Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Ok. Yes. I did read lots of great reviews... a few slammed it hard, but most were singing it's praises. Yet I doubted. I should not have. About a Boy is a work of art.

Me, I didn't mean anything. About anything, to anyone. And I knew that guaranteed me a long, depression-free life.

Hugh Grant plays a single playboy, Will, who lives on the royalties of a one-hit-wonder song his father wrote. He's quite happy being a shallow git and living for himself, until he hits on the idea to make-up a child and go to single parents meetings in order to seek out single females who may be in need of his temporary allure. heh. What I loved most about the scene with the meeting was one mother's t-shirt... it read: Lorena Bobbit for Surgeon General. Brilliant. Simply brilliant.

No, no, you've always had that wrong about me. I really am this shallow.

Along the way he meets a boy, the son of one of these mothers, and suddenly realizes he does, after all, care about someone other than himself. I know, it sounds sappy. But it's so well done with the perfect amount of humor interjected here and there. It works, damn it. It simply does. It works so well I'm updating my Top Ten list for 2002 to include this now.

Once you open your door to one person anyone can come in.

The boy in question is played remarkably well by one 11 year old Nicholas Hoult. This little man is a great actor already. He has timing, emotion, questioning, the whole shebang... and this was his first role in anything other than TV bit parts. Look for him next in the 2004 release of Love Is a Survivor.

All the players here mesh extremely well in their roles and play off each other to create a delight of a movie. So it's uplifting in the end, does that have to make it bad? I say no. I say directors Chris and Paul Weitz played this one exactly right. It's subtle, really, and it grows on you before you realize it's done so. Perfect.

No. No, you're not a bad mother. You're just a barking lunatic.

About a Boy runs 101 satisfying minutes and is Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some thematic elements. Oh bother.. I'm tellin' you any age at all is fine with this... so you may have to explain the word 'bastard'.. big deal, explain it.

Special Features on the DVD include Making of which is a bit from the actors and directors about the movie, deleted scenes, and a commentary with the directors. All are worth watching.

This is going on my 'to buy' list now... along with the original book by Nick Hornsby, who also wrote High Fidelity. Highly recommended.

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This has been a part of Sleeper54's second annual Lean-N-Mean write-off, where we are challenged to write a review using less than 666 words. Great fun! Do join.... Books is goin' down this year!

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http://www.epinions.com/content_3600982148

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD