About a Boy poster

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Streaming data from JustWatch

About a Boy

2002 · Movie · 101 min
B

MEANRANK

71/100

Averaged across 12 ratings · 715.2K votes

Every rating

Platform pages last read 29 September 2026. IMDb’s figure comes from IMDb’s own data file, which we re-read about once a month.

Google: Google retired the star ratings it used to show in search results, so this one no longer updates. More on where the numbers come from →

50–93 out of 100

Split

Lowest is Criticker on 50, highest is Rotten Tomatoes critics on 93. Critics average 84, everyone else 68.

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A wealthy, immature Londoner lives a carefree life of leisure, inventing a fictional son to meet single mothers. His shallow existence is interrupted when he befriends an awkward 12-year-old boy with a troubled mother. The cynical man unexpectedly becomes a central figure in the boy's life, forming an unlikely friendship that gradually forces him to confront his own isolation and consider the meaning of responsibility and family.

Details

Based on
About a Boy by Nick Hornby
Released
26 April 2002
Country
United Kingdom, United States, France, Germany
Language
English
Runtime
101 min
Rated
PG-13
Budget
$27.0M
Box office
$129.0M
Awards
0 wins, 5 nominations

This title elsewhere

Hugh Grant

Hugh Grant

Will Freeman

Nicholas Hoult

Nicholas Hoult

Marcus Brewer

Toni Collette

Toni Collette

Fiona Brewer

Rachel Weisz

Rachel Weisz

Rachel

Natalia Tena

Natalia Tena

Ellie

Sharon Small

Sharon Small

Christine

Awards & nominations

See all 5 →

0 wins from 5 nominations across 3 ceremonies

Academy Awards 2002 Best Adapted Screenplay Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz and Peter Hedges Nominee
Golden Globe Awards 2002 Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Nominee
Golden Globe Awards 2002 Best Actor – Musical or Comedy Hugh Grant Nominee
British Academy Film Awards 2002 Best Adapted Screenplay Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz and Peter Hedges Nominee
British Academy Film Awards 2002 Best Actress in a Supporting Role Toni Collette Nominee

Awards from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.