Wonder Boys

A never-better Michael Douglas shoulders the movie as Grady Tripp, the dope-smoking literary professor hamstrung by a never-ending second novel. Douglas invests his academic with a dishevelled grace, rolling with the punches...

This is a funny and touching story that contains dead dogs, Monroe memorabilia, a stolen car, sex, adultery, pregnancy, guns, dope and cops, but it is not about any of those things. It is about people...

The overall effect is like opening a present on Christmas morning.

...dangles on the same family tree as the likes of Rushmore and American Beauty thanks to its curious, cross-generational bonding antics and faith in people at their most affably mixed-up.

Wonder Boys explores themes that most of us can relate to: chasing the dreams of youth, taking risks and making a commitment, and finding and pursuing something of meaning.