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About A Boy
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Release
Date: 26th April 2002
Distributor: UIP
Certificate: 12
Starring: Hugh Grant, Rachel Weisz,
Toni Collette, Nicholas Hoult
Directors: Chris
Weitz and Paul Weitz
Running Time:
100
mins
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| Hugh
Grant returns in 'About A Boy' a comedy-drama based on the Nick Hornby novel,
in which he stars as Will Lightman, a rich (he's the heir to a pot load
of novelty song royalties), child-free and irresponsible Londoner who's
only real interest is sex. |
| But
as will gets into his thirties, he realises that all his friends have gotten
married or become involved with someone, and that with all their responsibilities
he is starting to feel alone and out in the cold. Suddenly even more in
search of available women, he invents an imaginary son and starts attending
single parent meetings. Passing himself as a single father, he meets a string
of single mums, and begins dating because they'll be momentarily grateful
for the insincere "love" and, thus, easier to dump down the road.
Confident in his ability to leave them behind when they start to ask for
a commitment, Will goes about his new life with glee. |
| But
Will's hope of a continued bachelorhood is interrupted when, as a result
of one of his liaisons, he meets Marcus (Nicholas Hoult), an odd 12-year-old
boy with problems at school, who is in most ways his complete opposite.
Gradually, Will and Marcus become friends, and as Will teaches Marcus how
to be a cool kid, Marcus helps Will to finally grow up as he unexpectedly
falls in love with his latest target - single mother Rachel (Weisz)…
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| Based
upon the novel of the same title by Nick Hornby ('High Fidelity', 'Fever
Pitch'). The title is reportedly a play-on-words of the Nirvana song, "About
a Girl." Hugh Grant originally tried to buy the rights to the book,
but was beaten to it by Robert De Niro's Tribecca productions, which tried
to get it off the ground with an American lead. Their efforts didn't seem
to be working until Grant stepped in suggesting that it might work with
a British actor. But it wasn't until 'American Pie' directors, Chris and
Paul Weitz came on board, that things really began to move forward. Grant
has said that he believes that the character Marcus is one of writer Hornby's
greatest creations, possibly because Hornby has an autistic son himself…
The directors' first meeting with producer De Niro was especially harrowing,
as they were in such awe of him that they needed to get completely drunk
beforehand |
