By BETH JONES
THE ROANOKE TIMES

Archives Reprint

   Hugh Grant wants to be more than a romantic heartthrob.

    He became a star playing constantly befuddled charmers like his character in "Four Weddings and a Funeral." But he's clearly trying to break out of that mold.

    Grant played the womanizing boyfriend in "Bridget Jones's Diary" and a gold digger in Woody Allen's "Small Time Crooks." In the new screen adaptation of Nick Hornby's 1998 novel, "About a Boy," Grant plays a man who's shallow, sulky and completely lost.

    It's the most thoughtful performance of his career. Grant knows the character inside out and doesn't need to constantly run his fingers through his hair or lick his lips or do any of those other tricks he once depended on in emotional scenes.

    "About A Boy" comes from Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, the producers of "Notting Hill" and "Four Weddings and a Funeral," but it's far from a romantic comedy - although the film's trailers try to make it seem like it's going to be one.

    Grant's character, 38-year-old Will, has never had to get a job because his dad wrote a popular Christmas tune and the royalties are more than enough to pay for his shiny appliances, his trips to a posh salon and his Audi.

    He's also never had a relationship that's lasted more than two months. He moves from woman to woman and cringes at the idea of marriage or children.

    One day the single mom he's been dating turns the tables and breaks up with him. Will gets the idea that single women equal guaranteed no-strings flings. He decides to pose as a single parent in order to meet more easy women. In the process, he develops an unlikely friendship with a troubled 12-year-old named Marcus (Nicholas Hoult, a young actor so talented that Haley Joel Osment must be running scared). Marcus, who spends his days worrying about his suicidal mom (Toni Collette) is in desperate need of a friend - even one as shallow as our Will.

    It sounds like a plot for an Adam Sandler blockbuster, but of course it goes a lot deeper than that. If this were Sandler's movie, the happy ending would mean Will gets the girl. In "About a Boy," he gets a lot more than that.

    It was easy to have high expectations for "About a Boy" with Bevan and Fellner on board. In addition to "Notting Hill" and "Bridget Jones's Diary," their London-based film company had a hand in bringing Hornby's "High Fidelity" to the screen.

    On the other hand, American brothers Chris and Paul Weitz, who made the 1999 teen comedy "American Pie," directed "About a Boy" and co-wrote the screenplay with Peter Hedges. With the Weitz guys behind the camera you expect, well, "American Pie."

    To their credit, they do a fine job - especially considering they had to deal with a lot of tricky voice-over narration. Unlike "High Fidelity," which relocated the setting of Hornby's book to the United States, "About a Boy" keeps it in London.

    The film's ending does feel a little rushed, and there's a tacked on bit about Will's relationship with his father that ultimately falls apart, but those are small quarrels. "About a Boy" is a must-see this summer, a thought-provoking alternative to lightsabers and spider webs.

    Beth Jones can be reached

   at 777-6493 or bethj@roanoke.com.

    About A Boy

    Four Stars

    A Universal Pictures release showing at Valley View Grande 16. Rated PG-13 for some strong language. One hour, 45 minutes.

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