About a Boy (2002): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot
About a Boy is a 2002 comedy drama directed by Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz, starring Hugh Grant. It runs 1 hour 41 minutes and earned $130.5 million worldwide on a $30 million budget. It was nominated for 1 Oscar. Critics gave it 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 75 on Metacritic.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 41m (101 min)
- Directors
- Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Universal Pictures
- Budget
- $30M
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is About a Boy About?
The premise of About a Boy without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
A charming but directionless Londoner named Will pretends to be a single father to meet women. His life takes an unexpected turn when he encounters Marcus, a troubled and eccentric 12-year-old boy. An unlikely friendship develops between the two, with Will offering Marcus guidance and support, while Marcus helps Will confront his own immaturity and find a sense of purpose. Their connection leads to a touching exploration of friendship, growing up, and finding belonging.
About a Boy Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- one hit wonder
- boy
- single mother
- bullying
- dating
- selfishness
- supermarket
- park
- motherhood
- lie
- loneliness
- suicide
+38 more Show fewer
- christmas
- friendship
- mother son relationship
- london england
- singing
- depression
- stolen shoes
- manchild
- doorbell
- ringing a doorbell
- 12 year old boy
- dead duck
- killing an animal by accident
- christmas song
- unlikely friendship
- unlikely duo
- throwing candy at someone
- cynic
- narration
- united kingdom
- great britain
- watching tv
- friend
- imaginary son
- single father
- song
- slacker
- british comedy
- truth circle
- maturity
- being cool
- ambulance
- baby
- baby seat
- peter pan complex
- teenage crush
- duet
- earphones
About a Boy Cast
Hugh Grant stars in About a Boy. Directed by Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz.
-
Co-director Paul Weitz -
Co-director Chris Weitz
More from Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz
More films directed by Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz, best-rated first: Grandma, Moving On, A Better Life and American Pie.
About a Boy Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave About a Boy 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 75 on Metacritic.
-
Rotten Tomatoes 93% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 55%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 75 Metascore
User score 7.3
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 67% User score
See on TMDB
About a Boy Plot Summary
What happens in About a Boy from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Will Freeman, portrayed by Hugh Grant, is a 38-year-old bachelor who takes pride in his laid-back and seemingly “cool” lifestyle. Thanks to the continuous royalties from a hit Christmas song written by his father, Will leads an indulgent life free of work commitments, devoting his days to smoking, binge-watching television shows, and diving deep into the world of pop culture.
Full summary
The whole story of About a Boy, scene by scene
About a Boy Box Office & Budget
About a Boy grossed $130.5 million worldwide on a $30 million budget, 4.4 times what it cost. $41.4 million came from the US and Canada and $89.2 million (68%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$130.5M
4.4× its budget
- US & Canada
- $41.4M
- International
- $89.2M
- Budget
- $30M
About a Boy Awards & Nominations
About a Boy was nominated for 1 Oscar. The 6 nominations come from 4 ceremonies.
6 nominations4 ceremonies
-
BAFTA 2003 2 nominations- Nominated Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Toni Collette
- Nominated Best Adapted Screenplay – Peter Hedges
-
Golden Globes 2003 2 nominations- Nominated Best Motion Picture – Drama
- Nominated Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Actor) – Hugh Grant
-
Oscars 2003 1 nomination- Nominated Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
-
Critics' Choice 2003 1 nomination- Nominated Best Young Actor/Actress – Nicholas Hoult
About a Boy Trailers & Videos
3 videos: 1 trailer and 2 clips.
- Clip Will attends SPAT - single parents alone together
- Clip What Are You Doing With My Son? - About a Boy | RomComs
How Well Do You Know About a Boy?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What is Will Freeman's primary source of income?
Cars in About a Boy
32 cars on screen, including the 2000 Audi TT and the 1994 LDV 400 Ambulance.
-
2000 Audi TT Important role -
1994 LDV 400 Ambulance Minor role -
1998 LTI TX1 Minor role -
1987 Audi 100 Avant C3 Background role
About a Boy Also Known As
38 alternative titles, including “Egy fiúról” and “Jak na věc”.
- Also known as
-
- Egy fiúról
- Jak na věc
- Om en pojke
- Pour un garcon
- Gutter er gutter
- About a Boy - Un ragazzo
- Un Gran Chico
- Comme un garçon
- 어바웃 어 보이
- Um Grande Garoto
- Der Tag der toten Ente
- 单亲插班生
+26 more Show fewer
- 非关男孩
- Bir Oğlan Haqqında
- Un xiquet gran
- About a Boy oder: Der Tag der toten Ente
- Bir Erkek Hakkında
- Poika
- Era Uma Vez Um Rapaz
- Un niño grande
- Pour un garçon
- Мой мальчик
- 关于一个男孩
- Był sobie chłopiec
- Despre un băiat
- Мій хлопчик
- רווק פלוס ילד
- アバウト・ア・ボーイ
- Για ένα Αγόρι
- 非關男孩
- Маркъс
- Gyvenimas pagal jį
- Trở Về Tuổi Thơ
- Sve zbog jednog dječaka, ჩემი ბიჭი
- Un nen gran
- โสดแสบ แบบว่า
- Suur Poiss ja Väike Poiss
- Ako na vec
Seen About a Boy?
Movies Like About a Boy
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Boyfriends, A Boy Called Dad and Boys and Girls.
About a Boy FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Awards
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, awards and post-credit scenes of About a Boy, each answered in a sentence.
How long is About a Boy?
About a Boy runs 1 hour 41 minutes (101 minutes).
When was About a Boy released?
About a Boy was released on May 17, 2002.
Who directed About a Boy?
About a Boy was directed by Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz.
More films by Paul Weitz Who is in the cast of About a Boy?
About a Boy stars Hugh Grant.
How much did About a Boy make at the box office?
About a Boy grossed $130.5 million worldwide ($41.4 million domestic, $89.2 million international) on a budget of $30 million.
How is About a Boy rated?
About a Boy has 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, 75 on Metacritic and 67% on TMDB.
Was About a Boy nominated for any awards?
About a Boy received 6 nominations across 4 ceremonies.
Does About a Boy have a post-credit scene?
No. About a Boy has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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