Rating: Summary: The book AND movie are both GREAT, for once!! Review: First, I adore Hugh Grant. As soon as i saw the preview I wanted to view this film. It was simply wonderful. It's a charming tale of Will, a rich, unemployed singleton who lives off royalties from a song his father wrote. It takes a young boy to teach him to face the realties of life and that gaining complications helps us grow and expand as individuals. Since viewing the film I read 2 of Nick Hornby's novels, including this one, they are great as well. The novel matched the film almost to a tee, which made for great reading...I laughed out loud many times!! You will enjoy his candor and yet humourous childishness at the same time. I am definitely now a fan.
Rating: Summary: beautiful movie Review: this is simply one of the best movies i have seen in years. the performances are wonderful and the storyline is sweet and sad and hystericlly funny all at once. the only thing i can recommend is that one reads the book. i like the ending to the book much better than the movie, and it provides more insight as to the characters.
Rating: Summary: Hands down, the best movie of 2002 Review: I saw this movie back in June and knew when I walked out of the theatre, it was a dvd must. It's charming, sweet, funny, sad. I've had my preorder in for a few months & just can't wait to own this!
Rating: Summary: Best film of 2002 ! Review: What a pleasant surprise this film was ! I went to see it without expecting much and it left me in a good mood for the rest of that day. I guess most movie goers will identify with Hugh Grant's character, some of us in more ways than one. After viewing it I recommended it to several memmbers of my family and they all loved it ! My recommendation is this: purchase it even if you haven't seen it. Nobody I know has been dissapointed by it so far. Best film of 2002 by a longshot !
Rating: Summary: No man is an island... Review: Who wrote the phrase "No man is an island"... Will's answer..."Jon bon Jovi, to easy..." The opening credits to a fantastic movie. This movie labled in our local cinema is put in the genre of Romantic Comedy...But it's much more than that. It is a coming of age movie, for both a boy and a man. Will is a 38 year old male equivelant of a spinster who has never had a job in his life and lives off of the royalties of his fathers only song. When he meets 12 year old Marcus, he descovers more about deep and meaningfull relationships, and living life to the full. Marcus learns about men and what to be when he grows up and tries to understand Wills view of life. With a briliant soundtrack by Badly Drawn Boy, and a fantastic cast and writers, this movie is well worth the top shelf in your DVD collection.
Rating: Summary: Hugh Grant at his Best! Review: I am not particularly a big fan of Hugh Grant's, but he was outstanding in this entertaining movie. The script and the cast were just terrific, as was the sound track. Grant plays Will, the shallow, self-centered recipient of an inheritance that allows him to live a life of leisure without working. He is at his most charming when he is asked what he does and gets one of those "aw shucks" looks before admitting that he does....nothing. He resorts to going to a single-parents' meeting and inventing a son in order to meet a woman. In the meantime, he forms a reluctant friendship with Marcus, an odd young boy whose mother is raising him alone. This relationship with Marcus is the heart of the movie and is the basis for Will's coming of age.. Other reviewers have gone into the story-line of the movie more than adequately, so I don't need to do that again. This is a fresh take on an old theme with characters you can like and a lot of laughs. How this all comes together is delightful, which is a credit to all who worked on this film. There is no preaching about the insignificance of Will's self-indulgent life....and Grant's portrayal of Will makes him very likeable despite his flaws. I enjoyed this film for its entertainment value ....it made me laugh, which is just what I wanted.
Rating: Summary: Whats the Male equivalent of the Chick Flick? Review: Its wonderful to see Hugh Grant in a film that does justice to his comedic talents.This is a genre in which he shines and its a pleasure to see him supported by a great cast and strong script. This time he isnt quite the affable fop like the character he plays in Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill; in fact in lesser hands the character of the shallow self centred Will could have been quite unsympathetic. That he manages to retain the sympathies of the audience is a credit not only to the actor but also the directors and Nick Hornby the author. Although the movie could be loosely classified as a romantic comedy, it has a lot to say regarding contemporary male values and the nature of what constitutes family and community in a Western World increasingly marked by the dissolution of the nuclear family. The film pokes a bit of fun at liberal greenie politics and socialistic feminism but it does it with humour and focuses on what are human foibles not idealogical ones.Toni Colletes character(isnt she making every post a winning one)character belongs to a single parents support group wittily named Single Parents Alone Together or SPAT could have easily become a laughably tragic figure but the film is too clever and too well humoured for that.Her behaviour on the surface like Grants is self centred but the film creates context for her so that over the course of the story we get to understand the fears that drive her rather odd behavior. Comedy is a excellent vehicle to explore the masculine emotional world and hopefully relate to a male audience that only rent action or horror flicks. I only hope that Nick Hornby,Tony Parsons etc keep writing the stories they do.Good on ya mate!
Rating: Summary: Another Hornby classic Review: Who knew the guys who made American Pie could also direct something as thoughtful and smart as About a Boy? In many ways superior to the still really awesome book, Hugh Grant turns in his most nuanced performace as Will, the selfish protagonist. The use of Badly Drawn Boy's score excellently punctuates a funny yet realistic script. Not to be missed!
Rating: Summary: WORST MOVIE EVER Review: Boy, was I ever surprised when I came and saw that this movie had gotten such good reviews from everyone else. I watched the whole movie and wish that I hadn't! It's definitely the worst movie I've ever seen. Marcus is the most annoying and pathetic boy ever. I can totally relate to his bullies and wish that I was one of them myself, just so I can hit him in the face. This romantic comedy is neither funny nor does it contain any worthwhile romance. The woman Will ends up with is disgusting and it's all thanks to Marcus. The storyline itself is sad (as in lame) and it should never have gotten off the drawing board.
Rating: Summary: About a great movie! Review: I read the book "About a Boy" over a year ago, and found it mildly entertaining. Then my best friend needed someone to see the movie with while her husband watched "Attack of the Clones" and I was lucky enough to be her only friend without plans. Man, am I ever glad I didn't have plans. This movie is hilarious, and if you've read the book before seeing the movie, read it again afterwards. This is the only case I've ever encountered of a movie actually making the book more entertaining. The few tweaks made in the film adaptation fit perfectly, and it is obvious that the filmmakers didn't add or subtract anything that wasn't absolutely necessary. Altogether, this is one of the finest films I've seen in my scant 22 years.
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