7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
In London, wealthy bachelor Will Freeman and introverted, sad 12-year-old Marcus forge an unexpected friendship. Will inspires Marcus to gain confidence and style while the mature-beyond-his-years Marcus helps the carefree Will mature and embrace the responsibility of adulthood in a way he never has before.
Starring: Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, Rachel Weisz, Isabel BrookRomance | 100% |
Comedy | 65% |
Coming of age | 25% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
About a Boy was the last film that the Weitz brothers, Paul (the older) and Chris (the younger), co-directed before diverging onto separate paths. While they have remained occasional collaborators—notably as producers on the American Pie franchise that gave them their phenomenally successful start—they have explored different directorial interests. Chris ventured into blockbuster territory with The Golden Compass and Twilight: New Moon. When he returned to more intimate fare, it was with the well-received immigrant drama, A Better Life. Paul has continued the pursuit of comedy, whether low (Little Fockers), high-concept (Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant), bittersweet (In Good Company) or downright dark (Being Flynn). He has also pursued a side career as a playwright. About a Boy balances delicately between comedy and drama. Critics and audiences generally responded to the film's tart mix of sentiment and strychnine, as did the Motion Picture Academy, which nominated the Weitzes (and co-writer Peter Hedges) for an Oscar for successfully adapting Nick Hornby's novel to the screen. The key to their adaptation is the use of dueling voiceovers by the two main characters: Hugh Grant's overgrown boy, who skates lightly just above the world's surface pretending to be an adult, until chance encounters burden him with adult responsibilities; and Nicholas Hoult's somber child, who would just like to be a kid, but finds himself confronted with circumstances that even an adult would have trouble handling.
Veteran British cinematographer Remi Adefarasin (Elizabeth, Match Point, Band of Brothers) served as the DP on About a Boy, and if you listen carefully to the directors' commentary, it's apparent that the Weitz brothers worked closely with him to develop the film's visual language. The two directors repeatedly note subtleties of framing, lens selection and focus designed to reinforce the story, and it's a credit to Universal's 1080p, VC-1-encoded Blu-ray that these fine points of visual design are readily discernible. Now that Universal has set up their own transfer facilities in-house, there is a noticeable improvement in their catalog output, and it's most evident in films like About a Boy that were released before digital intermediates became the standard for post-production. Gone are the obvious edge halos and mushy lack of detail that typically accompanied such Universal releases; these were common signs of a weak image capture due to the use of a transfer recycled from the DVD era. About a Boy on Blu-ray shows no signs of artificial sharpening and has excellent detail throughout, except in areas of the frame that are deliberately out of focus as part of the visual design. Blacks are solid, colors are drab as appropriate and bright where they should be (Rachel's presence is usually accompanied by the greatest color saturation). If you look really closely, a fine grain pattern can be seen, but Universal's approach in its new transfers seems to be governed by the same philosophy that prevails in contemporary DI suites, which is to minimize visible grain to the extent possible. This phenomenon should not be confused with so-called "DNR", because it does not result in any stripping of detail or smearing of the image; what I'm describing is an intelligent translation of the film's original grain pattern into something more "pixel-friendly". (Whether that's a good or a bad thing is a separate question.)
The interplay between voiceovers and dialogue is the crucial element of About a Boy's DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, and sound effects editing takes a back seat. Rear channel activity is confined to ambiance and support for the distinctive soundtrack by Badly Drawn Boy a/k/a Damon Gough, along with several songs that play a role in the story, notably Mystikal's "Shake Ya Ass" and "Killing Me Softly with His Song" in various renditions, none of them good. It's all well-mixed and clearly rendered, but this isn't a film you put on to inspire awe and envy in your friends and visitors. Deep reflection, perhaps, and even a little grimacing, but not awe and envy.
About a Boy continues Universal's recent, deplorable trend of omitting a main menu, so that extras can only be accessed during playback of the main feature, which continues in an infinite loop. Among many other inconveniences, this design requires the user to select a commentary track after starting the film, then rewind to the beginning to hear the start of the commentary. I complained about this design, when Fox made it a standard for their MGM discs, and some posters at Blu-ray.com wondered why it mattered. Now that the disease is spreading, more people are waking up to the problems inherent in the design. At least Universal includes bookmarking ("MyScenes"). The extras have been ported over from the 2003 DVD. Omitted are the music videos by Badly Drawn Boy and the DVD-ROM features.
In the "Spotlight on Location" extra, Hugh Grant relates how his initial reaction upon hearing that the Weitz brothers were interesting in directing About a Boy wasn't favorable. He loved the first American Pie film (and rude humor in general), but he couldn't imagine the minds behind that film adapting to the more equivocal sensibility that has always been the appeal of Nick Hornby's writing. Many films later, it's become clear that American Pie is probably the least typical film for either Weitz. About a Boy, which is hard to categorize, filled with difficult people and lacks a tidy resolution, is probably their most representative work. It's my idea of funny, but it's not for everyone. Highly recommended, with disclaimers.
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