About A Boy
Universal Studios (2002)
Comedy, Drama
In Collection
#420
6*
Seen It:  Yes
(6/13/2011)
025192197925
IMDB   7.4
102 mins USA/English
DVD  Region 1   PG
Hugh Grant Will
Nicholas Hoult Marcus Brewer
Toni Collette Fiona Brewer
Rachel Weisz Rachel
Sharon Small Christine
Madison Cook Imogen
Jordan Cook Imogen
Nicholas Hutchison John
Ryan Speechley Barney
Joseph Speechley Barney
Natalia Tena Ellie
Director Chris Weitz
Paul Weitz
Producer Tim Bevan
Robert De Niro
Brad Epstein
Nicky Kentish Barnes
Liza Chasin
Writer Nick Hornby
Peter Hedges
Chris Weitz

"Heartwarming and captivating" -Roger Ebert, Ebert & Roper

Hugh Grant (Notting Hill, Bridget Jones's Diary) is simply brilliant in this comedy hit the critics are hailing as "Hilarious!" (Premiere). Will Lightman (Grant) is a good-looking, smooth-talking bachelor whose primary goal in life is avoiding any kind of responsibility. But when he invents an imaginary son in order to meet attractive single moms, Will gets a hilarious lesson about life from a bright but hopelessly geeky 12-year-old named Marcus. Now, as Will struggles to teach Marcus the art of being cool, Marcus teaches Will that you're never too old to grow up. About A Boy is the irresistible comedy smash that Richard Schickel of Time Magazine says is "smart, funny and winsome."
Edition Details
Chapters 20
Release Date 1/14/2003
Packaging Keep Case
Screen Ratio 2.35:1
Subtitles Spanish
Audio Tracks ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC]
FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1
Layers Single Side, Dual Layer
No. of Disks/Tapes 1
Personal Details
Purchase Date 1/3/2003
Owner Thomas Eisenmann
Store Best Buy
Purchase Price $9.99
Condition Excellent
Reviewed Widescreen Review
Bit Rate 448 KB
Anamophic Yes
Links IMDB

Features
Anamophic
Hilarious Outtakes
Feature Commentary with Directors Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz
Exciting Music Videos by Badly Drawn Boy
"Santa's Super Sleigh" Lyrics to the Entire Song
Spotlight on Location: The Making of About a Boy
English to English Dictionary
DVD-ROM Features

Widescreen Review
Special Notes:
Also available in a separate full screen version.

Story Synopsis:
Based on the book by Nick Hornby, "About A Boy" tells the story of a smooth-talking, responsibility-avoiding bachelor who learns a lesson about life from a kid. In order to meet attractive single moms, Will Lightman (Grant) invents an imaginary son. But a hopelessly geeky 12-year-old kid named Marcus soon teaches Will that you’re never too old to grow up. (Suzanne Hodges)

DVD Picture:
The anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 DVD exhibits a generally pleasing picture, with colors that are nicely balanced with accurate fleshtones and deep blacks. Images are sharp and detailed with satisfying contrast and shadow delineation, though the picture can have an unnatural “hard” edge. While pixelization is only occasionally noticed, edge enhancement is quite obtrusive and capable of distracting viewers who are less picky about image quality. (Suzanne Hodges)

Soundtrack:
The Dolby Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack has been nicely recorded, leading to a convincing presentation of the dialogue in terms of natural-sounding tonality. Voices also sound quite well-integrated with the visual settings. The narration is presented at a comfortable listening level without overwhelming the center channel. As expected, the nature of the movie calls for moderation in terms of spatiality. The music provides most of the dimensionality, with a nice sense of expansiveness across the screen, and depth into the surrounds. The spatial distribution of atmospheric effects is rather reserved in nature, as is the low-end. (Perry Sun)