The Flipcritic

What is a cad? I quote its definition from my Random House Dictionary for the English Language: "An ill-bred man, especially one who is dishonorable or irresponsible in his behavior towards women." I believe that there is no other adjective that can describe this particular kind of man in the English language. The closest I can think of "jerk" or "womanizer". But "cad" has such descriptive ring to it, that any well-read person can identify with its meaning. Now if there were a picture illustrating the word cad in a dictionary, Hugh Grant's mug would be perfect for it, since no one is better at playing cads than he is. And he plays it perfectly in ABOUT A BOY.

In this picture, Hugh Grant (FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL) plays Will, a man who hasn't held a job or a relationship for more than two months, and lives off the royalties of a famous song which his late father wrote. When asked what he does for a living, he truthfully and somewhat ashamedly responds, "Nothing.", which isn't quite far-fetched. His living quarters are every bachelor's dream. He drives an Audi TT. He spends most of his time watching videos, listening to CDs, getting his hair done, and keeping his bed warm. Other than that, he likes to deceive women in order to sleep with them. After seeing his life, I wondered if I should've dedicated mine to songwriting.

After an a passionate and rather interesting affair with a single mother who ended their relationship due to her inability to commit (to his delight of course), he decides to go after single moms. Why? Because of their qualities that I've just described: their passion and likelihood for non-committal due to the fear of a failure in relationships. He joins SPAT (Single Parents All Together) and in doing so, unwittingly finds his salvation from self-centeredness. He goes on a date with one of the moms who brings along her friend's young son.

That young son is Marcus (Nicholas Hault) , a very lovable looking young boy whose hippie mother Fiona (Toni Collette of MURIEL'S WEDDING) suffers from depression. This sadness makes him somber and wise beyond any kid his age should be. After meeting Will, he determines that Will belongs in his life whether Will likes it or not. He threatens to blackmail Will after following him around discovering Will is not a single-parent. He tries to fix Will up with his mom and comes to Will's house on a daily basis to watch TV. Marcus does this out of the fear he will see his mother dead at home, especially after her failed first attempt at suicide.

The movie has been made as a comedy, and is advertised as one of those formulaic farces that could have been designed to grab our laughs. But it goes much further than that. It goes for our hearts. There are very truthful scenes here that I felt were very believable. Though these moments are light, they are quite humorous. The movie is remarkable in the way it is able to not go in expected directions. It seldom trivializes very tense and heartbreaking moments. It deals with them, and once its through, it tickles you again. The movie's climax is its perfect case in point. It does not stray away from the pain that needs to be expressed, but once it is, it miraculously turns on its head and makes us have hysterics.

Let's take Will for example. He likes to take advantage of girls for pleasure. As Marcus comes into his life, a gradual change takes place in him. He does not turn his attitude around 180 degrees in a single self-discovering instant. It takes multiple events for him to realize his self-centeredness. But the way those events are revealed are quite satisfying. He is forced to defend why he takes Marcus in, even in the face of assumptions of being a pedophile. He cares after seeing Marcus being bullied. He buys Marcus shoes to improve his self-esteem. In doing these things, he opens up and discovers he does not want to be alone, especially after meeting another smart single parent in Rachel (Rachel Weisz of THE MUMMY).

But hold on, Will is not yet a totally changed man. He still has difficulties in changing and feels the need to deceive Rachel, but this time not out of purely self-interest, but because of fear. The fear of being rejected. At one point when he could have pushed this situation way out of hand by continuing to pretend, the movie would have become one of those endless comical messes. But instead, Will faces his faults. Seeing him confront himself is one of the many proud moments which the film inspires.

If I have made the movie sound like a saga of self-realization, I apologize. Do not worry, because the movie is also laugh-out funny. It is never gross, but always highly entertaining. Most of these delights occur with Will and Marcus' observations and reactions to their predicaments. Such as the moments where Marcus kills a duck with tough and inedible bread, or when he sings Mystikal's "Shake Ya Ass!", or when he constantly annoys Will with ringing the doorbell, or when... well... you get the idea. I particularly enjoyed Will's musings on his life, and the people in it. Like when he calls Fiona's getup a Yeti suit, or when he says he would rather eat his friend's baby's diapers than hold the baby again. Or when... ah forget it. Just take my word when I say the movie is almost literally, a laugh a minute.

As for Hugh Grant, he has never been better. This is quite simply his best performance yet, almost replicating his character from Bridget Jones's Diary, only this time with more warmth, and definitely more patience. He feels so at home with his character Will, that I wouldn't be surprised that if it resembled some part of him. Will's callous attitude and wry sense of humor, along with his dashing good looks make him very hard to resist. Almost a British rebel without a cause, without the angst. It must be said though that what he does here is very hard. In one scene where his first single mom date breaks up with him, he gives this double-take where for a split-second he displays a small surprise of delight, and then instantly reverts back to pretend-mode. He does this with such a natural grace, that it's a treat just seeing it.

Another reason why the movie is so satisfying is because of Nicholas Hault, who really looks quite cute and lovable. He has this naive look which makes him a magnet for ridicule among his schoolmates. He seems so out of place that even the nerd-like friends want to stay away from him for fear of being teased (more like abused) with him. He also has some fanciful ideas like Will, and it is this all-around likeable package that makes us relate to Will's bewilderment on how to deal with him.

A great comedy is more than something that will make you laugh out loud. It has to contain a certain poignant truth or reflection on the subject it is making fun of. Like THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, ABOUT A BOY is a wonderful series of wit and insight. It's not only about one boy, but two. Marcus who is struggling to grow up, and Will who doesn't want to. Both of them help each other out in subtle and charming ways. And what a pleasure it is to see them do so.

Posted by FLIPCRITIC at August 7, 2002 12:57 AM