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About A Boy [2002]
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The film's wit and amusement comes down to deft and understated directing from Chris and Paul Weitz, and a snappily crafted screenplay from Peter Hedges and the Weitz brothers. Grant clips his hair as well as his vowels for a believable and ultimately sympathetic Will--by far his best performance since Four Weddings and a Funeral. As Marcus, Hoult is convincingly self-dependent, but could have been even more self-absorbed. Toni Colette is a dead-ringer for the well-meaning but ineffectual hippie mother Fiona, while Rachel Weisz gives her best screen performance to date as the attractive and vulnerable Rachel, with whom Will comes of age emotionally. Badly Drawn Boy's soundtrack will delight those who enjoy his brand of reconstituted 1970s Dylan; the title track has a wistful charm and there's a gem of an instrumental in the "Countdown" sequence. About a Boy is in the best traditions of British comedy: enlightening as it amuses, it's a film to enjoy and come back to. --Richard Whitehouse
RRP: £5.99
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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
The film version of Nick Hornby's novel About a Boy takes a deeper though no less entertaining approach than the easy laughs of Fever Pitch and High Fidelity. The "coming together" of idle playboy Will (Hugh Grant) and put-upon loner Marcus (Nicholas Hoult) is a revealing tale of self-understanding and role reversal. Will finds that being yourself is of little consequence without a defining human context, while Marcus finds that pleasing others counts for little without a degree of self-confidence. How they arrive at this complementary awareness is the intriguing subject matter of the film, involving well-meaning single mothers, difficult adolescents and helpless older adults. Yet there's a wider significance to all this in the guise of human stereotypes--how we fall into them and how we can try to get out of them.
Suprisingly good!
Review date: 2008-07-12 Rating: 10 out of 10
Having bought this DVD a couple of years ago because it came in a set with Love Actually and Notting Hill, I have only just gotten round to watching it. And my have I been missing out? About a boy is an incredible film and will appeal to all ages and both genders. Great family viewing as it is not littered with swearing like the majority of films around and no cringy 'oh my god i can't believe i'm watching this with my children/ parents' moments!
All in all a fantastic performance from Hugh Grant, and a wonderful feel-good comedy (which is actually funny) that i am sure to watch again and again... just maybe not as much as i watch Love Actually cos that would be impossible!
Highly recommended
Similar Products
- Notting Hill [1999]
- Love Actually [2003]
- Four Weddings And A Funeral [1994]
- Bridget Jones's Diary [2001]
- Bridget Jones 2: The Edge of Reason [2004]
Reviews
Not Hugh Grant's Finest Offering
Review date: 2008-04-06 Rating: 6 out of 10
If you're a Hugh Grant fan (which I am) then this is an enjoyable enough film but it doesn't rank with the likes of "Four Weddings and a Funeral" or "Notting Hill". If you're not a Grant fan then you'll probably loathe it. It's difficult to have any sympathy with Grant's character and the rest of the cast (with the possible exception of Rachel Weisz) aren't that engaging. I'm not sure if that's down to the casting, acting or writing but somewhere the chemistry went missing (or failed to arrive). My recommendation: watch it when it comes round on TV rather than spend your hard earned cash on the DVD.
Most enjoyable
Review date: 2007-11-28 Rating: 10 out of 10
A very amusing, wistful, typical British movie. Hugh Grant plays the lead, a self-centered, well off, (his father wrote a best selling xmas song from which he lives off of the royalties) lazy, batchelor, who is simply out to conquer attractive women and then move on when he thinks the relationship is getting to intense. When he finally falls for Rachel Weisz, he weaves a web of half truths (lies!) that backfire on him just when he thinks he has found the "one".The actor who plays the "boy" is great and is the catalyst that shoves Grant firmly into the real world of relationships, from which he has hitherto avoided. The scene where in order to rescue the young lad from making a fool of himself at his school concert, he comes on playing guitar, thus helping him to sing "Killing me Softly" and when it goes better than expected, cannot resist continuing beyond a sensible point, is brilliant.
The soundtrack by Badly Drawn Boy is very good and goes perfectly with the film. A good adaptation of a Nick Hornby book which is enjoyable for many more than just one viewing. Oh and remember "single parents, together, forever!" watch you'll understand.
My Kids Loved it
Review date: 2007-10-01 Rating: 8 out of 10
I bought this to watch with my 13 & 11 year old boys and they both loved it. It hooked them from the start and they intend to hang on to it so they can watch it again. It's family viewing. A good, funny feel-good movie.
QUITE A FUNNY FILM
Review date: 2007-08-08 Rating: 8 out of 10
`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.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Nicholas Hoult
Hugh Grant
Jordan Cook
Madison Cook
Sharon Small
Creators:
Hugh Grant (Primary Contributor)
Nicholas Hoult (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: 4 Front Video
Manufacturer: 4 Front Video
EAN: 5050582228878
Binding: VHS Tape
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2004-02-09
Number of discs: 1
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Running time: 97 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2002-05-17
Language: English (Original Language)