Just who is the boy in About a Boy? Is it Will Freeman (David Walton), the cool thirtysomething lothario with no job, a San Francisco gingerbread house, unlimited wealth, and a man-child soul? Or is it the real child, Marcus Bowa (Benjamin Stockham) Will's precocious 11-year-old neighbor who may be more mature, but is still sorely in need of a father figure and friend? Anyone familiar with Nick Hornby's 1998 source novel or the 2002 movie adaptation starring Hugh Grant knows the answer: yes to both. This sitcom hits a lot of the right chords with offhand humor and irresistible charm thanks to the instant chemical reaction between the two “boys” as their cross-generational bromance blossoms. Walton carries a natural comedic style in his physical presence and winning performance as a serial womanizer with a lot of growing up to do. Stockham is an engaging sidekick who complements Will's guile by often being smarter than the grownups, but still behind the curve in life lessons. Their bond is established immediately in the pilot, with the rest of the zippy episodes alternating between he teaches/he learns encounters. The odd man out here is Marcus's overprotective single mom (Minnie Driver), the vegan, hippie, polar opposite of Will. Driver is good, but the show is best when the boys are sharing barbs and pratfalls. Compiling all 13 episodes from the 2014 debut season, this strong, smart, effortlessly appealing series is recommended. (T. Fry)
About a Boy: Season One
Universal, 2 discs, 281 min., not rated, DVD: $29.98 December 29, 2014
About a Boy: Season One
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: