About a Boy (2002)

A cynical, immature young man 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)

Stars:

Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 11 wins & 29 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hugh Grant	...	Will Freeman
Nicholas Hoult	...	Marcus Brewer
Sharon Small	...	Christine
Madison Cook	...	Imogen
Jordan Cook	...	Imogen
Nicholas Hutchison	...	John
Ryan Speechley	...	Barney
Joseph Speechley	...	Barney
Toni Collette	...	Fiona Brewer
Natalia Tena	...	Ellie (as Nat Gastiain Tena)
Laura Kennington	...	Ellie's Friend
Tanika Swaby	...	Ellie's Friend
Peter McNicholl	...	Ellie's Friend
Chris Webster	...	Ellie's Friend (as Christopher Webster)
Ben Ridgeway	...	Lee

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. It is in this capacity that Will meets Marcus, as one of Will's single mother ...

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Plot Keywords:

single mother | bullying | dating | selfishness | supermarket | 

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Taglines:

Growing up has nothing to do with age.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some thematic elements

Did You Know?

Trivia

The quote "No man is an island" which Will jokingly attributes to Jon Bon Jovi, was actually written by John Donne in 1624, in his work "Meditation XVII".

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Goofs

When Marcus is watching his mother cry in the kitchen while she prepares breakfast towards the start of the film, a centre parting appears in his fringe that was not previously there, then disappears and reappears.

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Quotes

Will: It was terrible! Terrible! But driving really fast behind the ambulance was fantastic!

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Alternate Versions

UK airings on ITV2 cut out all the profanity and swearing to make a clean film language-wise. When the film appeared on Film4 in pre-watershed airings a large chunk of the profanity was retained save for the stronger words and certain phrases.

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Connections

Referenced in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Million Dollar Movie Week 5 (2010)

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Soundtracks

Avoidance Learning
(Hanif / Mangat)
Performed by Dead Relative
Courtesy of Universal-Island Records Limited

User Reviews

An amusing film with a feel good feeling!!!!

About a Boy is a 2002 comedy-drama film co-written and directed by brothers Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz. It is an adaptation of the 1998 novel of the same name by Nick Hornby. The film stars Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, and Rachel Weisz. The film at times uses double voice-over narration, when the audience hears both Will's and Marcus's thoughts. Will is a 36-year-old underachiever with a fear of commitment that leads him to seek out relationships with single mothers, on the assumption that they are more desperate. However, plans go awry when he befriends with Marcus, the weird 12-year-old son of his latest target. Soon, Will and Marcus become friends, and as Will teaches Marcus how to be a cool kid, Marcus helps Will finally to grow up.

Details

Official Sites:

Universal Pictures [United States]

Country:

UK USA France Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 May 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

About a Boy

Filming Locations:

HMV Oxford Circus, Oxford Street, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,557,630, 19 May 2002

Gross USA:

$41,385,278

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$130,549,455

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, StudioCanal, Tribeca Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1