2002 film starring
Hugh Grant minus floppy fringe and stutter. Adapted from the novel by
Nick Hornby, it tells the story of Grant's character Will, a rich, good for nothing layabout, who lives off the
royalties earned by a crap xmas song his father wrote. Will consumes - DVDs, CDs, daytime telly, overpriced meals at
poncy London restaurants - but refuses to allow himself to connect or develop any of his short-term relationships. This slowly changes during the course of the movie as his life becomes entangled with that of a lonely 12 year old boy, Marcus (
Nicholas Hoult).
The relationship comes about after Will discovers that dating single mothers suits his lifestyle, and in order to meet them he starts attending a single parent help group, inventing a two year old son in the process. This deception leads to an encounter with Marcus and the pair begun to bond after Will covers for Marcus when he accidently kills a duck, and after Fiona (Toni Collette), Marcus's mum, attempts to kill herself, the boy begins spending more and more time with Will.
The film is quite amusing, Grant seems to revel in playing a bit of bastard, but even so his character isn't too much of a stretch from the foppish posh English bloke he usually portrays. Hoult does quite well as the young boy, never descending into annoying child actor territory, and the pair build up a good rapport. The film is let down by a slightly weak third act, the narration tells us that Will and Marcus are both finding love (not with each other mind), but nothing we see on screen ever demonstrates why or how. And yes, the ending is a bit sappy and sentimental but that's always the case with these films and there's enough momentum and funny touches to keep the story from ever becoming bogged down.
About a Boy is directed by Chris and Paul Weitz, who were responsible for the American Pie movies, so this shows off they can bring a subtler stroke to their work. Toni Collette is also good, playing a different kind of mother from her role as Haley Joel Osment's mother in The Sixth Sense (which is briefly alluded to in the opening segment). Rachel Weisz flickers briefly, but doesn't have a lot to do aside from being the object of Grant's affections. Apart from all this the other thing that has to be mentioned is the soundtrack, composed mainly by Badly Drawn Boy, which is absolutely fantastic.
With all the elements for a funny, diverting hour and a half or so of romantic comedy in place, best-selling novel; star with track record and box office clout, cute but not annoying kid, songs you are happy to hear on the radio, and the cynical but soft in the right places script, it really shouldn't be a surprise that this film is so enjoyable. And enjoyable it is.