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

Preamble
Unbelievable. I fell for it again. Those damn critics with their tag lines of, "Best Comedy of 2002", and "Just Like Bridget Jones's Diary". And let's not forget those trailers that showed Hugh Grant as a bumbling, non-committal male caught in the middle of a baby/kid-oriented revolution.

Grrrr. I hate it when I anticipate the opening of a movie and then it fails me. Grrrr.

The Story
Will Freeman (Hugh Grant) is a 38-year-old single man who doesn't have to do anything. Yep, that's right. He has the luxury of not having to work because he lives off the royalties of a song that his father penned back in 1958. Will likes not having commitments. He refers to himself as "an island" and he's happy that his life is arranged just like a social director would arrange activities. And you know, most activities take about 30 minutes (that's one activity unit).

Although Will has friends who are in committed relationships (even with kids), that's not the life for him. He hardly is able to keep up with a relationship for more than two months.

One evening, one of his married friends sets him up with a single parent mom. After seeing her for the requisite period of time, he is ready to break up with her. Only in a turn about, she breaks up with him. That's when Will figures out that single mothers are the perfect targets to go after. They massage your ego and are eager to please you (in and out of bed).

Not knowing how or where to meet single mothers, he stumbles upon a flyer for a single parent get together. Will, the only male in the room, weaves himself a web of lies bigger than Spider-man could ever hope to. He claims to have a two-year-old son and that is wife left him. This draws in the sympathy of the women and BINGO, he's got dates coming out from every orifice.

On a date with one of the mothers, Will meets Marcus (Nicholas Hoult), a twelve-year-old boy with more problems than you can shake a stick at.

You see, Marcus's mother (Toni Collette) is constantly depressed. Her happiness seems to be short lived and Marcus is grasping straws, trying to figure out how he can keep her in some sort of stable mood.

Then there are all of the kids at school who pick on him mercilessly. Although it hurts him when no one wants to be his friend, he puts that to the side and thinks only of his mother.

Sooner, rather than later, Marcus figures out that Will is scamming the single mothers (he's got no kids!). When Marcus confronts Will about the lies he has told, Will reacts in a childish way. No matter, Marcus continues to come back every day (to Will's house), hanging out with Will, while watching some television show.

The two start to become familiar with each other over time and eventually, a warm relationship forms between them.

Then things start unraveling very quickly for both of them. Will has found someone. Marcus is about to watch his mother spiral downward into her suicidal behavior.

Does it all work out in the end?! Well you'd have to see the movie to figure that one out :).

The Mess
I've never read About A Boy so I couldn't tell you how close this movie paralleled the book. I've heard great things about author Nick Hornsby. Although I've never read any of his books, I did catch the film High Fidelity, I liked it, and I heard that the actual movie stayed pretty close to the book.

For Mr. Hornsby's sake, I hope that the book was much better.

Brothers Chris and Paul Weitz (American Pie, Down To Earth) supposedly directed this film, but I see no evidence of this.

Ah, but now I can see the comparisons to Down To Earth. In that movie, Chris Rock basically ramble his way through some script, with little in the way of plot points, to a predictable and uninspiring ending. There, that's the formula for About A Boy.

The problem with directors like the Weitz's is that they expect every one else - the actors and the writers - to carry the entire film. I can hear it now. We've got Hugh Grant, he's more or less self-directed..

The last time I saw Hugh Grant was in 2001 when he starred opposite Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones's Diary. He wasn't the most likable character but he seemed to have a lot of fun with it. Hugh was best (in this film) when he was playing the same type of schmuck. He did have some nice moments with the main child actor Nicholas Hoult but it took a long time to get there.

Toni Collette, who I used to worship from her days in Muriel's Wedding is a wasted resource. Her character is supposed to be some manic depressive mother but she ends up coming off as a cross between her character of Beth in Dinner With Friends and her character of Lynn in The Sixth Sense. I think the point of her existence was to show the motivation behind why her son acted like an old soul. Problem was - we couldn't really sympathize with her. Was she nuts for the sake of being nuts or was there another story line behind that insanity?

The only real light in this dismal script was the character of Marcus (Nicholas Hoult). He had a face that would light up the screen. When Toni Collette's character was suicidal or displaying any sort of emotions in that category, you could see the distinct pain in Nicholas's eyes. His chemistry with Hugh was awkward at first although I really blame that on the directing more than on the actors.

Every one else in the film just sort of fades in and out without being remarkable.

Even the music, which played a big supporting character in High Fidelity, falls to the side almost as if it's a last minute editing decision.

The End
I'm heartbroken. Really. Maybe if you don't have high expectations of the movie, you'll go in and enjoy it. Just don't think it's a "comedy" and be prepared to predict every single thing that happens. This is a drama that is meant to be insightful. It's meant to leave you warm and fuzzy. It left me bored and disappointed.


Recommended: No

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older