About a Boy

It's hard to believe they got the movie version of "About a Boy" right. English author Nick Hornby's best-selling novel seems all but impossible to translate to the big screen.

Even harder to believe is that a movie of such refreshing honesty and even more surprising tenderness could really come from the Weitz brothers, better known to audiences as the makers of the "American Pie" films.

Which isn't to say that those youth-oriented sex farces were completely lacking in redeeming qualities, but this "misfit comedy" makes the "Pie" films seem even more superficial and juvenile than they are.

Despite the misleading trailers for "About a Boy," this odd comedy is not the fluffy romance — it's something deeper and much better. (In fact, if not for two particular profanities, it could be mistaken for family friendly fare, and the film's message about the need for emotional support and the importance of family are quite welcome.)

If the choice of filmmakers seems odd, the same can't be said of the casting of Hugh Grant as the major character, Will, a shallow thirtysomething Brit who's never worked a day in his life.

That's because he's been living off the royalties from a popular Christmas song that was written by his late father. Consequently, Will's used to having a pretty easy, comfortable way of life, and of late, he's taken a liking to single mothers (he sees them as "easier prey.")

He pretends to be a single father so he can woo the women attending a local single-parents group. However, the son of one of these women — 12-year-old Marcus (Nicholas Hoult) — discovers that Will is lying, and he threatens to reveal the truth unless Will dates his loopy mother (Toni Collette).

The two males become friends as Will helps the socially awkward preteen become at least somewhat "cooler" than he actually is, and Marcus helps the grown-up adolescent discover how much value there is in real relationships.

Displaying surprising maturity, the Weitzes never force either the pacing or the humor (the laughs come naturally and from realistic situations). Of course, they also have a terrific cast. Grant has never been better, and he really sinks his teeth into a role that is perhaps a little too close to his real-life persona. Collette gives another fine performance in a supporting role.

The real star of the film is talented newcomer Hoult, who, as Marcus, is never cloyingly cute and is a bit of a smart-aleck — and therefore quite endearing.

"About a Boy" is rated PG-13 for scattered use of profanity (including two usages of the so-called "R-rated" curse word), use of some crude slang terms and brief violence (bullying and accidental violence against animals). Running time: 102 minutes.

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