Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #37 - About A Boy (2002) - I love Hugh Grant. He will probably show up in at least one (if not more) of my future entries on this list. But I think About A Boy, and his role as Will Freeman, at least to date, is his best work. Nick Hornby's story of the gathering of a bunch of misfits is the perfect vehicle for Grant to blow up his charming, diffident, rom-com persona and revel in being — at least at first — an unmitigated cad. Nicholas Hoult, who has grown up to be quite a handsome boy indeed, is wonderful as Marcus, who worms his way into Will's life. Marcus tries and fails to matchmake Will and his mom Fiona (Toni Colette), but that is just the first in the battle of wills between the two. Also on hand are Rachel Weisz and Natalie Tena as a school chum of Marcus. You'll never hear Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly with His Song" quite the same way again. The soundtrack by Badly Drawn Boy suits the film perfectly, too.