Rating: 
Summary: At least a comedy that is not only to laugh
Review: The fifth star of this movie is awarded to the DVD itself. It's really enjoyable not only the making off, but the cut scenes and the off-commentaries of the directors. It is interesting to see the real job of editing and making off this excellent film.I like it very much the way Hugh Grant (Will) and the boy Nicholas Hoult (Marcus) tell the story as it goes for both of them. It seems that complicity of both characters is totally represented by both actors. I have seen Hugh Grant in a huge number of romantic comedies and I didn't expect much of him but THIS IS DIFFERENT. As he says in the extra material he represents 100% a British, rich, handsome, useless bachelor. He is even more irresistible for children than for women. Some acting parts are beautifully absurd: when Will plays guitar helping Marcus to sing "Killing Me Softly", when he goes to the SPAT to meet all divorced women into therapy, when Marcus tries to conquer the older girl by singing his brand-new rap CD... And taking in mind the work of the directors, I think now I am even able to go and watch "American Pie".
Rating: 
Summary: Film-review of "About a boy"
Review: The film "About a boy" is basing on the novel "About a boy", written by Nick Hornby, and takes place in the modern England. The 12-years-old boy Marcus (Nicholas Hoult) lives with his mother Fiona (Toni Collette) in London and he has a life full of problems with his mother, his schoolmates, the first love, etc. And one day he met the 36-years-old Will (Hugh Grant). Will doesn't have a job and earns his money with the copyright of a Christmas song, his father had written, but he's exactly the one who Marcus needs to become more like a teenager than an adult. In the film begins now a special relationship between these two different characters and they become more and more friends. The directors Chris and Paul Weitz developed a amusing story with a few melodramatic and portrays their characters very good. Furthermore they don't repeat the whole book and the "boring" scenes are cut out. The actors are chosen very well. Hugh Grant plays his typical role of a British guy with his own mistakes and the young Nicholas Hoult is support him perfectly. The choice of the other actors is well chosen too because they are performing the characters of the book great. In conclusion I can say that "About a boy" is an entertaining movie for the whole family, with some critical statements against ignoring teenagers and force them to do things they don't want to do.
Rating:
Summary: A refreshing treat . . . I was surprised
Review: This film could have been a real bomb--romantic comedies are often very formulaic and ofter little the audience hasn't seen before. Maybe it's because it's set in London (with a delightful British flavour fully intact)or maybe it's because the child actor, Nicholas Hoult, plays the dorky Marcus perfectly, but this movie is anything but stale. Trendy Londoner Will Freeman realizes, after being fixed up with a single mom, that they're London's largest untapped resource for men who specialize in his brand of love-'em-and leave-'em charm. He immediately invents a son and heads off to single parents support group, and immediately gets to work wooing the prettiest woman there. This hilarious charade leads Will right into the middle of a troubled young boy's life, and Will's own life, which consists largely of watching television, indulging in expensive salon visits, and reading Esquire and other magazines (no job--he lives on a trust fund), is never the same. Slowly, Will warms to the boy, Marcus, and the two begin a symbiotic emotional growth spurt that is warm and touching, though admittedly not very realistic. Marcus is relentlessly teased in school. Though sad, it's understandable--he often breaks into spontaneous song (not even cool songs--more like Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly") and his mom is a clingy hippie woman who is completely oblivious to the fact that her son is a social outcast--and she's also manically depressed. Will absorbs all this and does his the best he can--as a confirmed bachelor--to help make Marcus cool. Slowly, the two become attached to each other. Of course there's a blowup between them and Will finally sees the light and comes to Marcus's rescue (perhaps the only predictable aspect of the plot), but the relationship is at all times heartwarming and funny. This movie is very watchable, thick with dry wit, and and a refreshing kind of comedy. I recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: Great Light Entertainment!
Review: This is a really entertaining if slightly lightweight film. Good story line, wonderful characters, witty dialogue and excellent acting throughout. In fact all the main characters give wonderful performances-none more then Hugh Grant who was an actor I really didn't care much for until recently. He is superb as the spoilt likeable rogue who is the centrepiece of the movie. He's inherited mountains of money from his father who happened to have a fluke Christmas hit in the 50's. The substantial royalty acts as both a blessing and a curse as this journey of discovery takes him from being someone who has brief romances, never has to work, has all the latest gadgets and fashion accessories and of course lives a complete live of leisure. Yet he soon comes to realise that his life is pretty shallow-there's nothing interesting about him, he may as well be a handsome cardboard caracuture. He discovers that single mothers are a great source of romance and it is here he eventually discovers the other lead-the boy Marcus. This boy lives with his closetted, veggie, depressed hippy Mom played by the amazing Toni Colette. Grant pretends to have a son but Marcus discovers his secret and sort of inflicts himself on Grant. You see both characters need each other but obviously in very different ways.
This is a great piece of light entertainment-some of the scenes are hilarious and the dialogue is generally sharp, witty and yet cringe-inducing at the same time. Like another film based on Nick Hornby's writing High Fidelity-some of About A Boy's funniest moments come through the characters expressing their thoughts in a monologue. This film kept me entertained throughout-and even the duller moments you still have the stupendous soundtrack composed by Badly Drawn Boy to enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: "No Man is an Island"
Review: This is one of my favorite movies, it was so heart warming, I truly loved it, it just makes you happy inside to watch this film. Hugh Grant does such a great job as a pseudo- father figure...wow, just go out and rent it now
Rating:
Summary: About a Movie
Review: This movie is one of my all-time favorite comedies. It also happens to star Hugh Grant who is one of my faves and the extremely talented Toni Colette. I think that if you want to see a movie that makes you laugh you will love this, especially if you enjoy Hugh Grant movies. During the movie, you hear Grant thinking out loud. One of my favorite scenes is when he is at a restaurant with young and geekish Marcus, who has somehow gotten Grant to take him and his mother out to eat. He thinks "The mother is clearly insane and appears to be wearing some sort of Yetti costume." My second favorite scene is when Grant joins Marcus on stage at the school talent show to save him from embarassment. I won't spoil the surprise, but it is hysterical.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent. Really Exceptional.
Review: Will is not exactly what most women would consider the Catch of the Week. Sure, he's charming, devilishly handsome and terribly winsome when he wants to be, but. . .well, he's never at any time in his life held a job, content to live off the royalty's of his dad's one hit song; he cares only for himself and is perfectly pleased, even proud, to be shallow and without any hidden depths; and even if all this is not a deterent, the relationship will last no longer than two months at the most, and it will revolve mostly around sex.
Marcus is. . .well. . .the opposite. He's a very sweet child, but not smooth or cool to say the least, and sweetness doesn't really matter terribly in the junior high. Also, Marcus cares almost too much. His life is his Mom and his Mom is unraveling. Marcus finds himself stuck. He has to be the man of the house, and he has to hold his fragile family together because his mother is just not up to the task. Lately, she's been crying a lot. . .even in the mornings, and she's never cried in the mornings before. This occupies Marcus' thoughts more than school or reputation or anything else. It influences his behavior, making him an even easier target for the cruel schoolyard crowd.
Will and Marcus find their lives suddenly intersecting. This is the basis for the newest adaptation of a Nick Hornby ("High Fidelity") novel, entitled "About a Boy." And it is excellent. Will, played perfectly by Hugh Grant, is perhaps even more hopeless than Rob Gordon, John Cusack's character from "High Fidelity." Marcus is played by newcomer Nicholas Hoult, who is a true find. Casting is a major factor in films with large child roles, but Nicholas is absolutely perfect as Marcus. The rest of the cast is well-chosen as well, but the film really comes down to Will and Marcus and the smart screenplay--and these three elements make it a five-star film.
Will, always the commitment-phobic playboy, discovers the world of single mothers, which he sees as the Holy Grail of Bachelorhood. What could be the downside? These women are emotionally scarred, hungry for physical affection and too reluctant to pursue any relationship for too long because of their children. Brilliant! To meet these beauties, Will shows up at a meeting of SPAT--Single Parents, Alone Together. To join up, he invents a 2-year-old in his own life who, naturally, is always with his mother whenever the opportunity to meet him shows up. Through the group, Will finds himself paired with Marcus, who needs somebody to lean on as his mother is spiraling out of control. Before long, Will's life starts to find something it's never really had before: Meaning. And Marcus finds his world expanding and himself growing up as he finds someone who cares about him other than just his mum.
Bottom line: "About a Boy" is very funny, poignant and meaningful. Also, the direction and cinematography do nothing but enhance the plotline. . .they are right-on as well, and do not detract as so often is the case today. The characters are worth caring about and the plot is enveloping. The soundtrack is very well done by Badly Drawn Boy. "About a Boy" is one of those films that hits high marks on all levels, and it can actually maybe even benefit the viewer to see it. I have nothing bad I can say about the film. Perhaps I can't even articulate the good--the excellent--points of this movie here. Just watch it. It's very much worth your time.
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