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About a Boy
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About a Boy (2002)

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User Rating: 7.4/10 (35,971 votes)
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Overview

Writers (WGA):
Nick Hornby (novel)
Peter Hedges (screenplay) ...
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Release Date:
17 May 2002 (USA) more view trailer
Genre:
Comedy | Drama | Romance more
Tagline:
Growing up has nothing to do with age.
Plot:
Based on Nick Hornby's best-selling novel, About A Boy is the story of a cynical, immature young man who is taught how to act like a grown-up by a little boy full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 8 wins & 18 nominations more
User Comments:
Hugh Grant in non-annoying role shock! And he's quite funny too more

Cast

 (Cast overview, first billed only)

Hugh Grant ... Will

Nicholas Hoult ... Marcus
Sharon Small ... Christine
Madison Cook ... Imogen
Jordan Cook ... Imogen
Nicholas Hutchison ... John
Ryan Speechley ... Barney
Joseph Speechley ... Barney

Toni Collette ... Fiona
Natalia Tena ... Ellie (as Nat Gastiain Tena)
Laura Kennington ... Ellie's Friend
Tanika Swaby ... Ellie's Friend
Peter McNicholl ... Ellie's Friend
Christopher Webster ... Ellie's Friend
Ben Ridgeway ... Lee, the Bully
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
About a Boy oder: Der Tag der toten Ente (Germany)
Pour un garçon (France)
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MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some thematic elements.
Runtime:
101 min
Country:
UK | USA | France | Germany
Language:
English
Colour:
Colour (DeLuxe)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS
MOVIEmeter: ?
V 24% since last week why?

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
At the beginning of the film Marcus says he would be able to take care of his mum (Toni Collette) if he were Haley Joel Osment. Toni Collette played Haley Joel Osment's mother in The Sixth Sense (1999). more
Goofs:
Continuity: As Rachel is cleaning up for Will and Marcus, she picks up a wine glass about half full, but when she sets it down, it is empty. more
Quotes:
Will: It was terrible! Terrible! But driving really fast behind the ambulance was fantastic! more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Holiday (2006) more
Soundtrack:
Something To Talk About more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
40 out of 47 people found the following comment useful:-
Hugh Grant in non-annoying role shock! And he's quite funny too, 26 June 2002
Author: Aidan McGuinness from Dublin, Ireland

`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.

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Useless mum ivo123-1
I can't believe... miss_vixen16
Marcus is sooo annoying... t_canup
Similar but better movie: Dear Frankie grhmb
Brad Pitt wannabemoviebuff18
Music question keith-149
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