His most promising student, Tobey Maguire, is about to be seduced by Douglas' book agent, Robert Downey Jr. He's been bit on the ankle by the dean's bulldog, whom Maguire has shot and killed, and is now stowed in Douglas' trunk. Maguire has also stolen the dean's prized possession, a jacket worn by Marilyn Monroe on her wedding day to Joe Dimaggio.
Also, Douglas' car has apparently been stolen from angry black man Richard Knox, whose girlfriend Jane Adams is now in possession of the jacket. Douglas is a heavy marijuana smoker. He is about to be fired. The follow up to his successful first novel is a muddled mess.
In short, everything is going wrong for Douglas. At least we can laugh at his growing misfortune, even if he is unable to do so. But don't worry, a feel-good ending is tacked on.
Veteran character actor Rip Torn has a minor role as a pompous successful author. Richard Thomas, a.k.a. John Boy, shows up as, what else, a promising young writer.
How others will see it. Wonder Boys was a box office disappointment, but was well received by critics. The film received three Oscar nominations, and various Awards committees bestowed honors on Michael Douglas, Frances McDormand, and Steve Kloves' screenplay, which was adapted from Michael Chabon's novel. The sole Oscar win was for a Bob Dylan song. Dylan hasn't recorded anything memorable in decades, but his wheezy pseudo-country blues delivery continues to be occasionally mistaken for greatness.
The film has apparently done well in its video release, since it currently has a respectable 37K user ratings at imdb.com. The ratings are high and consistent. Interestingly, nobody seems to mind the film's morality, which is rife with infidelity, drug use, gay sex, felony theft, and wives leaving their husbands. Not to mention a decomposing dog left as a substitute for a wayward son.
The ample dark humor, though, is amusing to all. Those who find Matthew Broderick's downfall in Election to be a hoot will relish more of the same here.
How I felt about it. This is an actors' movie. That is, the movie is stocked with well cast, well developed, and memorable characters. Everyone here seems to have gotten a career boost from it except for Richard Knox, who hasn't appeared in a movie since.
Admittedly, there are humorous moments here. I can't think of any offhand, despite just having seen the movie, but I'll take others' word on it. Perhaps the setting of a man in increasing trouble simply doesn't inspire much laughter from me.
But I do have to question the judgment of the characters. Poor judgment can translate to good comedy, as it generally does here, but it downgrades the film's credibility. Tobey Maguire, for example, shoots a dog, steals a 30K jacket, takes someone else's prescription drugs, drinks, presumably has unprotected sex with a promiscuous gay man, and is rewarded with a book contract. Because it is a movie.
Likewise, Douglas has similar poor judgment, with the exception that he parries Katie Holmes' passes. For example, the dead dog goes in his car trunk, then into a bed of Maguire's parents. Why not leave Maguire with his parents? He doesn't need "rescuing," particularly since his time with Douglas has only gotten him into trouble. Douglas fails to promptly inform the police or the dean of Maguire's crimes. He loses his car, his job, his book, and his wife. And is rewarded with Frances McDormand, and in the final scene appears to be living in a 200K house. Because it is a movie.
We might also add that Katie Holmes has no reason to be in this movie other than the fact that she is the only attractive young woman who appears. We also wonder who Maguire will sell his novel to, since even his peer students despise his writing.