24 Years Later, Hugh Grant and Nicholas Hoult's Dramedy ABOUT A BOY Is Better Than Ever

Hugh Grant has been in some great movies, and he's still starring in them today, but 2002 comedy About a Boy doesn't get the love it deserves.

The coming-of-age comedy drama follows Grant and a young Nicholas Hoult, and not only does it rightly hold a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes, but it's even better today than when it came out. Here's why.

What Happens in Hugh Grant's About a Boy?

Adapted from a book by Nick Hornby and directed by Paul and Chris Weltz, the movie follows Will Freeman (Hugh Grant), a wealthy layabout supported by the royalties from a Christmas novelty song written by his father. Will lives by the mantra that every man is an island, and connecting with others only sets you up for pain and disappointment.

After realizing that single moms see his basic kindness as a revelation, Will begins seeking them out to date, even joining support group Single Parents Alone Together, aka SPAT. One date brings Will into the orbit of lonely kid Marcus (a young Nicholas Hoult), and Will is present for the fallout when Marcus' mom (Toni Collette) attempts to take her own life, bonding the two.

Will starts letting Marcus duck into his bachelor pad when bullies chase him home from school, and eventually embarks on a mission to acclimatize him to youth culture. When Will genuinely falls for Rachel Weisz's single mother Rachel, he asks Marcus to pretend to be his son, admitting the paralyzing fear that he doesn't think there's anything 'real' about him that she could respect.

The movie builds to Will's lie being exposed, dovetailing with Marcus' reckless attempt to stave off his mother's growing depression, with each ultimately learning that the answer to their woes is in connection and community.

What Makes About a Boy One of Hugh Grant's Best Movies?

A lot of Hugh Grant's early movies - Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill - cast him as the most affable man in existence. However, About a Boy tumbled to what other movies like Heretic and The Gentlemen only figured out recently - Hugh Grant is at his best when he's kind of a jerk.

As Will, Grant is dismissive, selfish and facile, but his charm can't help but shine through. Will can behave as badly as possible without viewers souring on Grant, which sets up a satisfying character arc as he confronts his flaws. Similarly, Nicholas Hoult is incredibly likable even as a confused outcast, justifying Will's belief that he just needs to step out of his mother's hippy shadow and establish his own values.

Badly Drawn Boy's soundtrack is both the perfect complement to the movie's relatable tone and cements the time and place in which it's set. The movie doesn't go out of its way to be a period piece, but with the focus on Marcus discovering youth culture, it can't help but evoke nostalgia more than twenty years later.

The movie is only improved by the knowledge that everything Will and Marcus consider 'cool' is a passing fad - neither of their growth is really about the music and fashion they come to share. The movie knows it, but twenty years of distance makes it even more endearing when Will buys Marcus a portable CD player.

The movie is specific and quirky without trying too hard - a staple of Hornby's writing. When Marcus throws an entire loaf of bread at a duck, it feels more like a real anecdote than goofy comedy.

Where to Watch About a Boy

About a Boy is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and Apple TV, as well as being purchasable on YouTube (and good old physical media.) The movie is a time capsule of 2000s pop culture, anchored by two of the UK's most likable actors bonding and growing together.

Emotional but not cloying, witty but grounded, About a Boy is still one of the best movies ever to star Hugh Grant - and that's a pretty high watermark.