Production Year: 2002 - Drama - Director: Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, Rachel Weisz, Victoria Smurfit, Isabel Brook, Tim Murdock more
ABOUT A BOY, directed by Chris and Paul Weitz, stars Hugh Grant as Will Freeman, a proudly self-absorbed 38-year-old Londoner. Living lavishly off the royalties from a hit... more
entertaining approach than the easy laughs ofFever PitchandHigh Fidelity. The "coming together" of idle playboy Will (Hugh Grant) and put-upon loner Marcus (Nicholas Hoult)...
entertaining approach than the easy laughs ofFever PitchandHigh Fidelity. The "coming together" of idle playboy Will (Hugh Grant) and put-upon loner Marcus (Nicholas Hoult)...
About a Boy [DVD] [2002]
The film version of Nick Hornby's novelAbout a Boytakes a deeper though no less ... more
entertaining approach than the easy laughs ofFever PitchandHigh Fidelity. The "coming together" of idle playboy Will (Hugh Grant) and put-upon loner Marcus (Nicholas Hoult)...
(Renée Zellweger), only a few weeks have passed in her world. She is, as you'll remember, no longer a "singleton," having snagged stuffy but gallant Mark Darcy (Colin ...
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Plot: ABOUT A BOY, directed by Chris and Paul Weitz, stars Hugh Grant as Will Freeman, a proudly self-absorbed 38-year-old Londoner. Living lavishly off the royalties from a hit Christmas song penned by his father, Will excels at nothing except doing nothing, which, in his case, includes shopping for CDs and having his hair "professionally disheveled." When Will makes a guilt-free exit from a brief fling with a single mom, he decides to crash a meeting of S.P.A.T. (Single Parents, Alone Together) in pursuit of more single mothers. This scheme leads to meeting Suzie (Victoria Smurfit) and Marcus (Nicholas Hoult), the socially awkward 12-year-old son of her flaky best friend, Fiona (Toni Collette). A series of odd situations leads to Will and Marcus becoming unlikely friends, and gradually both of their lives start to change for the better. However, when Will falls for the lovely Rachel (Rachel Weisz) and attempts to pass Marcus off as his son, things go awry. In order to win the heart of Rachel and make amends with Marcus, Will must finally grow up--and completely embarrass himself in front of hundreds of people. Reveling in its characters' quirks and flaws, ABOUT A BOY is a smart, funny, and fast-paced comedy, meticulously crafted by the Weitz brothers. Grant, in possibly the best performance of his career, wisely covers his patented charm with a shallow facade, and Hoult avoids being too cute or precocious; instead, the two actors develop believable characters that grudgingly warm up to each other. Collette is suitably bizarre as a depressed hippie mother, and Weisz provides excellent support in her relatively small role. However, it's clear from the title that this film is about the boys. And that includes Badly Drawn Boy (aka Damon Gough) who contributes an outstanding soundtrack that recalls Simon and Garfunkel's work on THE GRADUATE. Given Nick Hornby's excellent source material, ABOUT A BOY could have easily been an enjoyable movie, but in the hands of its talented collaborators, it's a truly exceptional tale.
Release details
DVD Region: DVD
Studio(s): VISION VIDEO LTD.; UNIVERSAL MUSIC OPERATIONS
Release date: 02/12/2002
No of Discs: 1
Catalogue No: 907 008 9
Barcode: 3259190700895
Screenwriter: Nick Hornby, Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz, Peter Hedges
ABOUT A BOY, directed by Chris and Paul Weitz, stars Hugh Grant as Will Freeman, a proudly self-absorbed 38-year-old Londoner. Living lavishly off the royalties from a hit Christmas song penned by his father, Will excels at nothing except doing nothing, which, in his case, includes shopping for CDs and having his hair professionally disheveled. When Will makes a guilt-free exit from a brief fling with a single mom, he decides to crash a meeting of S.P.A.T. (Single Parents, Alone Together) in pursuit of more single mothers. This scheme leads to meeting Suzie (Victoria Smurfit) and Marcus (Nicholas Hoult), the socially awkward 12-year-old son of her flaky best friend, Fiona (Toni Collette). A series of odd situations leads to Will and Marcus becoming unlikely friends, and gradually both of their lives start to change for the better. However, when Will falls for the lovely Rachel (Rachel Weisz) and attempts to pass Marcus off as his son, things go awry. In order to win the heart of Rachel and make amends with Marcus, Will must finally grow up--and completely embarrass himself in front of hundreds of people.<BR>Reveling in its characters' quirks and flaws, ABOUT A BOY is a smart, funny, and fast-paced comedy, meticulously crafted by the Weitz brothers. Grant, in possibly the best performance of his career, wisely covers his patented charm with a shallow facade, and Hoult avoids being too cute or precocious; instead, the two actors develop believable characters that grudgingly warm up to each other. Collette is suitably bizarre as a depressed hippie mother, and Weisz provides excellent support in her relatively small role. However, it's clear from the title that this film is about the boys. And that includes Badly Drawn Boy (aka Damon Gough) who contributes an outstanding soundtrack that recalls Simon and Garfunkel's work on THE GRADUATE. Given Nick Hornby's excellent source material, ABOUT A BOY could have easily been an enjoyable movie, but in the hands of its talented collaborators, it's a truly exceptional tale.
Languages
Main Language: English
Technical information
Special Features: Documentary - 1. The Making of ABOUT A BOY, Interview - Badly Drawn Boy - Composer, Audio Commentary - 1. Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz - Directors, Deleted Scenes with Directors' Commentary, Music Videos - 1. Silent Sigh - Badly Drawn Boy, 2. Something to Talk About - Badly Drawn Boy, Scene Selection, Interactive Menus, Book, Soundtrack CD
Advantages: More than just another Hugh Grant Rom-Com Disadvantages: Film is good, book is better.
...The phrase "well it was good, but not as good as the book" is a phrase very often used when reviewing an adaptation of a successful novel and in many ways this is very true of "About a Boy".
Now before anyone thinks I'm having a pop at the film, I'm not, the film is still excellent. A wonderful piece of relationship storytelling that is both touching and intelligent and also contains some extremely amusing asides on top.
Will Freeman leads what for many must seem like an idyllic life. He doesn't have to work, thanks to a ubiquitous Christmas song written by his father, which keeps him in royalty money, and has a comfortable if rather soulless existence. In fact it is this very selfish lifestyle that makes Will a rather childish person. He is unable to sustain any sort of relationship and even thinking of others is an idea foreign...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: great acting, plot Disadvantages: might be a bit girly for some people?
...I have to admit I love any film with Hugh Grant in it (there's just something about him!), and About a boy is no exception.
Will (Hugh Grant) is a single guy living in London. His father wrote a hit record - a cheesy Christmas song called 'Santa's Super Sleigh'- many years ago, and Will lives off the royalties, never having done a days work in his life. Will's life revolves mainly around watching daytime TV and meeting women, much to the dismay of his married friends. When one of the aforementioned friends sets Will up on a date, the woman reveals halfway through dinner that she has a three year old son. They date for a while, but the relationship doesn't work out. Will realises that there is a whole new world of women out there, that he hasn't yet met - single mothers.
When Will sees a flyer for a single parents group called SPAT...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: well directed and acted, good storyline Disadvantages: none
...I watched this film on DVD again last night after not having watched it for ages although I would class it as one of my favourite films. Boy, did I enjoy it? It certainly is one of those films that you can watch over and over again, and in fact, by knowing what is coming up, you can enjoy the anticipation!
About a Boy is based on the novel by Nick Hornby, which is also thoroughly enjoyable. I am often disappointed by film adaptations from books, but certainly not in this case!
It is essentially the story of Will (played by Hugh Grant) and his relationship with Marcus, a twelve year old boy (Nicholas Hoult). Will is in his late thirties, and due to his father's success in penning the one hit wonder 'Santa's Sleigh' he has never had to do a day's work in his life as he is able to live of the royalties. He has also never had a serious...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
helpful 26.11.2006
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