Viewed in
2011
Formats
TV
Premise
Hugh Grant stars as a single playboy whose life is changed when he befriends a twelve year old boy.
Liked
The acting, the writing.
Thoughts
I really liked the characters in this thoughtful film.
Hugh Grant was fantastic. Even though portraying a womanizer was easily in his wheelhouse, he was not a caricature, but a human soul, with loneliness seeping through his eyes. Nicholas Hault was was very believable as the kid. It was quite a breath of fresh air to have a young character who was not cute/hip/sharp. Instead, he was just an awkward boy, struggling to fit in at school, getting embarrassed by his mother, and dealing with hormones. Together they created a memorable duo who served as the heart of the film.
The writing had a good balance of funny dialog and cute moments with undertones of depression and isolation. They felt like real people dealing with issues, not in a gritty way, but in a smart, entertaining way. One thing I found to be interesting was that it had two characters doing internal monologues. Considering this was from a Nick Hornsby novel, I assume this was done to help put the character's innermost thoughts/emotions onto screen. And it basically worked, even if it felt odd.
About a Boy worked as a tender comedy-drama thanks to some really likable, and human, lead characters. The only drawback was getting Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly" stuck in your head afterward.
What I would change
Taken out the two hallucinatory moments near the beginning, as they were distracting and unnecessary.
