Oh dear I must apologise for that appalling title- I have no excuse apart from feeling a bit rusty after not being here for some time. I was surprised to see this film in the romance category as I’d run a mile rather than watch a lovey dovey film. About A Boy is more of a comedy, and a very good one indeed- I was somewhat amazed as I’m not keen on Hugh Grant.
The film is an adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel, and is directed by Paul and Chris Weitz, (of American Pie fame).

So about the story Will (played by Hugh Grant) is a thirty-something Londoner - he's single, plays the field and is very rich although he’s never worked. Things kick off when he starts dating a single mother, he joins a single parent help group (with hilarious consequences), he even invents a son called Ned,and he attempts to seduce single mother Susie(Victoria Smurfit).

Will goes on a picnic with the single parent group, and he meets 12 year old Marcus (played by Nicholas Hoult), the son of one of Susie's friends, who has asked her to look after him for the day. From here things get interesting, I don’t want to give too much of the plot away. The characters are so real, it helps to hear their thoughts at certain points in the film. It truly makes the characters more convincing and you are guaranteed to laugh at what they think about.

I was very impressed with Hugh Grant’s performance in the film. He plays the rich, single selfish male to a T. He also looks quite sexy in the film- maybe it’s the new hair?
I love the way Will’s uneasiness with children is shown and how he slowly overcomes this without even realising it. You find yourself laughing at him when he digs himself into a hole with his outlandish lies as well. It is really funny in places :-D

One part of the film quite early on made me laugh. I’ll tell you this as it has been used a lot in the ads so it won’t spoil anything.
Will's friends ask him to be godfather to their daughter, and he says it wouldn't be a good idea because ‘when she reaches her 18th birthday, I'll probably take her out and try and get her drunk so that I can shag her.
I think the pace of the film is just right, and there’s no point where you get bored. I could tell that the audience had a good time. I remember one guy saying that his cheeks were aching from laughing too much!

I must mention Nicholas Hoult who plays 12 year old Marcus. He was very comfortable onscreen and he deals with his problems in interesting ways. He is very observant, smart, sensitive with a strange habit of bursting into a song without realising it (once in the middle of a class!).

Rachel Weisz (of Enemy at the Gates fame) also has a small role in the film. She plays a single mother that Will falls and I didn’t think she was particularly good or bad. Maybe it was because her part wasn’t very developed, but the character of her son is very funny and I liked it.

The soundtrack is fantastic and complements the film well. I'm not a huge fan of Badly Drawn Boy but this soundtrack is just right for the film.

In general I enjoyed this film almost as much as I liked Bridget Jones Diary’. The whole film is entertaining, performances largely are excellent, and there’s a fantastic moment at a school concert which you should look out for in case you haven’t seen this film yet (shame on you!).
I wouldn't say it's a classic example of good British cinema. However this is the kind of film that you could go and watch with your parents, on a first date or with a whole bunch of friends. Even though women are likely to appreciate it more, men will identify with Wills confusion and internal thoughts. I’d recommend this film to everyone!