About a Boy oder: Der Tag der toten Ente (2002)

About a Boy oder: Der Tag der toten Ente: Directed by Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz. With Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult, Sharon Small, Madison Cook. A cynical, immature young man is taught how to act like a grown-up by a little boy.

“Sometimes a rut can feel like a hammock when we get stuck in one.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;About A Boyu0026quot; is about a Londoner who was apparently born into one, imprisoned as it were by his fatheru0026#39;s legacy as author of one of the worldu0026#39;s most popular and annoying Christmas songs. After years of feckless unemployed upper-middle-class living, Will views himself as an island, and sees his lack of long-term relationships as a plus. Even offered the simple honor of being an infantu0026#39;s godfather, Will begs off, saying heu0026#39;d be u0026quot;crapu0026quot; at it and probably just u0026quot;try and shagu0026quot; the girl the moment she turned 18.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;I always thought you had hidden depths,u0026quot; the mother says.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;No, youu0026#39;ve always had that wrong,u0026quot; Will cheerfully replies. u0026quot;I really am this shallow.u0026quot;u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBut of course Will does have depths, and as played by Hugh Grant in a role that gives this smooth comedic actor a chance to showcase some previously-unguessed-at depths of his own, we find ourselves rooting for Will to find them as he finds himself attached unwillingly to a 12-year-old named Marcus, played with welcome non-cuteness by Nicholas Hoult. Marcus, an abuse magnet at school, is alternately worried for his unstable mother and searching for a pal. Will, a 12-year-old at heart, is a perfect if unknowing candidate.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBased on the great Nick Hornby novel, u0026quot;About A Boyu0026quot; walks a fine line, doling out easy laughs and real pathos with deceptive ease. Like Hornbyu0026#39;s book, the movie depicts Willu0026#39;s perverse detachment from the world as both delightful and pathetic. Life is a full plate of pain for those who participate, but the benefits, as Marcus tries to tell Will, beat all else.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOf course, most of us donu0026#39;t have the luxury for u0026quot;island living,u0026quot; and the potential of resenting Will, especially as played by that handsome devil Grant, might have been the filmu0026#39;s biggest danger. But Grant defuses things with a subtle characterization that downshifts on the smugness and draws on the lost boy within.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFor example, when Will tries to infiltrate a single-mothersu0026#39; club as a way of bagging some commitment-free sex, we watch him tell the mothers about his own non-existent two-year-old boy Ned telling him u0026quot;you hang in there, Dad,u0026quot; then reacting with uncertain fear when the mothers enthuse about how remarkable that is for such a young child.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBut we also see the pain Will pretends isnu0026#39;t there, in brief flashes as he reflects on the hard-drinking failure his father became after his one-hit wonder, and especially in one great scene where Will finds himself with a woman he really cares about, unable to break out of his artifice at a critical moment. During that scene, and a later, angry one with Marcus, Grantu0026#39;s acting really demands consideration from those who dismiss him as a dandy glamor boy.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe directors, Chris and Paul Weitz of u0026quot;American Pieu0026quot;-fame, prove they can make a film that delivers intelligence as well as laughter, and with writer Peter Hedges, fashion a script that takes some clever and daring liberties with Hornbyu0026#39;s solid story. I especially liked the one near the end of the movie, but if I revealed anything Iu0026#39;d probably get some Flack for it, so say no more.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe very last scene of the movie is a mistake, though, the kind of tidy resolution Hornbyu0026#39;s novel and life itself rightly rejects. Itu0026#39;s the one bum note in this film, but enough of one to dock it a point with me. Otherwise, Iu0026#39;d have to rate this above even the other cinematic Hornby adaptation, the classic u0026quot;High Fidelity.u0026quot; But this is a very entertaining film, with great set design, a terrific u0026quot;Rubber Soulu0026quot;-style Britpop title song by Badly Drawn Boy, tight editing, and subtle, crafty camera work. Also some great supporting performances, especially Toni Collette as Marcusu0026#39; mother, who has the filmu0026#39;s toughest role (she must be funny and suicidal) and manages to not only pull it off but gives u0026quot;About A Boyu0026quot; a wonderfully unstable center. As u0026quot;About A Boyu0026quot; makes clear, instability is a good thing when it shakes us from our ruts.”