Μύ Hugh Grant is supposed to be a big fan of DVDs in "About a Boy", but in the movie he's only seen sloping around the VHS section! He'd certainly be better off with the DVD of this bittersweet comedy than a tape.
TECHNICAL FEATURES
Picture London scrubs up well for this movie and, despite the subtle tones, doesn't look too drab. These cool hues transfer well to disc without any problems.
Sound The 5.1 mix never has too much to do in terms of effects, but works well in creating the ambient mood, and presents the music well.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Audio Commentary Writer and director team Chris and Paul Weitz provide a thoughtful commentary for this disc. Most of their chat concerns what was changed, shooting locations, and the performances of the actors, but the information relayed is quite interesting.
Little insider facts like the 'Ancient Grains' not actually being a real cereal are revealed. Along with the Weitzes' pride at their fake vomit - perfected through making the "American Pie" films.
Deleted Scenes The deleted footage here is not quite up to the standard of the excellent material on the "Bridget Jones's Diary" DVD but it's still well worth watching. In particular a scene where Grant buys a car seat is very funny.
An optional commentary is on offer and in it the Weitzes' discuss their "sitting on your ass" rule of filmmaking. If a scene is comprised of people sitting talking, each character has a maximum of 45 seconds for their overall contribution - otherwise it's cut. Handily there's just such a scene for you to see in this selection.
Spotlight on Location This ten-minute featurette is nothing special but it isn't too offensively cheesy either. Nick Hornby seems happy with the movie, and indeed the casting. He describes Hugh Grant as "every bit as withdrawn and morally suspect as the character he plays".
Born in the UK Here's a 20-minute interview with Badly Drawn Boy lifted from MTV UK. There is some chat about the music for the film but most of it is a career-focused piece.
Additional Extra Features Also on the DVD are trailers for "About a Boy", "Johnny English", and "The Guru". Plus some DVD-ROM internet links.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION:
Region: 2
Chapters: 20
Ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Audio Tracks: English
Subtitles: English
Captions: English
Menus: Static (quite dull really)
Special Features Subtitles: All the special features come with subtitles apart from the commentary tracks.
This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-S57 DVD player.
