About a Boy

Released 2002
Stars Hugh Grant, Toni Collette, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult
Directed by Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz

Will Lightman (Hugh Grant) is a rich, hip, irresponsible Londoner who, in search of available women, invents an imaginary son and starts attending single-parent meetings -- confident in both parties' inability to make a commitment. But when Will meets Marcus, the troubled 12-year-old son of Fiona (Toni Collette), a quirky and unexpected friendship develops as both Will and Marcus help each other grow up.

Summary from www.netflix.com

This is a delightful movie. I'm not a big Hugh Grant fan, because he always plays the same likeable, stammering character, but he doesn't do that here. He steps out of his comfort zone a little bit to play Will, a kind of cool, kind of pathetic, aging tomcat who slowly realizes his slacker lifestyle is empty without someone to share it with. Then there's Marcus (Nicholas Hoult), a dorky middle-schooler with a hippie mother and no father. Marcus has no friends and desperately needs a male companion of some sort, and he imposes himself on Will until Will finally accepts him. He's a good kid, but he's socially clueless thanks to his suicidal, hippie-dippy mother, Fiona (Toni Collette). Obviously, Will is  going to hook up with Fiona, and the three will become a loving family, right? One of the movie's strengths is this doesn't happen. They have one semi-date, but Will is repulsed by the flower child in the Yeti costume. Instead, Will and Marcus become friends and cajole each other into bettering their lives. Their relationship reminded me of the Big Brother program, which is exactly what they each needed. While a setup like this could turn maudlin, the movie employs dual voice-overs from Will and Marcus that infuse the entire film with a sardonic tone that makes it a delight. --Bill Alward, May 7, 2003