History Literature / AboutABoy

* AdaptationDistillation: Ellie plays a much bigger role in the book.

* WhamLine: In the movie, this line to Will:
--> '''Marcus''': "You don't give a shit about anyone, ''and nobody gives a shit about '''you'''''."

A 1998 novel (set in 1993 and 1994) by Nick Hornby, ''About a Boy'' was adapted into a 2002 film directed by Chris and Paul Weitz, starring Creator/HughGrant and Creator/NicholasHoult and featuring a soundtrack album by Badly Drawn Boy.

Apathetic bachelor Will (Grant), who lives comfortably off of the royalties from a popular Christmas song his father wrote, comes up with the idea to join a Single Parents group in order to pick up single mums, despite the fact that he is childless. This starts off a chain of events in which he meets Marcus (Hoult), an awkward young teenage boy being raised by a depressed, out-of-touch single mother.

[[quoteright:299:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/About_a_boy_movie_poster_5771.jpg]]

''About a Boy'' is a 1998 novel (set in 1993 and 1994) by Nick Hornby, made into a film starring Creator/HughGrant in 2002 with a soundtrack album by Badly Drawn Boy. In early 2014, NBC started a [[Series/AboutABoy TV series with the same premise]]. (A different pilot was also made in 2003, [[OneEpisodeWonder but it wasn't picked up]].)

Apathetic bachelor Will, who lives comfortably off of the royalties from a popular Christmas song his father wrote, comes up with the idea to join a Single Parents group in order to pick up single mums, despite the fact that he is childless. This starts off a chain of events in which he meets Marcus, an awkward young teenage boy being raised by a depressed, out-of-touch single mother.

* ConcertClimax

* RevisedEnding: Owing to the film's new chronological setting, its ending is completely different from the book's. To wit: instead of an altercation at a police station and a TakeThat at Joni Mitchell, Marcus uses the ConcertClimax to sing his mother's favorite song in the hopes of cheering her up, with Will as [[AwwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther last-second back-up]].

''About a Boy'' is a 1998 novel (set in 1993 and 1994) by Nick Hornby, made into a film starring Creator/HughGrant in 2002 with a soundtrack album by Badly Drawn Boy. In early 2014, NBC started a [[Series/AboutABoy TV series with the same premise]].

->''"[[ArcWords No man is an island]]."''

* RomanticComedy: {{zigzagged}} trope. It uses most of the plot structure, including the SecondActBreakup, but the "couple" are [[LikeASonToMe Will and Marcus]]. Arguably a BromanticComedy, though it has a much more refined tone.

''About a Boy'' is a 1998 novel (set in 1993) by Nick Hornby, made into a film starring Creator/HughGrant in 2002 with a soundtrack album by Badly Drawn Boy. In early 2014, NBC started a [[Series/AboutABoy TV series with the same premise]].

''About a Boy'' is a 1998 novel (set in 1993) by Nick Hornby, made into a film starring Creator/HughGrant in 2002 with a soundtrack album by Badly Drawn Boy. In early 2014, NBC started a TV series with the same premise.

''About a Boy'' is a 1998 novel by Nick Hornby, made into a film starring Creator/HughGrant in 2002 with a soundtrack album by Badly Drawn Boy. In early 2014, NBC started a TV series with the same premise.

* AdaptationDistillation: Ellie plays a ''much'' bigger role in the book.

* BeamMeUpScotty: A running gag is Will misattributing the saying "No man is an Island" to [[BonJovi Jon Bon Jovi]] rather than John Donne.

''About a Boy'' is a 1998 novel by Nick Hornby, made into a film starring Creator/HughGrant in 2002 with a soundtrack album by Badly Drawn Boy.

* RomanticComedy: {{zigzagged}} trope. It uses most of the plot structure, including the SecondActBreakup, but the "couple" are [[LikeASonToMe Will and Marcus]].

* BeamMeUpScotty: A running gag is Will misattributing the saying "No man is an Island" to [[BonJovi Jon Bon Jovi]] rather than John Donn.

* RevisedEnding: Owing to the film's new chronological setting, its ending is completely different from the book's.
* ShoutOut: The title is an homage to both the Music/{{Nirvana}} song "About a Girl" and Music/PattiSmith's Music/KurtCobain tribute "About a Boy." The book makes countless references to Nirvana and Cobain (Ellie idolizes Cobain, Marcus thinks Cobain is a British athlete named Kirk O'Bain, Cobain dies near the end of the book).

In the end, [[spoiler:Marcus becomes a more socially adjusted kid, Will learns to accept other people into his life, and everyone lives HappilyEverAfter.]]

* ShoutOut: The title is an homage to both the Music/{{Nirvana}} song "About a Girl" and Music/PattiSmith's Music/KurtCobain tribute "About a Boy." The book makes countless references to Nirvana and Cobain (Ellie idolizes Cobain, Marcus thinks Cobain is a British athlete named Kirk O'Bain, Cobain dies near the end of the book). However, [[AdaptationDecay the movie does not mention Nirvana]].

Apathetic bachelor Will, who lives comfortably off of the royalties from a popular Christmas song his father wrote, comes up with the idea to join a Single Parents group in order to pick up single moms, despite the fact that he is childless. This starts off a chain of events in which he meets Marcus, an awkward young teenage boy being raised by a depressed, out-of-touch single mother.

* [[WhamEpisode Wham Scene:]] The movie starts out funny and lighthearted until Marcus and Will come home from the park to find that [[spoiler: Marcus's mom has just attempted suicide]].

''About a Boy'' is a 1998 novel by Nick Hornby, made into a film starring HughGrant in 2002 with a soundtrack album by Badly Drawn Boy.

About a Boy is a 1998 novel by Nick Hornby, made into a film starring HughGrant in 2002 with a soundtrack album by Badly Drawn Boy.