

Robin Clifford

Veterans and relative newcomers populate the talented cast, led by Douglas in one of his best-rendered performances to date.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 09 2005 03:41 AM

Reeling Reviews

splat

Stuart Klawans

Wonder Boys has a delightfully malicious beginning, an increasingly muddled second act and a conclusion of such moral uplift that it probably should not be shown to the characters themselves.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 03 2005 10:16 PM

Nation

tomato
B+

Jeffrey Overstreet

This performance shows Douglas aging gracefully and willingly, an accomplishment that only a couple of famous leading men have achieved in recent years.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 06 2004 05:11 PM

Looking Closer

splat
2.5/4

Susan Tavernetti

There's a story there, but it's probably not very interesting.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 20 2003 05:16 PM

Palo Alto Weekly

tomato
3.5/4

Jeffrey M. Anderson

It's very refreshing to see a movie that celebrates writing and intelligence without stooping to become a filmed record of a novel.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 04 2003 04:01 PM

Combustible Celluloid

 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
all

Latest News for Wonder Boys

April 20, 2006: Critical Consensus: A Weak "Sentinel," So-So "Dreamz" Are Made Of This, "Silent Hill" Not Screened
This week at the movies we've got a Secret Service agent on a mission ("The Sentinel"), an "American Idol"- skewering political satire ("American... More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
25% 25% Four Christmases
68% 68% Funny People
95% 95% Star Trek
14% 14% The Ugly Truth

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
83% 83% Harry Potter and the H…
67% 67% Public Enemies
75% 75% Julie & Julia
95% 95% The Cove
85% 85% World's Greatest Dad

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Exclusive: The World of Where the Wild Things Are
21
  • Peter Jackson Talks Hobbit, LotR Blu-ray Source: Collider.com
17
  • Woman Jailed for Filming New Moon Screening Source: Chicago Sun-Times
15
  • McG Has Plans for Fifth and Sixth Terminator Movies Source: Gizmodo
177
  • Spielberg Hops Away from Harvey Source: Variety
22
  • Tarantino Could Have Directed Green Lantern Source: MTV
24
  • Will Duvall be Gilliam's Don Quixote? Source: Collider.com
26
  • No Hobbit Until 2012? Source: The Wrap
22
  • Don't Hold Your Breath for Hancock 2 Source: HitFix
42
  • Peter Berg Talks Battleship Source: CHUD
2
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
82
  • Five Favorite Films with Jason Reitman
56
  • Critics Consensus: Everybody's Fine Is Just OK
50
  • 10 Horrifically Profitable Films
46
  • Sundance 2010: RT's 10 Most Anticipated Movies
41
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
40
  • Weekly Ketchup: Tron Team to Remake The Black Hole
37
  • Awards Tour: National Board of Review Winners List!
28
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: The Blind Side Takes the Lead
28
  • Friday Harvest: Iron Man 2, Harry Potter, and more!
24
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
23
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
30
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Wonder Boys at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Wonder Boys at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.