Rating: 
Summary: Kind of Corny
Review: I love Hugh Grant, and was extremely disappointed with this movie. I didn't find it nearly as good as it was said to be.
Rating: 
Summary: A very enjoyable film...
Review: I've always liked Hugh Grant and he is definitely in fine form here. I loved the interaction between Hugh Grant's character and the child actor (who was also wonderful). This movie could have become too sappy, but it struck just the right balance. I would definitely recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: VERY ENTERTAINING...
Review: This movie is surprisingly very funny ,entertaining and too cute almost. Hugh Grant is always the perfect role for these romantic comedies. This movie reflects on the social aspect of an adolescent boy who is an outcast and a grown up man (who is actually still an immature "boy")who has everything but does not know his path in life. Together they found and helped each other find happiness. This film is a must for DVD collector's.
Rating:
Summary: "I am an island. I am bloody Ibiza!"
Review: Does Hugh Grant play basically the same character in all his films? Well, certainly variations on the same character at the very least. Yet there's nothing wrong with that. After all John Wayne became an icon doing the same thing. Whatever the case may be, Grant's performance in "About a Boy" is a keeper, and so is the film which is one of the best of 2002.Grant plays Will, a 38-year-old playboy determined to remain single and childless. All is good in his world: he has a nice place, a nice car, a generous cash flow, and one fly-by-night relationship after another. His ideal existence is rudely shattered when a young boy named Marcus (Nicholas Hoult) latches onto Will and comes to regard him as a fill-in father, mentor, and best friend all rolled into one. Will tries to separate himself from Marcus as best he can but can't shake him off. As time passes, Will finally admits to himself that he has developed feelings for the boy and goes about proving this by performing with him at a school assembly. What results is a moment that is genuinely touching and hilarious at the same time. You'll never be able to listen to the song "Killing Me Softly" the same way ever again. Hoult gives a great child-actor performance and is supported by strong supporting turns by Toni Collette and Rachel Weisz. But "About A Boy" is Hugh Grant's triumph. His perfectly-placed nuances and double-takes reveal him to be the king of romantic comedies for this generation. 2002 had its share of high-profile great movies like "Minority Report", "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers", and "Catch Me If You Can". "About a Boy" got lost in the shuffle but clearly belongs in the same sentence with these heavyweights. It's a winner.
Rating:
Summary: Solid comedy. An intelligent one
Review: THis is avery good British movie, with the American Pie directors handling the wheel. Hugh Grant plays himself one more time, but, in this one, he manages to be at least likeable and sympathetic.
Rating: 
Summary: If It Keeps One's Wife Happy....
Review: The only reason in the universe I squandered a Saturday evening watching this touchy-feely crock of schlock was to please my wife, from whom I completely concealed my true opinion about Hugh Grant and the one character he always portrays. She enjoyed the film immensely and had a great evening, which was my only goal. There are times when achieving one's goal requires going through torture, and this was definitely one of them.
Rating:
Summary: Hate Hugh Grant? Think again.
Review: Not since 1996, when Hugh Grant donned a doctor's jacket and turned serious in "Extreme Measures," has there ever been a picture that would allow me to accept this mannered British actor -- as being not much more than an OK leading man with floppy hair -- who would forever play the same character in one flimsy crowd-pleasing comedy after another. Until now. "About A Boy" goes so much further to enhance Hugh Grant's career than even that "villain" he played in "Bridget Jones Diary." Hands down, this is Grant's best career performance. Though his high English accent is still present, he dumps his standard tics and stuttering, adding greater meaning to the phrase, "irresponsible and intellectual louse." Some elements in this picture seem to follow a formula, e.g., idiot fop remains an idiot, kid enters picture, so do a couple of women, idiot fop wakes up. But there's more going on in this observational comedy-drama. It feels authentic. Set entirely in Great Britain, Grant plays a guy who does absolutely nothing. He lives off royalties from some horrific Christmas ditty everybody loves that was written by his father, who's dead. No commitments, no shackles; he's a man who loves to juggle girls and lies. He's not a stupid man, as is apparent by how he strings sentences in his narration. He just doesn't give a damn. Without giving away how his transformation occurs, there is some true-to-the-heart revelations that are believable to anyone who has gone through 'em -- which means most of us -- albeit at a much earlier age than the character played by Hugh Grant (in this film, he's pushing 40). That it comes to this guy so late makes his reactions all the more precious and rewarding. What I like most about this film is its rich characters in a dramatic script that draws fine humor from bad situations. This humor, for the most part, doesn't stretch to push a joke that's out of place. This keeps the tonality of the picture consistent and engrossing. (Think of that restaurant scene in "When Harry Met Sally" and you know what I'm talking about when I say I have no tolerance for something that gets a big laugh but is stupidly "out of place" with a tone established 30 minutes before.) You think you've seen your share of "bachelor" stories? Well here's one that allows you to smirk and laugh without feeling patronized or contempt by a endless string of cheap sit-com lines. Hugh Grant's "Will" displays the type of "intellectual" befuddlement that is believable by virtue of his knowledge of arts and history, but with complete ignorance about a life outside night clubs and his 21st century-equipped bachelor "flat." He only cares, when we meet him, about pleasure, as expressed in elapsed periods of time he calls "units." Beyond self-centered, he's still charming, given how brutally honest he can be about how awful he's perceived by the world. When he handles a baby, it's just a "thing" to him. An animal, a pet, would be more endearing to him. But he's only selectively honest. His pursuit of pleasure, his demand to live for "the moment," requires "lies" to achieve success as he sees it. Then in walks this smart kid named "Marcus," wonderfully played by Nicholas Hoult. He carries the other half of the picture. So expressive, wiser beyond his years, yet so used to be picked on, so eager to please his suicidal but loving hippie mother, played by the always fabulous Toni Collette (Muriel's Wedding, The Sixth Sense, The Hours). Of course there's a love interest, and it's not Toni Collette. It turns out to be someone else. While there are some goofy moments that could've been clipped here and there, on the whole, there are few false notes here. All of the character actors play off each other well, and they raise Grant's performance to higher levels. Finally, a Hugh Grant picture that makes best use of Hugh Grant; and the script is everything, based in part on the hit novel by Nick Hornby. I'm certain if this film had been released in the winter of 2002, Grant would be up for an Oscar and his film would be among the nominees for Best Picture. It has a snappy visual style and tempo, as well as a soundtrack that is perfect. Some report mixed emotions with the end of the picture. I think this has to do with wanting air-tight closure. It's not quite there but I was still satisfied; in the end, because you've invested so much in these characters, because you haven't been bored for a second, because you haven't seen an endless barrage of cliches -- you don't want this story to end. You want to keep going to see what happens, despite getting hint of a mild uplift in the last frame. This is the best feeling to have. Keep you wanting more. Finally, I love how "About a Boy" isn't just about the boy Marcus (Nicholas Hoult). It's also about Will (Hugh Grant). Will "Will" ever grow up? Maybe, maybe not. Watch this to find out.
Rating:
Summary: Actual Real Film
Review: Heartwarming studio chickflick about Hugh Grant bonding with a little boy...this description didn't send me rushing to the cinema, despite the Nick Hornsby brand. But shockingly, About a Boy isn't a standard Hollywood prefab romcom or sentimental twaddle -- it's an actual film, sharply written, evocatively directed, beautifully acted. The caustic British wit immediately sets the film apart from its studio comedy brethren -- its actually, frequently funny. The characters feel real, lived in. The superb dual voiceover is potent rebuke to those still peddling the convential wisdom that vo's are "uncinematic" (if this includes you you're immediately assigned "Election" and "Adaptation"), working comfortably inside our protagonists' heads without any dreaded 'literary' staining, bringing their vibrant inner lives to comic life. So instead of the false life lessons and maudlin sentimentality films of this sort so often trade in, we get a moving, witty story about...okay, yeah...Hugh Grant bonding with a little boy. But that's no reason not to rent it. The widescreen picture is gorgeous (another nice departure from drearily filmed studio comedies) and the disc comes with numerous, lengthy deleted scenes that are virtually all terrific, and well worth viewing.
Rating:
Summary: Quirky comedy with substance
Review: This movie has just moved onto my all time favorite list. The plot is unique, touching, interesting and never gets boring. While I am not a major Hugh Grant fan, I think that he is endearing, and real, in this film. As a 38 year old bachelor, it is clear that "island living" has isolated him from almost all the love and meaning that life has to offer. (Think, "no man is an island.") Through the course of the movie, he becomes entwined in the lives of others, and he finally finds that life on a (deserted) island may be a little lonely after all. The supporting cast, as in many British movies, are very real and provide depth and interest to the film. Marcus and his mother are both delightfully complex. Great characters, insightful story, no violence, no slapstick, no gratuitous sex, and plenty of quirky plot devices all contribute to make this a new favorite.
Rating:
Summary: A surprisingly good Hugh Grant film
Review: I was certainly surprised about this one. About a Boy is a fantastic story paralleling the lives of a grown man (Hugh Grant) and a young boy. Now, being no Hugh Grant fan, I thought his presence in the film would be a great distraction all the way through, even if the story was good. But Grant manages to become his character, a listless man living off the royalties of his father's one hit wonder. I forgot the actor and was tricked into seeing the character, and the results opened my eyes to a fantastic film. What really makes this film work (aside from Grant's performance) is how it parallels the lives of Grant and the young boy, who keeps coming by his apartment uninvited looking for a father figure. Cutting from one shot of the boy doing or thinking (in voice over) one thing to Grant doing or thinking the same thing works splendidly. There are plenty of laughs, as well as feel-good moments in the film, without ever getting melodramatic or cheesy. It treads that fine line meticulously, and comes out a clear winner in the end. The music is well placed amongst the visuals of the film. Instead of taking current pop hits picked for their popularity, the songs have a direct correlation to the plot and situations, combining music and visuals in perfect harmony. The supporting cast, including Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense) is equally fantastic. The film is a complete joy from beginning to end. If you're tired of manipulative feel good (or feel sad) films, check out this refreshingly good movie. Highly recommended.
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