2002, 1 hr 40 min., Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some thematic elements. Dir: Chris and Paul Weitz. Cast: Hugh Grant (Will), Nicholas Hoult (Marcus), Toni Collette (Fiona), Rachel Weisz (Rachel), Sharon Small (Christine).

I want to hate Hugh Grant in every film he's in, but blimey, at the risk of ruining my masculine reputation (stop laughing), the guy is endearingly charming. Even with this smarmy jerk of a character, he's delightfully shallow yet still incredibly likeable. Brilliant.

Based on Nick Hornby's best-selling novel, of which I'd never heard of until now and have no inkling of reading, About A Boy is the story of a cynical, immature thirty-something man (Grant) who is taught how to act like a grown-up by a twelve-year-old boy (Nicholas Hoult). Comedy and warm fuzzy feelings ensues.

How do I truly relate to you that this movie was first-rate? Because of what it didn't do, and that's make me uncomfortable. Twice I could see scenes coming that looked to be "crowd embarrassment" circumstances, of which I dread like a liberal lecture by Barbra Streisand on the now-defunct Rosie O'Donnell show, going so far as to close my eyes and cup my ears to prevent seeing such embarrassment, even though it's not mine. About a Boy had two moments like this, where I was prepared to squint, but both turned out to be anything but upsetting for the audience, and both ended up being pivotal scenes that I liked.

A couple of slow points, but they were butted up against bits of upbeat pacing, with creative camera work that really made the visuals match the story.

It's a clean film, with no sex and little foul language, although it does touch on a serious subject, that of depression and suicide. But I'm not convinced of the suicide-attempt angle (don't worry, it's very early on in the film) of Toni Collette's character. Talking about it with Danielle and Pat afterwards, we couldn't decide if it was really necessary to have her go to such lengths to further the story. I'm still not sure, but I think it was a little too dark of a situation for the movie and could've been downgraded to less than suicide. About a Boy does manage to tiptoe around the angle and still keep it full of humor and warmth.

The "boy," Hoult, is great. Unlike other movies where adults learn to be such by kids, Hoult actually seems as if he has lived enough and gained sufficient wisdom to enlighten Grant about life in as many ways as Grant can teach Hoult to enjoy being a kid.

Collette really strives for the Oscar. I'll give her credit not only for turning on the waterworks every five minutes, but having the guts to wear so many dreadful outfits. Rachel Weisz is exceedingly yummy, although in a relatively small part as a single mother and potential Grant girlfriend with a son full of angst.

Love the London setting, as always. It adds a touch of class and for a little bit reinforces my dream of marrying a lass with a British accent and a touch of British wit. Dreamy indeed.

I can relate to Grant's character as an island in the world, enjoying living alone and glad to have some friends to rely on, ultimately wanting to settle down eventually, just without prospects. As that legendary poet Keanu Reeves once said, "Whoa," or "It takes one to know one." Of course, if I looked like Hugh, I'm pretty sure I'd have better luck at finding someone to commit to me than he does in About a Boy. Then again, I'm not deceitful in parent-support meetings, pretending to have a kid, to meet vulnerable single moms.

Still, you don't have to look like Hugh to have life-altering moments that affect how you view the world in such a way that all things seem possible, or impossible. For example, one of the theories I base my life on is that every girl who drives a VW Cabrio is adorable. That all changed in a heart wrenching few seconds on Thursday. We passed a Cabrio on the way to the theater, and I noted to my passengers, my stepmom Danielle and her mom, Pat, that I'd never seen a guy driving a Cabrio, thinking it was a teenage boy driving his mother's car. "Nooo," they replied, "That was a twenty-something girl." Eek! The world is changing on its axis; my theory is shot ... Dogs and cats, living together!