About a Boy (Widescreen Edition) DVD

Average Rating:

Saturated by the amazing music of Badly Drawn Boy, this is an enduring and enjoyable comedy. Hugh Grant's character of the roguish unlikely hero seems ideally suited to him. Collette's performance as a seeming shallow liberal is wonderfully dynamic, bringing depth and heart to the character. The film tackles many social issues, especially problems of male (father-son) relations, from a compelling point of view. It's a picture of modern England that burrows into the largely untapped life of this fascinating country. The horribly undeveloped and unrealistic character of the rebellious teenage girl with whom Marcus becomes smitten is the only place where this film really lacks. Otherwise it is a pleasure to watch.

"About A Boy" is at times light yet moving, while Grant delivers what is his most complex and thoughtful performance yet. The story sees Grant's character transform from a lonely bachelor to a caring person. "About A Boy" is also very funny - mainly thanks to a fantastic voiceover by Grant which features in many scenes and the performances of the supporting cast. Toni Collette plays Marcus' troubled mother and really delivers in her relatively small role. Nicholas Hoult as Marcus exudes a quiet, internal uncertainity. But this is Hugh Grant's show and after playing and excelling at both the gentle, humorous romantic lead and the self-serving scoundrel, he more than excels at accomplishing both here. This is definitely the role of a lifetime for Grant, and his performance should not be overlooked during awards season.

"About a Boy" is a humorous, touching and honest film. It wins at both the comedy and dramatic levels, which is what makes it such a stellar movie. Everyone involved should be very proud of this movie. Highly recommended!

The caustic British wit immediately sets the film apart from its studio comedy brethren -- its actually, frequently funny. The characters feel real, lived in. The superb dual voiceover is potent rebuke to those still peddling the convential wisdom that vo's are "uncinematic" (if this includes you you're immediately assigned "Election" and "Adaptation"), working comfortably inside our protagonists' heads without any dreaded 'literary' staining, bringing their vibrant inner lives to comic life.

So instead of the false life lessons and maudlin sentimentality films of this sort so often trade in, we get a moving, witty story about...okay, yeah...Hugh Grant bonding with a little boy. But that's no reason not to rent it.

The widescreen picture is gorgeous (another nice departure from drearily filmed studio comedies) and the disc comes with numerous, lengthy deleted scenes that are virtually all terrific, and well worth viewing.