2/25/2024 0 Comments An unfinished life streaming![]() IDK but multiple invocations of Marilyn Monroe seems kinda Jesus-y.small early screen appearance by demigod Alan Tudyk in a minor role is clearly a gift to be cherished.Tobey’s character loves old black-and-white, golden-age-of-Hollywood movies, and I can’t explain why *eyeroll*, but a love of old movies feels Christmassy. ![]() ![]() But during that rewatch, I tried to find the things that make it feel Christmassy. Confidential, In Her Shoes ) Hanson - and in 2000 I called it “one of the best movies ever about what it means to be a writer.” After a recent rewatch, I still feel the same way. This is a brilliant film - hardly surprising, since it’s based on a book by Michael ( The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay ) Chabon and directed by Curtis ( L.A. Set during a snowy February weekend in Pittsburgh, this is the tale of a weary novelist and university professor (Michael Douglas, maybe better than he’s ever been) coming to all sorts of epiphanies, personal and professional, as he spars with his visiting NYC book editor (Robert Downey Jr) over his seven-years-in-the-making-and-still-unfinished manuscript, grapples with his adulterous relationship with the uni’s chancellor (Frances McDormand), and deepens his rapport with one of his students (Tobey Maguire) till it becomes almost parental, or at least avuncular. So please know that it pains deeply me to say that I can’t explain why the 2000 dramedy Wonder Boys feels like a Christmas movie, even though it’s nothing remotely of the sort. It doesn’t bother me when other people say this, but for me, as a writer, I have hesitated to jump onto this meme bandwagon, because a writer’s job is to put the inexplicable into words. But I guess that is Okay because for the few viewers who like an optimistic story told with compassionate characters played by expert actors, this one is worth watching.There’s a trope among the social-media kids today, and it goes like this: “I can’t explain why,” they say, and then they go on to state a thing that seems ridiculous but that actually, strangely, makes a lot of sense. It will fail to influence too many, some might even find it boring. That is the redeeming feature of the movie and may be that is the flaw. But the story manages to teach you something, and not in a very persuasive manner. There is redemption for everyone involved and that is expected. Unhurriedly, through gestures and expressions, breathing life into these stereotypes. It is just the way they go about telling it. At the same time there is nothing new about the story they are telling. None of the characters are living in what we would call normal circumstances in any way. But these three provide all the entertainment. Especially Freeman,Gardner and Redford (in that order). Now why I am taking pains to mention each one of them is because they are who make this movie watchable. And there I finish the list of principal characters in the movie. Camrein Maynheim (The Practice) has a supporting role. There is débutant Becca Gardner the even-tempered daughter of Jenny's. There is Bear which wounded Freeman and is the terror element in the otherwise peaceful Wyoming (smashing locales) town and there is Josh Lucas the love interest/sheriff for Jenny's Cinderella. Father-in-law is of course Robert Redford who is not looking forward to anything in life, and his only real purpose in living seems to be to take care of his wounded friend Morgan Freeman. Jennifer Lopez plays a single mother running away from her abusive(typical) boy friend Damian Lewis and has no where to go but to her Father-in-law who hates her. Each character and player when he/she is on screen is telling you so many things at a time that you get completely engrossed in their story. This is the third film from the director that I saw after Chocolat n Cider Ho.I would not call this one a great piece of storytelling but I speak entirely for myself when I say, the characters do not let you go, while you watch this movie.
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