Blockbuster Summer: Who Is That Masked Man?

Tobey Maguire, as many have noted, is an unlikely action hero. Then again, so is Spider-Man. Maguire's own background as a lonely California kid may have been better preparation for his break-out role as the angst-ridden Spidey than hours in the gym. Before Spider-Man made him internationally famous, Maguire was known as one of Hollywood's go-to actors for troubled-youth parts: a neglected loner in The Ice Storm (1997), a teen yearning for escape in Pleasantville (1998), an orphan searching for a home in The Cider House Rules (1999), a self-destructive college student in Wonder Boys (2000). His performances were enigmatic, unpredictable...

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