"Wonder Boys" - Writin' and Teachin'
Michael Douglas' role as Grady Tripp is just that - a trip!
There really aren’t a lot of teaching moments in “Wonder Boys,” a 2000 film adaptation of Michael Chabon’s novel of the same name. The film opens with English professor Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas) sort of refereeing a college writer’s workshop where one gifted but weird student writer seems to be under attack by just about everybody else. Jealousy? Frustration? Intolerance? Has he lost control of the class? His life? What’s going on in this classroom? This college?
If you’ve ever spent an hour or two trying to teach a writing class or ever wondered for a moment what in the world you were doing in college in the first place or if at times you find yourself thinking that the whole idea of a college education has less to do with what you learn inside the classroom than what you learn getting to and living outside of it, then “Wonder Boys” might be the kind of film you can watch again and again. Like me.
The film hints at the quirky, funny, hard-to-depict relationship between the teacher and student; where the theoretical possessor of experience and knowledge (the teacher) faces off daily or bi-weekly or whatever with an always unpredictable collection of students (theoretical vessels for doses of that knowledge).
Inevitably, it’s a group that can inspire, irritate, confound, delight, anger and puzzle, sometimes, all in the very same class. And when you get that special student, or maybe a pair of them, how do you teach them, reach them, how far do you let them into your life? Does the educational process begin and end at the classroom door? Should it? Can it?
The situation in which Tripp finds himself as a college professor with tenure is, well, tenuous. His wife has just left him, he’s in the middle of an affair with his boss’s wife, who, in the opening moments of the film, informs him that she’s pregnant. And that’s just the start of the things that’ll delightfully unravel over the next couple hours.
It is a intricate plot interwoven with so many comical complications that you’ll find yourself alternately surprised and delighted, sometimes both at once. And while teacher Tripp’s drug-addled lifestyle couldn’t be further from my own, he’s also a writer trying to teach and I’ve certainly been there. It’s one of my favorite films.
As the film progresses, the relationship between Tripp and his star student — a young man (Tobey Maguire) as deeply troubled as he is talented — becomes more involved due to circumstances that you can’t really explain here. The thing is, Tripp recognizes the kid’s talent, wants to help but at the same time, he also knows all too well the unavoidably bumpy road that lay in front of this young aspiring writer. Can he help him? Should he?
When you hold the trust of a young person in that particular way, you don’t want to make too much of it but for some teachers, that trust can almost feel sacred. To honor that sentiment while at the same time challenging, correcting, redirecting, alternately praising and criticizing the same student, well, it can be a delicate balancing act.
“Wonder Boys," I think manages to evoke that relationship in a delightfully funny, madcap sort of way. The supporting performances from Robert Downey Jr., Frances McDormand, Rip Torn and Katie Holmes are just delightful. They’re perfectly cast.
Most of the time, movies about teachers are intended to be uplifting, inspirational; you know, go ahead and teach those kids, they’re counting on you, bring your “A” game every day, that sort of thing. “Wonder Boys” is not that kind of film, at least on the surface. But it’s a movie you can watch again and again and still laugh, still root for the characters, still hope everything works out right in the end.
That’s not to even mention the soundtrack, which included Bob Dylan’s Academy Award-winning “Things Have Changed,” a couple other stellar Dylan cuts and a slew of other great songs, tunes that are perfectly suited to the tone and style of the film. It’s as if author Michael Chabon, when he was writing the original novel, had this collection of songs playing in the background.
If you’ve ever been a teacher, you’ll enjoy this film. If you’ve ever been glad you’re not a teacher, same thing. Michael Douglas as Grady Tripp is just that - a trip.
THINGS HAVE CHANGED - by BOB DYLAN
In case you missed it the other day when I wrote about this song connecting with current events, here’s Dylan’s Academy Award-winner, “Things Have Changed.”
Here’s a trailer for the film “Wonder Boys” - Check it out!
One of my favorite films!