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Directed by: Paul and Chris Weitz Starring: Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, Rachel Weisz Will (Hugh Grant) is a mid-thirties spoiled slacker who's never worked a day in his life, which revolves mostly around women, the obtaining of women, and finding the most absolutely effortless way to absorb himself when there are no women around (mostly daytime television). Through a scheme in which he pretends to be a single father in order to woo a young and attractive single mom, he happens to meet Marcus (Nicholas Hoult), a weird, misfit adolescent whose problems stem largely from the whims of his manic-depressive hippie mother Fiona (Toni Collette). While Will barely gives the boy or his mother a second thought, Marcus decides that he's just what their family needs, and sets out to draw Will into their lives whether he wants to be there or not. The best components of the very good "About A Boy" are the two boys at the heart of the story, Will and Marcus, whose characters could have been so much shallower than they are if the actors hadn't handled them so well. By all rights, Will is a total rear end in a top hat and more so because he knows he is, but you can't help liking him anyway, partly because the movie itself is also fully aware of his failings and doesn't let him get away with them. On the other side of the coin, Marcus could have been portrayed as simply an unlikable dork or, more likely, an adorable moppet with a heart of gold whose horrible classmates hate him just because he doesn't wear the right clothes or some silly junk like that. He's neither; he's a genuinely offbeat, weird kid, someone you can simultaneously feel sorry for while still understanding why everybody picks on him. The movie gets that, too, and one of its landmark sequences has everybody begging Marcus not to commit what is obviously social suicide; it'd be nice if he didn't make himself such a target, but if he's going to, there will always be consequences. The women of the movie are also very good, especially Toni Collette as Fiona, but we don't become too strongly acquainted with any of them. The plot description at the beginning of this review makes it sound kind of like one of those precious Parent Trap rip-offs about a kid searching for a daddy and how the two disparate lovebirds finally realize they belong together. That's not remotely what this movie is like. It's not a romantic comedy; actual romance plays very little part in the whole thing (neither Fiona nor Will is at all interested in the other). It's smart and clever (it's based on a book by Nick Hornby, who also wrote the novel that became "High Fidelity") and fun to watch, and contains quite a few truly hilarious moments. It's a great date movie especially, but it works on its own merits, too. RATING: 4.5 PROS: Very engaging and funny without being loud or abrasive CONS: Somewhat sentimental (but about as little as humanly possible) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0276751/
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Aug 22, 2004 21:55
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 08:36 |
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This film is very entertaining, and whenever it is on I can't help but watch it. It is charming and funny, though I found it difficult to watch Marcus' moment of social suicide. He looked so drat pitiful. Anyone can enjoy this movie. 4.5
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Aug 25, 2004 19:38
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This is one of the more enjoyable movies I have seen in recent years. It is offbeat, but sentimental, and a perfect blend of both characteristics. The film really runs on its actors, and I found the characters to become very friendly to me over the course of the story. I was a little weary about the story being moved to the 21st century, because the original 1994 setting of the Nicholas Hornby novel and the inclusion of Kurt Cobain's suicide really set a mood for the novel, but somehow watching the Killing Me Softly duet was fun enough. It's charming and genuinely chuckle-worthy, it's a nice story about boys being boys the best way they can. 4.0
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Aug 26, 2004 00:35
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