About a Boy

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About a Boy ★★★ 2002 (PG-13)

After “Bridget Jones's Diary,” Grant continues to take on the role of charming cad. This time, he's Will, a 38-year-old bachelor who doesn't work thanks to a legacy from his father and has never made a lasting emotional commitment to anyone. Will's latest dating scheme is to pretend to be a single parent and join support groups so he can hit on the single mums. This is how he meets Marcus (Hoult), the 12-year-old misfit son of the seriously depressed Fiona (Collette). Will likes Marcus despite himself and becomes his confidante. And he finds a romance with single mum Rachel (Weitz) but that's almost besides the point. Adapted from the novel by Nick Hornby. 100m/C VHS, DVD . US GB Hugh Grant, Rachel Weisz, Toni Collette, Nicholas Hoult, Isabel Brook, Victoria Smurfit; D: Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz; W: Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz, Peter Hedges; C: Remi Adefarasin; M: Badly Drawn Boy.