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Will Freeman (Grant) is not exactly what you'd call an eligible bachelor. Living lavishly off the royalties from a hit Christmas tune penned by his late father, Will excels at nothing except doing nothing. Fond of shopping, getting his hair cut and attending S.P.A.T. (Single Parents, Alone Together) meetings to pick up chicks (they always dig a dedicated, lonely dad), he's up to his usual tricks until a disastrous fling requires a speedy exit. But his failed S.P.A.T. scheme drops him right into the lap of Suzie (Victoria Smurfit) and Marcus (Nicholas Hoult), the socially awkward 12-year-old son of her flaky best friend, Fiona (Toni Collette). A series of odd situations leads to Will and Marcus becoming unlikely friends, and when Will falls for the smart and beautiful Rachel (Rachel Weisz) it all gets a little...messy. What's a boy in love supposed to do?

About a Boy is one of those films that I thought would make me cringe. It starred Hugh Grant, had a cutesy title with a precocious kid, and, well, starred Hugh Grant. And it was also directed by the Weitz Brothers (that's Chris and Paul), which didn't exactly inspire confidence. Sure, American Pie was funny, but what do these two Tinseltown brats know about working-class adult comedy (or modern-day London, for that matter?) But I was surprised. About a Boy avoid all the pitfalls of the genre. Grant is foppish and clever but not whiny and annoying. (When he realizes he's "transparent, totally transparent" on a date with Weisz, for once he actually means it.) Hoult manages to create one of the most layered and dimensional child characters in recent memory, and the luminous Weisz and the edgy Collette are perfectly cast.

Despite being a mega-hit in Europe, About a Boy only did fair business over here (which is hardly surprising, as few Americans had even heard of the original smash novel by Nick Hornsby). What a shame. Here we have a character driven and often moving, even literate, comedy. How often do we get to see one of those? And the soundtrack by Badly Drawn Boy ain't so shabby, either. I suppose there is nothing I can do to convince you Grant haters and those determined to relegate About a Boy to the chick flick bin that you should rid yourself of any preconceptions and give it a shot. So just go out and rent it. Not since he got caught getting that blow job has Grant been this funny.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen (regrettably, a separate pan & scan version is also available) this is a great transfer. The print is pristine, with razor-sharp colors and perfect fleshtones. Blacks are perfect and the transfer has a very smooth, detailed appearance. The film sometimes suffers from drab London rainy days and ever-so- slightly dim contrast, which can lessen shadow delineation, but it's hard to complain. There is scant edge enhancement and no noticeable compression artifacts. Smashing, Hugh!

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

Befitting a fairly intimate drama, the included Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track here is perfectly suited to the material. The most aggressive element is actually the song score by Damon Gough (aka Badly Drawn Boy). It's buoyant and lively, revealing this mix's nice and warm dynamic range and a open and spacious front soundstage. Rear effects are reserved mainly for ambiance, although there are a few noticeable discrete effects that really pop out, especially during the frequent outdoor sequences. Low end is as strong as you'd expect for a recent major studio effort, but never intrudes or overpowers the dialogue. A nice mix.

Also included are English Captions encoded as subtitles, but no true English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Despite About a Boy's only so-so box office performance Stateside, Universal has thankfully not given this sleeper the short stick on DVD. First up we have a nice new screen-specific audio commentary by the Brothers Weitz, directors Paul and Chris Weitz. At first they pledge to be "Intellectual," but can't help but be funny and light by ten minutes in. Self-proclaimed film students themselves, they do sometimes delve perhaps too heavily into individual shots and complex logistical setups. Luckily, fans of the writing will be pleased with the depth that they directors go into about the change required for the adaptation, including the most controversial alteration o all, the ending (which is a bit schmaltzy). No matter. Great flick, great commentary.

Also included is the typical Universal Spotlight on Location featurette (drum roll, please!) The Making of About a Boy. Running a scant 11 minutes, we get interviews with the Weitz Brothers, Grant (who doesn't even like kids!), Hoult and author Hornby. It's a nice and pleasant diversion, but of course I wanted more, especially as the film has such a rich literary history. Ah, well...

Next up we have 7 deleted scenes, totaling 14 minutes and presented in non-anamorphic widescreen: "Marcus and Fiona," "Motivational Exercise," "Will Goes Shopping," "Planet Hollywood," "Apartment Tour," and "Rachel Visits Will." Note that these scenes have been compiled together as one long montage, and can be watched with or without commentary by the Weitz Brothers on why they were excised. Some of this stuff is just as good as anything in the final cut, and with a breezy 106-minute, I'm surprised more of the scenes weren't included. Ah, well, here they are for your viewing pleasure.

Lots of fun is the 3-minute English to English Dictionary. Have trouble with all those bloody British slang terms? yeah, me too. Now you, too, can become a full-fledged Brit, or at least sound like one. (Just skip that phony Madonna accent, okay?) We also get treated to not one but two music videos by Badly Drawn Boy, "Something to Talk About" and my fave, "Silent Sigh." (Note to karaoke fans: Many complained that About a Boy took too long to come to DVD, which was in part, sources say, due to a holdup concerning the intended inclusion of the karaoke version of the movie's signature tune "Killing Me Softly." No, it's not included here, but personally speaking, it's not a very big loss.)

Rounding out the package are the usual Universal ancillary extras: Some nice Production Notes (did you know Robert De Niro's film company purchased the rights to the original Nick Hornby novel?), basic filmographies for the main cast and crew, and the film's theatrical trailer in anamorphic widescreen. There's also no less than six other trailers included for such flicks as the Grant starrer Notting Hill and the upcoming Johnny English.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

Not too much here...just a custom interface that pops up with weblinks to various Universal sites. No Total Axess this time!

Parting Thoughts