Hugh adopts fatherly role (From Western Telegraph)

Hugh adopts fatherly role

About A Boy

Director: Paul and Chris Weitz Starring: Hugh Grant, Toni Collette, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult. (Cert. PG, 131 mins)

When Hugh Grant became a household name after the release of Four Weddings And A Funeral one had to wonder, in these days of American blockbuster power, if there was enough mileage in Hughs on-screen upper class dithering to keep him a mainstream superstar. It seemed the answer might be no after Nine Months bombed the cinemas. Luckily hes pulled a hit out of the bag with enough regularity to keep him right at the top of the British movie star ladder. And for what its worth I think he deserves to be there. During his ten or more years at the top Hugh Grant has shown the subtle skill he has in doing Hugh, but in different ways.

He's been a comedy fop in Four Weddings and Notting Hill, a desperate hero in Extreme Measures, and a gentleman of sincerity and intelligence in Sirens and Sense And Sensibility. I have particularly enjoyed his comedy cads in In The Bleak Mid Winter and Bridget Joness Diary.I am also a big fan of the novelist Nick Hornby and this week sees the release of the adaptation of his best selling novel, About A Boy. Hornbys style of writing is economical and real, and therefore suits adaptation to the big screen rather better, or at least, more easily, than some of the huge literary works. About A Boy starring Hugh Grant is directed by Chris and Paul Weitz - the American film-making duo responsible for American Pie.

It's the perfect choice for Grant because it gives him the chance to keep up his role as the cad, from Bridget Jones, and turn into cad with a heart. Grant plays Will Lightman, a hip, wealthy, single, thirty-something in North London. His father had a novelty number one hit which pays Will such royalties that he doesn't have to work. As his friends are becoming encumbered by the responsibilities of marriage and children he realises the opportunity to find some desperate women, in the form of single mums. In order to meet them he invents a son and joins a single parent group. In his plan of course none of these liaisons should lead to any sort of commitment, nor do they until he meets a troubled 12-year-old, Marcus.

Marcus (Hoult) is having problems at school and his hippy-mum, Fiona (Collette), who has tried to commit suicide, is the next of Wills prey. In the hunt, Will becomes increasingly attached to Marcus and starts teaching him how to become a cool kid. In return Will, the heartless, fancy-free man-child, learns some maturity. About A Boy may get some criticism for handling some serious issues with such fluffy comedy, but thats in fact the great skill of Nick Hornby. If anything I think the Weitz brothers adaptation does give in too much to the slapstick, where Grant is easily capable of performing more subtle comedic moments.

Grant is excellent. I loved the way he made Will so naturally disinterested in anything remotely serious, like a realistic, upper class, British, Homer Simpson.

The women in his life are mostly good too. Toni Collette, still best known for Murials Wedding, sadly underused in films, is fantastic. Hoult too gives a wonderfully mature performance, never trying to keep up with the thicker painted character of Will. While cinematically it does nothing original, thanks to Hornby and Grant, About A Boy, is still one of my favourite films of the year so far.