just finished watching this fine fine movie and am still trying to digest it. well...i must say this coming of age ( Hugh's character too )movie made me feel so content after i finished viewing it. i've forgotten how good Hugh grant is in melodramatic comedies and all in all i think the British are the best at these types of comedies. the movie has a decent rating of 7.1 and i would personally give it a 7.5. this is possibly one of Hugh's best efforts and he seemed to have a lot of fun doing it.

as an American i can't understand how our shallow idiotic unintelligent comedies fare so much better then a gem like this. i guess most audiences were like the ones in the school audience during the music talent show. Marcus did the song " killing me softly " because it was one of his mums favorites and even though the audience was banal and cruel he still had the gumption and heart to get up there an perform for his mom. life isn't about trying to fit in and be with the cool crowd, there's so much more important things in life then that and Marcus was mature enough to understand that, with help from Will of course.

well, i won't give anything else away about this movie, but if you're looking for a intelligent, heartwarming, tender, sad and funny movie, this is it. i would recommend this movie to just about anybody over the age of 10. this is one of those hidden little gems that has also a very strong positive message about what is right and what is wrong. there was not one dull moment in this movie and i think i must've chuckle or guffawed about 50 times during the duration of this movie and it's not a long movie.

if you like intelligent tender heartwarming comedic movies where all the actors and actresses were in top form...then you have to watch this movie. one of my favorite comedies all-time.

The book is an excellent read, while more extensive in its story elements and structure, it is funny, moving and compelling. The movie is also very, very good. I personally would have liked the first half of the movie especially to have slowed down a tad, some of it felt rushed and skimmed through. And while it is not as extensive or quite as developed as the book, it is every bit, if not more so, as funny, moving and as compelling. The whole movie is beautifully filmed, the soundtrack is beguiling, the excellent is suitably adroit and the script is funny, sharp and witty. And the more poignant scenes were genuinely so. The whole cast give sterling performances, Hugh Grant is on excellent form, and Nicholas Hoult is very believable as the troubled boy. Sharon Small, Toni Collette and Rachel Weisz also are solid. All in all, a very good film. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Sometimes a rut can feel like a hammock when we get stuck in one.

"About A Boy" is about a Londoner who was apparently born into one, imprisoned as it were by his father's legacy as author of one of the world's most popular and annoying Christmas songs. After years of feckless unemployed upper-middle-class living, Will views himself as an island, and sees his lack of long-term relationships as a plus. Even offered the simple honor of being an infant's godfather, Will begs off, saying he'd be "crap" at it and probably just "try and shag" the girl the moment she turned 18.

"I always thought you had hidden depths," the mother says.

"No, you've always had that wrong," Will cheerfully replies. "I really am this shallow."

But of course Will does have depths, and as played by Hugh Grant in a role that gives this smooth comedic actor a chance to showcase some previously-unguessed-at depths of his own, we find ourselves rooting for Will to find them as he finds himself attached unwillingly to a 12-year-old named Marcus, played with welcome non-cuteness by Nicholas Hoult. Marcus, an abuse magnet at school, is alternately worried for his unstable mother and searching for a pal. Will, a 12-year-old at heart, is a perfect if unknowing candidate.

Based on the great Nick Hornby novel, "About A Boy" walks a fine line, doling out easy laughs and real pathos with deceptive ease. Like Hornby's book, the movie depicts Will's perverse detachment from the world as both delightful and pathetic. Life is a full plate of pain for those who participate, but the benefits, as Marcus tries to tell Will, beat all else.

Of course, most of us don't have the luxury for "island living," and the potential of resenting Will, especially as played by that handsome devil Grant, might have been the film's biggest danger. But Grant defuses things with a subtle characterization that downshifts on the smugness and draws on the lost boy within.

For example, when Will tries to infiltrate a single-mothers' club as a way of bagging some commitment-free sex, we watch him tell the mothers about his own non-existent two-year-old boy Ned telling him "you hang in there, Dad," then reacting with uncertain fear when the mothers enthuse about how remarkable that is for such a young child.

But we also see the pain Will pretends isn't there, in brief flashes as he reflects on the hard-drinking failure his father became after his one-hit wonder, and especially in one great scene where Will finds himself with a woman he really cares about, unable to break out of his artifice at a critical moment. During that scene, and a later, angry one with Marcus, Grant's acting really demands consideration from those who dismiss him as a dandy glamor boy.

The directors, Chris and Paul Weitz of "American Pie"-fame, prove they can make a film that delivers intelligence as well as laughter, and with writer Peter Hedges, fashion a script that takes some clever and daring liberties with Hornby's solid story. I especially liked the one near the end of the movie, but if I revealed anything I'd probably get some Flack for it, so say no more.

The very last scene of the movie is a mistake, though, the kind of tidy resolution Hornby's novel and life itself rightly rejects. It's the one bum note in this film, but enough of one to dock it a point with me. Otherwise, I'd have to rate this above even the other cinematic Hornby adaptation, the classic "High Fidelity." But this is a very entertaining film, with great set design, a terrific "Rubber Soul"-style Britpop title song by Badly Drawn Boy, tight editing, and subtle, crafty camera work. Also some great supporting performances, especially Toni Collette as Marcus' mother, who has the film's toughest role (she must be funny and suicidal) and manages to not only pull it off but gives "About A Boy" a wonderfully unstable center. As "About A Boy" makes clear, instability is a good thing when it shakes us from our ruts.

I think I smiled all the way through `About a Boy,' a comic near-masterpiece derived from the best-selling novel by Nick Hornby. For the sake of accuracy, both the novel and the film should more rightly be titled `About TWO Boys,' since the story focuses not only on 12-year old Marcus, but on 38-year old Will, a man totally dedicated to the proposition that any man who so desires can live quite happily on his own private little urban island, thank you very much. Will's `island' is his own London flat, which he has equipped with all the accoutrements of comfort and diversion that modern technology – in the form of computers, big screen TV's and DVD players - can afford. Who needs people when you have so much `stuff' to keep you content and occupied? Will thrives in his environment, much to the chagrin of his married couple friends who keep insisting that he must certainly be miserable without a wife and family to give his life meaning. But Will loves being shallow – a fact of his personality he is more than willing to declare right up front – and the last thing he needs – or thinks he needs – is people to clutter it up. Yet, island dwellers have a tendency not to remain marooned for long, and, before he knows it, Will finds himself striking up a relationship with a lonely, backward boy named Marcus, whose mother suffers from serious bouts of suicidal depression.

More than any comedy in recent memory, `About a Boy' establishes a tone and sticks with it to the end. The screenplay by Peter Hedges, Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz (the latter two function as the film's directors as well) manages to take a potentially clichéd and predictable story and invest it with a warmth, wit and tenderness that are all-enveloping. The voice-over narration by both Will and Marcus, which introduces us to their characters and keeps us informed as to their mental progress throughout the film, is remarkably clever and droll. Yet, the characters never come across as smug, smart-alecky or flippant. Rather, they speak and behave in ways that are both believable and realistic. Hugh Grant gives his richest performance to date as Will, the man who refuses to grow up and assume the role of responsible adult, blithely unaware of the emotional depths that lie hidden under a surface of apathy and indifference. The superb Grant is more than matched by relative newcomer Nicholas Hoult, an extraordinarily gifted young actor who doesn't look like the average `adorable' screen kid, and who makes Marcus into a very real, very likable and very sensitive young man. The remainder of the large cast is outstanding as well. Moreover, the film is very astute in its observation about just how easy technology has made it for us to isolate ourselves from one another. Admittedly, a little of the sharpness does go out of the screenplay in its closing stretches, but not enough to diminish one's pleasure appreciably.

In many ways, `About a Boy' is a movie that needs to be experienced first hand, since mere words fail to convey the very special charm and spell it manages to cast over the viewer. Rush to see it. Comic gems like this one don't come around very often!

Described by some as a man's version of Bridget Jones Diary the remarkable thing is that it lives up to the description. Hugh Grant, with an excellent script that could have been written especially for him, plays a young confirmed single yuppie socialite, dividing his day into units in which to pack his meaningless but carefree, philandering lifestyle and disposable income. After initially discovering unmarried mothers as a new supply of grateful sexual objects, he becomes drawn into a meaningful life after making friends with a young boy. Avoiding a cheesy ending is one of the film's many triumphs.

Being afforded a life of independent means can be a blessing in some regards, perhaps, but it can also be the definitive test of one's character. If one chooses to use such a situation toward altruistic ends, or at the very least a venture that can provide some personal fulfillment, it says something about who that person is. On the other hand, if one squanders the opportunity on a totally self-absorbed, shallow existence, it says even more. And while taking the latter path may provide some interesting moments, it's a cosmetically created, external bubble that serves no other purpose than covering up an empty life, and sooner or later-- to anyone with even a modicum of intelligence-- that bubble is bound to burst; and when it finally happens, when the wake-up call comes, how one responds to it is the ultimate test of character, which is what happens to a such a man in `About A Boy,' directed by Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz, and starring Hugh Grant.

As far as Will Freeman (Grant) is concerned, he has the perfect life; he lives comfortably, if not extravagantly, on the income provided by a certain kind of inheritance. On the surface, at least, he's happy. Admittedly, however, he's the very epitome of `shallow,' who makes a conscious and concerted effort at avoiding any commitment in relationships, or even attempting to accomplish or achieve anything at all. He merely takes from life, gives absolutely nothing back and has always been content with it. But of late, his relationships have become a bit `sticky.' Women are becoming too demanding, the break-ups too messy. He needs a new conquest, a relationship in which he can flex his shallowness anew, with a woman who will give him everything and demand nothing in return.

Fortuitous circumstances provide him with just what he's looking for; fortuitous, however, in a way he doesn't realize, as it leads to a relationship through which he encounters a young boy, Marcus (Nicholas Hoult). And it's a meeting that is destined to have an enormous impact on his life, as Marcus becomes the catalyst that changes Will's entire perspective. For the first time, Will begins to question who he is, and what he's doing-- or not doing-- with his life.

Telling this story (adapted for the screen by Peter Hedges and the Weitz brothers, from the novel by Nick Hornby) presented a challenge to the filmmakers, in that it's nothing really new; the history of the cinema is filled with stories of individual epiphanies, many along the same lines as this one (recently, `The Kid,' with Bruce Willis, for example). So a fresh approach and presentation, including the kind of performances they could extract from their actors, was essential for this film to attain any distinction whatsoever. Which it does, and splendidly. And, moreover, they succeed on all fronts. The screenplay is intelligent, and the characters-- especially Will and Marcus' mom, Fiona (Toni Collette)-- are convincingly well developed. With Will, there is no sudden leap into who he becomes by the end of the film; it comes though a gradual recognition and realization of who he is, after first establishing a starting point from which the character can grow. The same is true of Fiona. There's detours and set-backs which-- as in real life-- prevent a direct journey from point A to point B, and create the proverbial sticky wicket along the way. Weitz and Weitz set a good pace, and most importantly, manage to give their film some real heart without lapsing into any melodramatic, maudlin sentimentality. Rather, the sentiments and situations they express are real and believable, and presented in such a way as to afford the audience any number of elements to which they can genuinely relate.

As Will, Hugh Grant gives arguably his best performance ever. In some respects, Will is similar to other characters Grant has created (most notably Daniel in `Bridget Jones's Diary'), but there's a depth to Will he's never previously managed to achieve, and without question this is his most three-dimensional, fully developed character yet. Grant has a natural charm and a charismatic screen presence, but his presentation is often tinged with a bit of pretentiousness that is entirely absent here. He does an especially nice job of effecting Will's transition in very real and credible terms, and by the end, it's obvious that this is a side of Grant we have not seen before; with this role, he has effectively expanded his range as an actor. In the final analysis, it's a performance with real substance, and it makes Will a truly memorable character.

The young Hoult brings Marcus convincingly to life, as well, with an extremely natural performance, in which he commendably manages to avoid the trappings of stereotype into which this character could easily have fallen. Some credit must go to his directors, of course, but it's Hoult who makes it especially believable in the way he responds, for instance, to certain given situations that typically seem to evoke a particular reaction when being depicted on screen (his rather introspective response to the taunts of his school mates, for example; quite different than what is usually portrayed in film). And in their scenes together, Grant and Hoult strike a chord of reality that finally assures the overall success of this film.

The supporting cast includes Rachel Weisz (Rachel), Isabel Brook (Angie), Sharon Small (Christine), Victoria Smurfit (Suzie) and Nat Gastiain Tena (Ellie). Entertaining, as well as insightful, `About A Boy' gives a truly fresh perspective to an element of the human condition that has been explored before, but rarely as effectively. The Weitz Brothers make the subject of their film accessible to a wide audience, and in a way that is engaging and satisfying. This film is going to be a pleasant surprise to many who see it, in that it delivers a whole lot more than most would expect. And that's the magic of the movies. 9/10.

About a Boy is a 2002 comedy-drama film co-written and directed by brothers Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz. It is an adaptation of the 1998 novel of the same name by Nick Hornby. The film stars Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, and Rachel Weisz. The film at times uses double voice-over narration, when the audience hears both Will's and Marcus's thoughts. Will is a 36-year-old underachiever with a fear of commitment that leads him to seek out relationships with single mothers, on the assumption that they are more desperate. However, plans go awry when he befriends with Marcus, the weird 12-year-old son of his latest target. Soon, Will and Marcus become friends, and as Will teaches Marcus how to be a cool kid, Marcus helps Will finally to grow up.

About a Boy is a heart-warming comedy film starring Hugh Grant and introducing Nicholas Hoult.

The film tells a tale of the unlikely connection between a 30something man who's got it all, without ever having done a hard days work in his life, and thinks of himself as an 'island' and a peculiar 12 year old boy who struggles at the mercy of bullies and his depressed mother. Whilst this may seem like an unlikely duo, Grant and Hoult manage to pull it off perfectly.

The film is well scripted, making sure that it delivers comedy and seriousness at a good level without one over-balancing the other and without ruining the book written by Nick Hornby of which this film was based off of.

As well as top performances from Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette and Rachel Weisz, the film also contains excellent music performed by Badly Drawn Boy. The music used in the film further enhances the scenes and emotions that are being conveyed.

The main message in the film, is to further prove a famous quote from Jon Bon Jovi stating that "No man is an island.". We learn from watching the characters themselves, especially Will, how true this quote is and the importance of having others in your life.

I've seen this film countless times and each and every time I find that I'm smiling at the end. While it may not be perfect, it's certainly one of Hugh Grant's best performance and provides a heart-warming message.

About a Boy (2002)

This is a pretty straight forward light comedy, well done, with no great insights or surprises. Hugh Grant is the anchor, and he not only stars in every scene, he also provides a narrative voice-over, which is dry and funny because he's able to express astonishment at what's happening on screen.

The plot--about a boy, yes, who has a depressive hippy overanxious mother--follows a path through middle class London that might be interesting to Americans for a look at normal life in England. Except of course Grant's character, who is rich by inheritance. Eventually you can see that maybe it is this lazy, selfish young man who is the "boy" of the story, because he never quite grew up and the actual boy is more savvy, in some ways, than he is. But this isn't played out as well as you might hope, and the movie ends with a kind of "all is well in the world" glow and that's that.

Rachel Weicz, by the way, who has top female billing, is a small element in the movie, and a lifeless one. Anyone might have done as well, and many could have made the magic and romance intended come alive better. The other female lead, the boy's mother, is Toni Collette, who plays an unappealing role with total conviction.

Completely enjoyable, and welterweight, entertainment.

In the wonderfully entertaining "About A Boy," Hugh Grant shucks everything that made him famous nearly a decade earlier in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" (the floppy hair, the stuttering, etc.) and ends up giving his best performance to date. He plays Will, a wealthy, happily unemployed, commitment-phobic cad (slightly less insidious than Daniel Cleaver of "Bridget Jones's Diary") whose newest ploy is to date single mothers because they are easier to dump. However, he meets Marcus (Nicholas Hoult), the son of a somewhat suicidal mother (Toni Colette), and realizes that he cannot continue living his life so shallowly.

This film was based on Nick Hornby's wonderful book of the same name and retains much of the wit and touching humor. The early scenes depicting Will's "full," but spiritually empty, life are particularly amusing, with Will dividing the day up into units of time and spending these units on "web-based research" (finding pics of supermodels with see-through tops), "exercise" (shooting pool), grooming, and the like. Grant makes his character irresponsible, but remains enormously likable throughout the film. This is important because we start to identify with him, and understand his fears of commitment and helplessness behind his outward superficiality. His mannerisms—Grant's specialty, I think—are v. entertaining to watch; the selfishness, hurt, anger, recognition and more pass across his face effortlessly. The other cast members– Nicholas Hoult, Toni Colette, and Rachel Weisz – are also v. good in their supporting roles and play off each other well.

The film doesn't follow the book too closely, however, but does one-up on the book by wisely emphasizing some parts that the book downplays. For example, Rachel (played by Rachel Weisz) only appears for a few pages in the book, but has much more presence in the movie. Through the Rachel character, we see how Will's relationship with her is different from his past shallow ones, and we realize that he is growing up. Also, the movie is filled with great one-liners and sharp, witty dialogue that never feels forced. The movie also employs voice-over function (Will's) very nicely; for example, in one serious scene, Will follows the ambulance to the hospital, looking rather serious, but in his voice-over he says. "It was all terrible, just terrible. But driving fast behind the ambulance was fantastic." The character would never say that out loud, but it provides comic relief and the assurance that he is, indeed, very shallow.

The strength of "About a Boy" is in the simplicity and power of its scenes. Not one scene is wasted; each one tells us a wealth about the characters and leads to Will's self-discovery. That, along with Hugh Grant's delightful performance, and backed by a great score from Badly Drawn Boy, make "About A Boy" one of the most delightful, entertaining, and touching movies I've seen. It's a great feel-good movie. Highly recommended, especially to Hugh Grant fans, or anyone who has ever empathized or sympathized with Will and his situation. One of my favorites. 10/10.

Will is self centered and has cast off all his responsibilities. But during one of his more dubious scams to date single mothers, he is forced to reconsider his moral fibre after coming into contact with a 12 year old outcast named Marcus.

Adapted from the massively popular book written by Nick Hornby ("Fever Pitch" & "High Fidelity") About A Boy easily translates well to the screen without truly breaking free of the modest premise. Oddly enough for such a British picture, this is directed by an American, Paul Weitz, who along with his brother Chris, brought the world "American Pie". It works, largely to the undervalued comic talents of one Hugh Grant (Will). I would go so far as to say that without Grant leading the film, this would have been a flop, all the highlights on offer are when Grant is on the screen. Expressive with his face and delivering his lines with a natural high, Grant nicely lures the audience into the less than admirable Will's hands. Which is quite a trick considering that Will is a morally dubious scum bag!.

Nicholas Hoult (Marcus) is OK as child actors go, but here he is given far to much to do. Which is another reason why Grant is so important to the film being a success, he shoulders much of the emotional burden, letting Hoult breathe what life he can into poor young Marcus (worst hair cut on film ever). Solid support comes from Toni Collette and Rachael Weisz, and Weitz's direction is smooth and unobtrusive, with Badly Drawn Boy's score an integral part of the story. Yet as much as I enjoy the film myself, one still feels frustrated that it didn't turn out better than it did. A double handed narration from both lead characters intrudes on the flow of the plot, and the pay off is ultimately an "oh" moment. So to me it's an OK movie made into a good one courtesy of one of Britain's best light comedy actors. 7/10

Decent movie that has some funny lines, but really drags in the middle. Take your wife/girlfriend and earn some brownie points, but don't expect to be bowled over. The acting is solid, Hugh Grant plays himself, as usual, but just a little more self centered than normal for him. The mother, Toni Collette, is very good. I just don't see this as anywhere near the best movies of the year. I don't think I'll even remember it next month.

`About a Boy' was being touted as a great make over for Hugh Grant… and it is. Gone is his infamous bumbling English fop role, his fluffy hair lost to a sharp, more stylish cut. Here he plays a rich selfish layabout, Will, who cruises through life on the royalties from a song his deceased father penned years ago. He finds a great way to meet women who don't want to get involved through a single mother's group – which is where he meets the strange twelve year old boy Marcus (Nicholas Hoult), who lives with his depressed, suicidal mother Fiona (Toni Collette). A tragic event sees Marcus seeking comfort with the indifferent Will who begins to realise that there's more to life than sitting around at home all day.

Hugh Grant is on peak form here – he sheds his old roles for that of a fresher, younger man. He is able to convey charm and selfishness not just through words, but also through his mannerisms. He even conveys genuine affable warmth later on in the movie, without making my teeth grate… Equally impressive is Toni Collette as Marcus' sad mother. Her character has a tragic feeling to it, a real sense of world-weariness conveyed in a great combination of makeup and acting. The real star of the movie – for me- is Nicholas Hoult as the young boy who helps Will come to realizations about his life. He doesn't get by on cute good looks, like far too many kid actors, because he can actually act – from the innocence of a child (when he tries to get his mother and Will together), to the simplistic musings of children who can't understand why some people hurt (such as his mother). Like Osment (whom he amusing compares himself to), Hoult shows that child actors are just as, if not more so, capable as their elders.

The script of the movie is witty, without being outright hilarious. It's what you come to expect of the British comedy market (the weak `Ali G indahouse' aside). It being a British comedy you can predict where it's going to go and there are relatively few surprises along the way. Having said that the characters are sketched strongly enough, and the humour at a high enough level, that you'll be more than entertained along the way.

It's surprising to see that this movie was directed by the `American Pie' Weitz brothers, because they bring a thoughtful, contemplative air to the movie, while never getting bogged down in pointless camera techniques – the most we're left with is some simple screen wipes. They've also chosen well by having Badly Drawn Boy compose the whole soundtrack as it works very well with the film's tone.

There's nothing outstanding in `About a Boy' but what's here is done surprisingly well. It's a nice movie that's quite enjoyable for relaxing to some evening. A 7/10 seems just.

This is a typical saturday evening movie where you don't want to get up from your couch, you are feeling lazy and all you wanna do is eat something good and watch something that will not make your head hurt. I liked this movie pretty much, especially with Hugh Grant in it and his typical english behaviour. In this movie he exceeds himself in acting beyond my expectations along with the boy who was as good as him. The story is nothing special, it is a straight forward movie, but thoughtful and emotional.

This movie really came as a surprise to me. I had read the book shortly before I saw it and when I heard Hugh Grant was going to star and the Weitz brothers were chosen to direct I didn't exactly have high hopes. I thought "American Pie" was funny and all but this kind of story demanded someone more mature, someone clever. This movie, however, turned out to be all that: mature, clever, witty, sensible, honest and, most of all, really funny in such a natural way. Hugh Grant has never been better in any role before or since and the soundtrack by Badly Drawn Boy is just perfect for the movie. The only thing they overdid a little was Toni Collette's character. I've never seen a person like that in real life. What I did like was the way they changed the ending for the movie. Usually that's not a good idea but it totally worked here. After all, I still liked "High Fidelity" a tiny bit better (the movie, not the book), but "About A Boy" comes very close. If you are just as much a fan of this book/movie as I am, get the DVD. There are wonderful deleted scenes on it, which are as funny as the rest of the movie.

While it may sound counterintuitive, some of the most likable characters(at least to many viewers) are jerks. Those that are selfish and mean spirited to just a point that they can be amusing but not unpleasant. Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise have both built careers on these characters, they're probably the two best, however Hugh Grant proves himself in this film to be right with the best of them. And his performance as a riotously self-serving character honestly is not only his best, but about as funny a one as you'll find.

I guess you could write off most of the comedy in this movie as a British sense of humor, but wherever its culturally derived it's: wry, a little dark, witty and pretty different than what you'll find in most mainstream comedies. Which makes sense, because About A Boy isn't very typical and in fact, superior to much of its comparables.

I was a bit scared about what kind of treatment Chris and Paul Weitz had given the great novel by Nick Hornby. I have to report they did a great job in bringing it to the screen with the help of the screenwriter, Peter Hedges III. It's amazing what they have accomplished in translating the book to the screen and not lose focus in doing so. A great many Hollywood brains should take note of what was accomplish in this film.

Hugh Grant strikes the right amount of hipness, confusion and complete lack of responsibility in his interpretation of Will. He is an actor that brings the right attitude in playing a man about London looking for women, no matter where. He's a prowler looking for women who will fall prey to his charms. Mr. Grant is just perfect for this role.

The biggest surprise though, was the amazing debut of Nicholas Hoult, who just bowled us over as Marcus, the "boy" of the title. This young actor has a great career ahead of him if the people behind him will steer him into the right vehicles because he is a natural. He gives Mr. Grant a run for his money. The chemistry of their time together on screen is basically what was on the book while we were reading it.

Toni Collette plays another mother. Again, her interpretation of Fiona was on target. Rachel Weisz adds beauty to the film as Rachel. Someone should take a good look at this gorgeous woman and perhaps give her and Hugh Grant another vehicle where they can shine once again.

Will Freeman (Hugh Grant) thinks of himself as a self-sufficient island. He doesn't need any connections or dependents. He's never worked a real job in his life, living off the royalties of his father one big hit song. After a setup by his sister, he finds that single moms make for the best dating potential. Marcus Brewer (Nicholas Hoult) is a freakish outcast at his school, and his mother is suicidal. Will and Marcus are brought together by a lie and a single parent help group.

Based on a Nick Hornby novel, it is a comedy about a man growing up helping a boy and his fears. It is a witty film about family and friendship. Most of all, it's about love and the need for human connections. The characters are well drawn. Importantly, Hugh Grant is at the top of his game, and there is a great newcomer in Nicholas Hoult.

Early on in 'About a boy' the opinion is ventured that `no man is an island'. At the same stage I was wondering when `romantic comedy' became a euphemism for 'inoffensive date movie'. The film shed little light on the facts behind either theory, but succeeded in proving them both as true and unchangeable as rush hour traffic.

The story follows Will, a fashionable layabout with no cares in the world, and Marcus, a 12-year old boy with a manically depressed hippy for a mother whose school life makes a working week in a sweatshop seem attractive. The unlikely pair end up together when Will's plan to date single mothers for some hassle free relationships backfires in the most ironic way possible.

We are then treated to the usual selection of writer Nick Hornby's pop culture observations and comic characterisations of nerdy males having to contend with the concept of a serious relationship and real life. Whilst the electric prose of his debut 'Fever Pitch' has faded through his later works Hornby still has the power to leave a readers jaw hanging in the breeze by having his generally likeable protagonists commit truly nasty acts. It is this risk taking and realism that gives his writing an edge. Unfortunately the film adaptations of his books merely see him as the new Cameron Crowe, and 'About A Boy' offers a double jackpot with the smart arse kiddie factor that was so successful in Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous.

It is depressingly predictable that the casting tells you everything you need to know about the film. Hugh Grant can make a mass murderer seem like an amusingly misunderstood guy, so his portrayal of Will seems charming to the point of sainthood, whilst Rachel Weitz may as well have 'attractive love interest' stapled to her forehead the way the make-up and lighting departments have obviously fawned over her. Grant's spiky hair cut and characterisations can't stop the audience warming to him, where someone like Richard E Grant could have given the character real sleaze, anger and most of all depth.

Such safe playing production touches smother the original touches of the film. The homespun soundtrack, completely composed by Badly Drawn Boy, is cut so slickly into the film it starts sounding like a selection from Time Life music 'acoustic love moods' CD. This wrecks the rare pleasure of having a maverick songwriter given creative control over a movies entire soundscape (at Hornby's request no less). Toni Collete's gutsy performance as Marcus' mother is edited down to little more than a hippy-chic cameo of her Muriel's Wedding persona and idiosyncratic touches such as man and boy bonding over Countdown are poorly handled.

If this wasn't enough to send the viewers higher brain functions to sleep we are given not one but two voiceovers in the film to make sure every nuance of every performance is clearly explained with no hint of ambiguity, thereby killing off any depth that accidentally may have been left in the film.

Despite this Grant's charm carries the film safely to it's conclusion with a few belly laughs along the way. But this never excuses the fact that the film lacks the consistency of jokes to survive as comedy or the emotive depth to work as drama. In short it is another film which has lead to the words `romantic comedy' describing films which are generally neither one nor the other.

I just watched this yesterday again :)

i was at my grandmothers and we all watched my DVD it 3 generations of us all watched it

all loved it from my little cousin 10 - my grandparents 70s With a steady stream of laughs, masterful & quite original plot line and includes a very intriguing character ensemble.

This movie follows the tradition of Hugh Grant playing the villain extremely well inkeeping with his debut in Bridget Jones' Diary as a villainous character.

I personally liked this slightly better then Bridget it was a little more suspenseful and serious, but all lovers of the Bridget jones' series should go an buy this. guaranteed enjoyment.

but about a boy is timeless, if you enjoy it the second time you will enjoy it forever. I mention second time as the humor is a fairly conservative and educated so you need to pay attention. Or you will definitely miss the hilarity of Hugh Grants character as it isn't directly implied like skit comedies such as Road Trip and Old School. which are boring after 2 views.

don't leave the store with a copy or two of this.

rating 8.2/10

*Arghhh I've wounded his soul:'( **ohhh SHUT UP your wounding my soul!!

Hugh Grant is a rich London lay-about who - through his pursuit of single mothers - finds himself in a relationship with a troubled teenager and her rather off-beat depressive mother.

Another Nic Hornby book adaptation and another Hugh Grant vehicle, which brings about a load of pro's as well as minuses to any project.

The author is actually a middle class, elite college (Cambridge) educated, ex-teacher pretending - for fashion purposes - to be a North London football roustabout complete with mock accent. So he must know a few things about living life as a fake.

While a fine writer, able to write well about small things, he is also light and throwaway. More like superior journalism than great novel writing, although always entertaining and down-to-earth.

Grant can't really act, merely do variations on himself. Here he is a bit more like the real person, no stumbling and bumbling and tripping over his own feet, but somewhat languid. While pleasant company he makes a lot of his nice face, foppish hair (here cut short and spiky) and upper class accent.

(Most English actors have come from the stage and have a range of tricks: while Grant has - somehow - grown up on film. Nearly always cast as himself.)

This is a film of small jokes and situation comedy. Running gags about the one song from which he lives (Santa's Magic Slay) and the empty tedium of his life abound, but I don't believe him. People don't volunteer to tell other people that they do nothing, they create professions (such as "investor") which they don't spend many hours doing. Equally the idle rich are not islands, they hang around with other members of the idle rich.

The film tries to not to go down the road of the obvious, the child who he befriends (or more accurately befriends him) is ordinary. If this was an American film the kid would be blonde haired and blue eyed, not so here. Naturally we are on a journey, if only towards fashion headgear and a better haircut.

Where is the Grant character on a journey to? That there is a life beyond daytime TV? Did he need to meet a child to learn that? Surely not. And where does the character go after this film ends? A slightly modified version of the same?

The film goes beyond the book in having a school concert in which Grant tries to save the day. Is this the best they could come up with? Character pieces are hard to end, but this is just an unpleasant pile-on-the-agony experience for everyone.

Overall, hard to dislike this film because everyone is working hard (and the music - from Badly Drawn Boy - is good too), but the sights are so low that it is barely a TV movie and I am not surprised they are making this in to a TV series. There is a lots of little jokes that could be rung and so many extra avenues they could wander down...

About a Boy is a maudlin puddle of sap that, while billed as a romantic comedy, is neither romantic nor funny.

Every character in the movie is a pale cliche: the crazy hippie, the self-absorbed yuppie, the angry single mother, the dreamy artist, the tattooed motorcycle-jacket lesbian, the nerdy kid who doesn't fit in, the playground bullies, the nose-pierced punk rocker with a heart of gold...one after another these tired stereotypes traipse across the screen, leaving a sugary slime on the ground like a slug slithering over the pavement.

There's only one real laugh in the film, and that's when Hugh Grant turns a volunteer stint working the phones at Amnesty International into an opportunity for phone sex. The rest of the movie is too pious to be funny and too concocted to be emotionally interesting.

It's extremely disheartening to read the litany of moonstruck reviews served up by those who call About a Boy an insightful examination of the contemporary male persona. Hugh Grant's shallow character doesn't have anything to do with the contemporary male persona, or any other male persona for that matter, and thank God for that.

This film is so shamelessly sentimental and badly written that I was literally hiding my face under my sweater in several places out of sheer pain and embarrassment. At other times I was praying to God for the movie to end (checking my watch sadly revealed I was only 45 minutes into the fiasco), and on a later occasion I found myself practicing Buddhist meditation techniques in order to convert the pain of viewing it into an opportunity for growth. It would indeed be fair to say that watching About a Boy is a religious experience.

If you want to see a dashing British comedy of errors about a romantic, bumbling idle young man, go rent an episode of Jeeves and Wooster. It'll beat the socks off of this sad little movie any day of the week.