SummaryWill Freeman (David Walton), an unemployed songwriter living off his royalties, finds his life changed by the arrival of Fiona (Minnie Driver) and her son Marcus (Benjamin Stockham) in this comedy based on the Nick Hornby novel of the same name.
SummaryWill Freeman (David Walton), an unemployed songwriter living off his royalties, finds his life changed by the arrival of Fiona (Minnie Driver) and her son Marcus (Benjamin Stockham) in this comedy based on the Nick Hornby novel of the same name.
There's so much here to build on, from the strong performances to the chemistry between the stars to the sweet central story of two people helping each other mature.
Walton and Stockham are a seamless comedy team straight out of the gate. Their banter is more salty and cynical than sappy, but that’s how it gets to you.
About a Boy yearns to be good. Yet it relishes being bad. And Katims--guiding hand to "Parenthood" and "Friday Night Lights"--doesn't fess up to that dichotomy.
Once you strip down the predictable jokes (Will teaching Marcus about “the bro code of silence”; letting Marcus eat forbidden barbecue ribs), you’re left with a banal arrangement of gender and social stereotypes.