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About a Boy (2002)

PG_13  101 min  -  Comedy | Drama | Romance   -  17 May 2002 (USA)
7.3
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Ratings: 7.3/10 from 69,118 users   Metascore: 75/100 
Reviews: 366 user | 149 critic | 38 from Metacritic.com

Based on Nick Hornby's best-selling novel, About A Boy is the story of a cynical, immature young man who is taught how to act like a grown-up by a little boy

Directors:

Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz

Writers:

Nick Hornby (novel), Peter Hedges (screenplay), and 2 more credits »
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Nominated for Oscar. Another 9 wins & 19 nominations See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hugh Grant ...
Nicholas Hoult ...
Sharon Small ...
Madison Cook Madison Cook ...
Jordan Cook Jordan Cook ...
Nicholas Hutchison Nicholas Hutchison ...
Ryan Speechley Ryan Speechley ...
Joseph Speechley Joseph Speechley ...
Toni Collette ...
Natalia Tena ...
Ellie (as Nat Gastiain Tena)
Laura Kennington Laura Kennington ...
Tanika Swaby Tanika Swaby ...
Peter McNicholl Peter McNicholl ...
Christopher Webster Christopher Webster ...
Ben Ridgeway Ben Ridgeway ...
Lee
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Storyline

Twelve year old Marcus Brewer lives with his chronically depressed single mother, Fiona Brewer. Both Fiona and Marcus beat to their own respective drummers. Marcus will do whatever he can to make his depressed mother happy, even if it causes himself grief. As such, he realizes that he is perceived as different than most kids, as even the self-professed weird kids don't want to hang out with him as he is the target of bullying. Part of the taunts against him are the fact that he sings and speaks to himself without even realizing that he is doing it. Meanwhile, thirty-eight year old Will Freeman is a slacker who has lived comfortably off the royalties of a song written by his deceased father, and as such has never had to work a day in his life. He is a solitary man who places himself as the first and only priority in life. He comes across the idea that dating single moms meets his selfish carnal needs... Written by Huggo  

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Boy | Friend | Single Mother | Single Father | Bullying  | See more »

Taglines:

Growing up has nothing to do with age.

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some thematic elements See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

UK | USA | France

Language:

English

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Pour un garçon See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$27,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£3,747,966 (UK) (28 April 2002) (446 Screens)

Gross:

$84,600,000 (Worldwide) (17 November 2002) (except USA)
See more »

Company Credits

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

DTS  | Dolby Digital  | SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Jon Bon Jovi, who both Marcus and Will attribute the phrase "no man is an island" used the quote in the opening lyrics for the song "Santa Fe" from his soundtrack for the movie Young Guns II. See more »

Goofs

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Will and Marcus say numerous times that the phrase "No man is an island" was written by Jon Bon Jovi. It was actually written by John Dunne. See more »

Quotes

Will: My life is made up of units of time. Buying CDs - two units. Eating lunch - three units. Exercising - two units. All in all, I had a very full life. It's just that it didn't mean anything.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Film Geek (2005) See more »

Soundtracks

"Donna And Blitzen"
By Damon Gough (as Gough)
Performed by Damon Gough (as Badly Drawn Boy)
Courtesy of XL Recordings Ltd. See more »