About a Boy

`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.

Selfish, self-centered rich `kid' Will Freeman lives alone as an island in London, living off royalties from his father's record. When a new dating trick sees him targeting single mothers because they are easier to dump he unwittingly gets mixed up with Marcus. Marcus is a 12 year old who is bullied at school because of his hippy life style (forced on him by his mother) and struggles at home with his depressed, suicidal mother. At first he sees himself helping his mum by getting Will to like her but gradually Marcus and Will get used to each other and have lessons that both can learn.

Following the steaming success of High Fidelity, another Hornby book makes the transition. However credit should be given for setting the movie in England and not moving it somewhere else (cooler). This however is probably due to the lead being English and very bankable!

The story is of course about blokes….and blokes problems – this is Hornby after all. The plot is simple but the fact that it done with a great deal of wit makes it come across very easily. Occasionally the mix of heavy subjects (Marcus's home life) with the comedy of Will's life is a little uneasy, but after a while it mixes better. The story is pretty revealing – I can see a lot of myself in Will, as many men will, and it is involving then to see Marcus teach him things about life. However, saying that, the best thing about this is the comedy – when Will is involved it is nearly always laugh out loud funny – and that's most of the time.

The directors deal with this film really well – they focus on Grants strengths and also use several really cool visual things to add to the comedy – like quick cuts and freeze frame – but not to the point of annoyance. Surprising that these guys did American Pie! Not the most subtle or clever of comedies…

Grant is excellent here – he easily handles the emotional side of the film and the comedy, but it's in the comedy he excels. His face plays out as many jokes as his words and he is indeed a master at playing this character. However here he has to work harder than when he does his usual `English-fop' stuff, because Will is selfish and not immediately likeable…..I must admit that at the start I struggled to get into the film because I hate these people who spend their time in Notting Hill cafes living off inheritances etc – so it's a credit to Grant that he carries it off. Hoult is not as good – he has too much weight to carry. Hoult has to manage the whole emotional side of the film and at times he can't convince. Collette is good as Fiona but again suffers from not having any of the comedy side of the film. Rachel Weisz was good in a small role but as far as I'm concerned – if she was making this, then she wasn't making another rubbish Mummy film!

Overall this is a successful adaptation of the book. The emotional side and the comedy at times don't sit well together and at times it all feels very lightweight, but ultimately it all comes together. Grant is excellent and excels himself here – when he's on screen the film is hilarious and moves fluidly. Unfortunately it slightly highlights the weaknesses of those around him.

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!

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

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.