"I don't wanna be a man" (About a Boy (DVD))

Member Name: andrewl

Product:	About a Boy (DVD)
Date:	07/08/09 (48 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Hilarity, Hugh and a hamster

Disadvantages: The occasional duff gag

Back in 2002, Hugh Grant jumped into the shoes of John Cusack and Colin Firth in order to star in a Nick Hornby adaptation. His character, Will, in between playing snooker, watching videos and drinking Grolsch, pursues women relentlessly, without ever involving himself emotionally.

This changes when he forms a strange surrogate father bond with Marcus, a geeky boy with really odd eyebrows and a suicidal mother. You can see why Marcus is drawn to Will's bachelor lifestyle. He has to cope with a staggeringly insane mother (Toni Collette), and in his own way yearns for the emotional detachment that Will displays with nonchalant ease. And as Will is slightly less mature than his teenage friend, their relationship is an enviable one. Will becomes the trendy Dad that many kids long for, taking him into dodgy snooker halls, giving him naughty CDs as Christmas presents and swearing like a trooper in front of him.

The growing bond between the two could have been excruciatingly mushy, but it is punctuated by some real belly laughs. Apart from Marcus's accidental slaughter of a duck, we are also treated to the psychotic only child of the woman Will eventually falls in love with, and Will's constant pithy commentaries (his observation of Marcus and mother playing 'Killing me Softly' is particularly funny, as is his reaction to the mother's suicide attempt when it means he can drive fast behind the ambulance).

Richard Curtis is a fine enough comedy writer, and his scripts for Hugh Grant have been of a high quality. However, this slightly nasty streak that's being gradually injected into Hugh's screen persona is a fantastic move. Hugh Grant is probably a slightly nasty piece of work. I'm not going to mention the tabloid revelations and paparazzi assaults that have bubbled up over the years, but 'Nice Guy Hugh' has always struck me as a bit of an insult to a man of his obvious intelligence and talent (at the time of Four Weddings and a Funeral he had no qualms about stating that he didn't want to spend his life acting). 'Slightly Unpleasant Hugh' brings an extra shine of realism, and I felt like cheering the scene in which he tells a depressed teenage boy with a suicidal mother to 'piss off'. The bumbling upper middle-class image has finally been punctured and he's allowed to do something dramatic. The damage would be torpedoed soon afterwards in Love Actually, of course, but never mind. Every time Will tells someone to eff off in this film, there's a tremendous feeling of uneasy relief.

Rachel Weisz crops up as Will's love interest. I have never been keen on this actress, to be honest, although she's grown on me over the years, but she is treated almost as a cameo, appearing infrequently and with her dialogue often buried beneath Will's voice-overs or Badly-Drawn Boy's excellent soundtrack. Almost all she is called upon to do is to look pretty, and she manages it. So that's all right.

The soundtrack is excellent. I keep meaning to buy it. 'Silent Sigh' in particular is a masterpiece from an artist who I've never really been too keen on until now. Having the soundtrack written entirely by the same artist lends a coherency to the film which is utterly lacking from most 'how many hit singles can we get on the same compilation' mentality of most commercial films. About A Boy's musical vision succeeds in exactly the same way as Aimee Mann's soundtrack for Magnolia.

The 'big finish' of the school rock concert is the biggest statement about childhood and the process of growing up. Although the hundreds of children in the hall seem to view the event as some sort of gladiatorial combat, with poor performers doomed to eternal ridicule, we are shown the event from both sides, and have to laugh at a rock concert taking place in broad daylight, with an audience clad entirely in school uniform, and with acts introduced by middle-aged teachers. Will bursts in and gives the entire event perspective with his ludicrous suggestion that Marcus withdraw citing drug addiction, but this is juxtaposed devastatingly with the long shot of Marcus standing alone on an empty stage before a hostile audience. Great stuff.

About A Boy is a highly-crafted adaptation which made the grade for people who'd read the book, as well as me, who hadn't. Everything from the script to the soundtrack has been given careful attention. The film is funny, cruel, poignant and sweet, often at the same time. And it has a hamster in it.

This film has been out a few years now, and you can generally get the DVD for around a fiver if you keep your eyes peeled.

Summary: Hugh Grant stars in a Nick Hornby adaptation.