Transformed by shaggy hair and some dorky tortoise shell specs, Michael Douglas is comically woeful as Wonder Boys' Grady Tripp, a once-celebrated author/professor free-falling through a midlife crisis. Contending with his brilliant but morbid star student (Tobey Maguire), his compulsively horny book editor (Robert Downey Jr.) and his married, pregnant mistress (Frances McDormand) -- whose husband also happens to be his boss -- the beleaguered Tripp endures a series of social mishaps that can best be described as painfully funny. Maybe you'll laugh at his all-too-human condition. Most likely, you'll also wince.
And maybe that level of discomfort explains why this sleeper -- director Curtis Hanson's first effort since ''L.A. Confidential'' -- failed to find a wide audience, despite critics' kudos and Golden Globe nods (not to mention last fall's limited theatrical rerelease). Poor Professor Tripp's many tribulations just don't lend themselves to mindless chuckles between mouthfuls of multiplex popcorn; they resonate too deeply for that. They represent a troubled hero's comeuppance, his wake-up call, and ultimately, his redemption.
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