Editing Curtis Hanson (section)

=== 1994 to 2005: continued success ===
In 1994, Hanson directed the adventure film ''[[The River Wild]]'' starring [[Meryl Streep]], [[Kevin Bacon]], and [[David Strathairn]]''.''<ref>{{Cite web |title=AFI{{!}}Catalog |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/60211-THE-RIVER-WILD?cxt=filmography |access-date=2022-12-30 |website=catalog.afi.com}}</ref> It grossed $94,216,343 worldwide, earning $46,816,343 in the United States and Canada and $47,400,000 internationally.<ref>{{cite web |title=The River Wild |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=riverwild.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107123715/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=riverwild.htm |archive-date=January 7, 2010 |access-date=October 4, 2010 |website=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref>

In 1997, Hanson directed the noir film ''[[L.A. Confidential (film)|L.A. Confidential]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AFI{{!}}Catalog |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/60979-L-A-CONFIDENTIAL?cxt=filmography |access-date=2022-12-30 |website=catalog.afi.com}}</ref> Prior to the Warner Brothers acquisition of the [[James Ellroy]] novel ''[[L.A. Confidential]]'', and his hiring as a writer and director, Hanson had been a long-time fan of the author. Regarding Ellroy's characters, Hanson said "What hooked me on them was that, as I met them, one after the other, I didn't like them — but as I continued reading, I started to care about them." Ellroy's novel also made Hanson think about Los Angeles and provided him with an opportunity to "set a movie at a point in time when the whole dream of Los Angeles, from that apparently golden era of the '20s and '30s, was being bulldozed."

Hanson was subsequently joined by screenwriter [[Brian Helgeland]] who had lobbied to be its writer prior to the hiring of Hanson. They worked on the script together for two years, with Hanson turning down jobs and Helgeland writing seven drafts for free. Relatively unknown Australian actors [[Russell Crowe]] and [[Guy Pearce]] were cast in leading roles, Hanson explained that he wanted to "replicate my experience of the book. You don't like any of these characters at first, but the deeper you get into their story, the more you begin to sympathize with them. I didn't want actors audiences knew and already liked."<ref name="sragow">{{cite news |last=Sragow |first=Michael |date=September 11, 1997 |title=City of Angles |work=[[Dallas Observer]] |url=http://www.dallasobserver.com/film/city-of-angles-6402511 |access-date=July 21, 2015}}</ref> Hanson explained that due to the success of ''The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and'' ''The River Wild,'' he was "able for the first time to initiate a picture that was a personal project from the get go. Not only initiate it, but follow through with the making of it in the way that I wanted to."<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=January 21, 2001 |title=Quint finishes his interview with CURTIS HANSON in Part II here!!! |url=https://legacy.aintitcool.com/node/7968 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241226193358/https://legacy.aintitcool.com/node/7968 |archive-date=December 26, 2024 |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=Aint It Cool News |language=en}}</ref> ''L.A. Confidential'' was a critical and commercial success. It grossed $126 million against a $35 million budget and received acclaim from critics, with praise for the acting, writing, directing, editing, and [[Jerry Goldsmith]]'s musical score.<ref name="tomatoes">{{cite web |title=L.A. Confidential (1997) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/la_confidential |access-date=October 19, 2021 |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|date=September 19, 1997 }}</ref><ref name="metacritic">{{Metacritic film|title=L.A. Confidential}}</ref> It was nominated for nine [[Academy Awards]], including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], winning two: [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] ([[Kim Basinger]]) and [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]]. In 2015, the [[Library of Congress]] selected ''L.A. Confidential'' for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]] as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref name="Barnes">{{cite web |last=Barnes |first=Mike |date=December 16, 2015 |title='Ghostbusters,' 'Top Gun,' 'Shawshank' Enter National Film Registry |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ghostbusters-top-gun-enter-national-849092 |access-date=December 16, 2015 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |location=Los Angeles, California}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=2015 National Film Registry: "Ghostbusters" Gets the Call |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-15-216/2015-national-film-registry-ghostbusters-gets-the-call/2015-12-16/ |access-date=2020-11-18 |website=Library of Congress |location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref><ref name="Washington, D.C">{{Cite web |title=Complete National Film Registry Listing |url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/ |access-date=2020-11-18 |website=Library of Congress |publisher=Washington, D.C.\}}</ref>

In 2000 Hanson directed ''[[Wonder Boys (film)|Wonder Boys]]'', a comedy drama starring [[Michael Douglas]] and [[Tobey Maguire]].<ref>{{Citation |title=Wonder Boys (2000) - Curtis Hanson {{!}} Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related {{!}} AllMovie |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/wonder-boys-v182470 |language=en |access-date=2022-12-30}}</ref> Actress [[Elizabeth McGovern]] advised Hanson to work with screenwriter [[Steve Kloves]]. When he was given the writer's script for ''Wonder Boys'' and was told that Michael Douglas was interested in starring, he "fell in love with these characters – and they made me laugh."<ref name="Strauss3">{{cite news |last=Strauss |first=Bob |date=February 25, 2000 |title=From B-Movies to Hollywood's A-List |work=[[The Globe and Mail]]}}</ref><ref name="Sragow">{{cite news |last=Sragow |first=Michael |date=February 24, 2000 |title=L.A. Noir or College Comedy, the Genre is Real Life |work=[[New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/library/film/021900wonder-film.html |access-date=2008-02-26}}</ref> Hanson also identified with the main character and the "thing building up inside him: frustration, hunger, yearning, et cetera."<ref name="Strauss3"/> One of the challenges for Hanson was to take a plot that, as he put it, "is meandering and, apparently, sort of aimless," and a character that "does things that even he doesn't really know why he's doing them," and try to create a "feeling of focus" to keep the audience interested.<ref name="Strauss3"/> Another challenge the director faced was working in actual locations in very cold weather that was constantly changing.<ref name="Strauss3" /> Hanson also considered [[Robert Downey Jr.]], who at the time had legal and personal problems, for a role.<ref name="Portman">{{cite news |last=Portman |first=Jamie |date=February 24, 2000 |title=Robert Downey Jr.'s Unfortunate Incarceration |work=[[Ottawa Citizen]]}}</ref> Downey met with Hanson where they addressed his problems. The actor demonstrated a commitment to the project and Hanson hired him. Reportedly, Downey acted professionally for the entire shoot.<ref name="Portman" /> Hanson also contacted [[Dante Spinotti]] about working on the film in November 1998.<ref name="Heuring">{{cite news |last=Heuring |first=David |date=2000 |title=Dante Spinotti Talks about Shooting ''Wonder Boys'' |work=International Cinematographers Guild |url=http://www.cameraguild.com/interviews/chat_spinotti/spinotti_wonderboys.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=2009-01-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081020024253/http://www.cameraguild.com/interviews/chat_spinotti/spinotti_wonderboys.htm |archive-date=October 20, 2008}}</ref> In its opening weekend, ''Wonder Boys'' opened at No. 7 in the US and Canadian box office and grossed a total of US$5.8 million in 1,253 theaters. It went on to gross $19,393,557 there and $14,033,031 in other countries, for a worldwide total of $33,426,588. Based on a $55 million budget, the film was a [[box office bomb]].<ref name="mojo">{{cite web |title=''Wonder Boys'' |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=wonderboys.htm |access-date=2006-11-29 |publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref> The film received largely positive reviews from critics. [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reports an 81% rating, based on 125 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. On [[Metacritic]], the film has a 73 out of 100 score, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web |title=Wonder Boys reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/wonder-boys |access-date=November 21, 2015 |work=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]}}</ref>

In 2000, Hanson directed the music video "[[Things Have Changed]]" by [[Bob Dylan]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}} The song-writer Clinton Heylin wrote "Things Have Changed" to demonstrates a close knowledge of the film ''Wonder Boys'', for which it was written. The lyrics make reference to "dancing lessons", "the jitterbug rag" and dressing "in drag", all of which feature in the plot of the film. Hanson recalled: "I learned that Dylan might be interested in contributing an original song… So when I came back from filming in Pittsburgh, Bob came by the editing room to see some rough cut footage. I told him the story and introduced him to the characters. We talked about Grady Tripp and where he was in life, emotionally and creatively. Weeks later a CD arrived in the mail".<ref name="Heylin">Heylin, 2010, ''Still On the Road, The Songs of Bob Dylan: Volume Two'', pp. 436–439.</ref> For the music video, Hanson intercut footage of Dylan with sequences from the feature film, to suggest that Dylan was interacting with the film's characters.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}}

In 2002, Hanson directed ''[[8 Mile (film)|8 Mile]]'' a semi-biographical [[Hip hop music|hip hop]] [[drama film]] about and starring rapper [[Eminem]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=AFI{{!}}Catalog |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/62364-8-MILE?cxt=filmography |access-date=2022-12-30 |website=catalog.afi.com}}</ref>{{Additional citation needed|date=February 2023}} According to [[Paul Rosenberg (music manager)|Paul Rosenberg]] (Eminem's manager) both [[Quentin Tarantino]] and [[Danny Boyle]] were considered to direct, while Boyle came close, Eminem felt he had a better connection with Hanson.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kennedy |first=John |date=2012-10-18 |title=8 Things You Didn't Know About 8 Mile… According to Paul Rosenberg |url=https://www.vibe.com/gallery/8-things-you-didnt-know-about-8-mile-according-paul-rosenberg/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221227012858/https://www.vibe.com/gallery/8-things-you-didnt-know-about-8-mile-according-paul-rosenberg/ |archive-date=2022-12-27 |access-date=2023-01-18 |website=VIBE.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Hanson explained that his bond with Eminem began when they discussed their shared vision for ''8 Mile''. Eminem’s admiration for Hanson’s earlier films, ''[[The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992 film)|The Hand That Rocks the Cradle]]'' (1992) and ''[[L.A. Confidential (film)|L.A. Confidential]]'' (1997), helped build trust. Hanson noted that Eminem didn’t want a vanity project; instead, he sought to be part of a meaningful film. Initially, Hanson was cautious about casting him, worried that Eminem’s reputation could be a liability. He recalled a remark from actor [[Russell Crowe]], who had previously worked with Hanson, upon hearing about the project: “Good idea, Curtis. But who are you going to get to play Eminem?” highlighting the risk of whether Eminem could carry the film as an actor. Ultimately, Hanson was won over by Eminem’s natural charisma, particularly in his expressive eyes, a quality Hanson described as essential for engaging audiences and carrying the story. Hanson added that Eminem was involved in ''8 Mile'' from the project's inception, as writer [[Scott Silver]] developed the script with him in mind. Early drafts, however, lacked a strong connection to [[Detroit]] and set Eminem’s character as a hotel bellboy. Hanson reworked the script to ground it in Detroit’s identity, moving the character to an automotive stamping plant, shifting the timeline to 1995, and adding elements like the local radio station and arson scenes emblematic of the city’s struggles. While Eminem’s input on the script was limited to initial discussions, Hanson collaborated with him closely during rehearsals, particularly on the rap battles, explaining their thematic significance as Eminem crafted lyrics, including the theme song “Lose Yourself.” Hanson emphasized authentic casting, bringing in Detroit locals and fostering a bond among the actors, most of whom were new to film. Their group name, 3 1/3, emerged organically during rehearsals, symbolizing Detroit’s 313 area code and a deeper commentary on identity and unity. For Hanson, the goal was to create an authentic portrayal of this world, finding performers who could fully embody their characters.<ref name=":03">{{Cite news |last=Hebron |first=Sandra |date=2002-11-16 |title=Curtis Hanson (part 2) |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/nov/16/features |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241224183827/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/nov/16/features |archive-date=December 24, 2024 |access-date=2024-12-24 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> It received positive reviews, with critics praising the music and Eminem's performance. Review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reports the film has 75% of 214 professional critics giving a positive review and a rating average of 6.7/10. Also a box office success, it opened at {{Numero|1}} in the US with $51.3 million grossed in its opening weekend and an eventual total of $242.9 million worldwide.<ref name="boxofficemojo">{{mojo title|8mile|8 Mile}}</ref>

Also in 2002, Hanson directed ''Piddler on the roof'' an episode of the sitcom ''[[Greg the Bunny]]''.<ref>{{Citation |title=Greg the Bunny: Season 1, Episode 9 |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/greg_the_bunny/s01/e09 |language=en |access-date=2023-02-11}}</ref> Furthermore, he acted in [[Spike Jonze]]'s [[Adaptation (film)|''Adaptation'']].<ref>{{Citation |title=Adaptation (2002) - Spike Jonze {{!}} Cast and Crew {{!}} AllMovie |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/adaptation-v260395/cast-crew |language=en |access-date=2023-02-11}}</ref>

In 2005, Hanson directed the [[comedy drama]] ''[[In Her Shoes (film)|In Her Shoes]]'', starring [[Cameron Diaz]] and [[Toni Collette]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Her Shoes |url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/in-her-shoes/tv-listings/2030122726/ |access-date=2022-12-30 |website=TVGuide.com |language=en}}</ref> ''In Her Shoes'' has received generally positive reviews from critics. [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reported that 75% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 164 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The film opened at #3 at the U.S. box office, raking in $10,017,575 [[USD]] in its first opening weekend.<ref name="box">{{Cite web |title=In Her Shoes |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl4099638785/ |access-date=2022-09-14 |website=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref> Its worldwide gross totaled $83,697,473.<ref name="box" />