Review of About a Boy (2002) by Stevenf — 20 Jan 2013

It's eccentric, often crude, and seamlessly silly, but About A Boy finds its stride at the forefront of most non-commital men, children.

Hugh Grant has left his stammering,stuttering baby-face like persona back home and s extremely confident and funny as the free-wheeling and hedonistic bachelor Will, a man living off his fathers one hit wonder Christmas song, and this film picks up through the central character trying to pick up women at SPAT (Single Parents Alone Together). Through this, he runs into the weird and wonderfully blank Marcus, (the debut of Nicholas Hoult). What follows is a simply hilarious chain events where Marcus appears to be the only person privy to Wills plans and so begins to visit him everyday after school to just socialise (and watch Countdown) and even discuss girl problems, a 12 year old versus a 38 year old. The story is told through a double narration from both Marcus and Will, attempting to clarify and explain their friendship with each other, from Marcus continuing struggles with his suicidal mother (the excellent Toni Collette) and Will's attempt to start a relationship with Rachel (Rachel Weisz).

This film deals with all the typical problems seen in a dysfunctional lifestyle, which in turn shows to be quite a frequent theme in most peoples lives, troublesome children, marriage, sex, single parents, it all appears in a light-hearted attempt to show the trial and error ways of dealing with children, mid-life crisis etc.

With a wonderfully ridiculous climax, this film will indeed play on the heartstrings in mild-mannered fashion that only a British comedy can deliver, it has all the great performances, particularly the two leads, a stepping out of the comfort zone Hugh Grant is especially convincing as the care-free bachelor but it was young Nicholas Hoult, whose career undoubtedly went from strength to strength after this role, stole the show as the young, confused, but not so naive Marcus, who takes no bull from anyone, typically as most children are, but a lot of nerve would have had to go into accepting that role and he embraced it with every fibre. Another excellently delivered British flick that will not fail to amuse a wider variety of audiences, whether its coming-of-age or simple twists on a rom-com, definitely worth watching.