Overview
A journey of unexpected friendship unfolds between a slacker and a troubled boy.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- warm
- melancholic
- lazy sunday
- date night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a funny, moving comedy-drama elevated by Hugh Grant's layered performance and its refusal of overly tidy emotional closure.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Will begins as a self-serving bachelor but becomes involved in Marcus's adolescence and Fiona's crisis.
Will's carefully managed life of leisure and casual relationships conceals his emotional isolation.
Marcus needs help navigating bullying and family instability while Marcus pushes Will toward adulthood.
Will, Marcus, Fiona, Rachel, and their friends gradually form a supportive network built from messy personal connections.
Films like About a Boy, and why
High Fidelity
shares witty romantic comedy, emotional growth, and an immature bachelor transformed by an unexpected relationship
Four Weddings and a Funeral
shares british romantic comedy, awkward self-discovery, and a charming but emotionally avoidant male protagonist
The Intouchables
shares warm comedy-drama, unconventional friendship, and themes of chosen family and personal responsibility
Billy Elliot
shares coming-of-age themes, single-parent family tensions, and bittersweet British humor
Movie Details
- Directors
- Paul Weitz, Chris Weitz
- Release Date
- 2002-04-26
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (2477)
Cast
- Hugh Grant
- Nicholas Hoult
- Toni Collette
- Rachel Weisz
- Natalia Tena
- Victoria Smurfit
- Augustus Prew
- Sharon Small
- Madison Cook
- Jordan Cook
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is About a Boy about?
- A self-satisfied London bachelor is reluctantly drawn into the turbulent life of a bullied boy and discovers that adulthood may require other people.
- What is About a Boy like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of About a Boy as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is About a Boy violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in About a Boy.
- What did critics think of About a Boy?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a funny, moving comedy-drama elevated by Hugh Grant's layered performance and its refusal of overly tidy emotional closure.
- Which films are like About a Boy?
- Films with a similar feel include High Fidelity, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Intouchables, and Billy Elliot.
- How long is About a Boy?
- About a Boy runs 101 minutes.
- Where can I watch About a Boy?
- In United States, About a Boy is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
