This Is the Story of a Boy...

While reviewing Music and Lyrics yesterday, I noted that I was impressed by Hugh Grant's singing voice, having never heard it before. Upon reflection, it occurs to me that this is not entirely true. I did hear Grant sing in the Weitz brothers' 2002 film About a Boy, based on Nick Hornsby's novel. In fact, it was probably my favorite part of the movie. So my apologies on that score. How could I forget such a voice? Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that in that film, his vocal performance was remarkable for entirely different reasons...

Music does play an important role in the life of Will (Grant) as it allows him to keep up an opulent, vacuous lifestyle. He's not even living off his own past accomplishments; rather, all his money comes from the royalties earned by his father's one smash hit, an irritating ditty by the name of Santa's Super Sleigh.

His immaturity is apparent throughout the movie, and he's not very well suited to the role of mentor, yet as a result of his inappropriate participation in a group for single parents, he falls into that position with 12-year-old Marcus (Nicholas Hoult), a sensitive, intelligent lad who suffers from rejection by his peers and an inability to solve the problems of his chronically depressed mother (Toni Colette), to whom he is extremely close. Yet it's altogether likely that Marcus is more teacher than student in this relationship, helping Will to foster a real relationship with and experience genuine concern for a fellow human being.

Will is not an especially likable fellow, what with his self-centered approach to life, though he becomes more sympathetic by the end of the movie, and even as we tut-tut over his indiscretions, it's hard to look on him too harshly. Because this is Hugh Grant, after all, and he can't seem to hide his charm under a basket for long. His voice-overs are sometimes insightful and usually funny, enhancing a film marked by good dialogue.

The movie is a little off-color at times, eliciting a startled inquiry from my dad at one point, when he passed through the living room during a scene whose contents were particularly dubious. If you can abide some profanity, however, About a Boy is ultimately a touching film about two people who don't realize how lonely they are coming together and becoming better for it.