Where to Watch
Region
Apple TV Store
Buy from
HD
$4.99
Apple TV Store
Rent from
HD
$4.99
Amazon Video
Rent from
HD
$4.99
Amazon Video
Buy from
HD
$4.99
Kanopy
Watch free
HD
Included
See all 10 options →
Prices last updated September 11, 2026. Pricing and availability may vary by region.
powered by JustWatch
About
Grady is a 50-ish English professor who hasn't had a thing published in years—not since he wrote his award winning 'Great American Novel' 7 years ago. This weekend proves even worse than he could imagine as he finds himself reeling from one misadventure to another in the company of a new wonder boy author.
Theatrical
Feb 22, 2000
Box Office
$33.4M
Budget
$35.0M
Return
1.0x
DVD / Blu-ray
Mar 13, 2001
Director
Writer
Producers
Music
Studio
Paramount Pictures, Mutual Film Company, Scott Rudin Productions, Curtis Hanson Productions, BBC, Marubeni, TOHO-TOWA, Tele München, MFF Feature Film Productions
Quotes
See all →The Journey of Finding One's Voice
Terry Crabtree
It's comforting to know that America's children have you for a teacher.
Grady Tripp
Nobody teaches a writer anything. You tell'em what you know. You tell'em to find their voice and stay with it. You tell the ones that have it to keep at it. You tell the ones that don't have it to keep at it too because that's the only way they're gonna get to where they're going. Of course, it does help if you know where you wanna go. Helping my students figure that out...that and Sara...that's what's made these last years worthwhile.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Compulsion to Write Despite Uncertainty
Vernon Hardapple
Why did you keep writing this book if you didn't even know what it was about?
Grady Tripp
I couldn't stop.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Cast
Full credits →M
Michael Douglas
Grady Tripp
T
Tobey Maguire
James Leer
F
Frances McDormand
Sara Gaskell
R
Robert Downey Jr.
Terry Crabtree
K
Katie Holmes
Hannah Green
R
Rip Torn
Q
J
Jane Adams
Oola
M
Michael Cavadias
Miss Sloviak
R
Richard Thomas
Walter Gaskell
A
Alan Tudyk
Sam Traxler
P
Philip Bosco
Emily's Father
G
George Grizzard
Fred Leer
K
Kelly Bishop
Amanda Leer
C
Charis Michelsen
Carrie
Y
Yusuf Gatewood
Howard
B
Bingo O'Malley
Wordfest Party Guest
V
Victor Quinaz
Wordfest Party Guest
J
James Ellroy
Wordfest Party Guest
L
Lenora Nemetz
Wordfest Party Guest
J
James Kisicki
Wordfest Party Guest
