About a Boy - Movie Review

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About a Boy - Movie Review

Posted on 15 April 2006 by DanielthePoet

Somebody said that no man is an island. Will couldn’t disagree more. “In my opinion, all men are islands. And what’s more, now’s the time to be one. This is an island age.” He’s a moderately rich guy who has never had to work a day in his life. He lives off the royalties of one famous song his father wrote. He lives by himself, for himself. “I am an island. I am bloody Ibiza!”

Then there’s Marcus, a twelve year old boy whose depressed, hippy, tree-hugger, single mom attempts suicide. No father around to pick up the pieces.

He realizes that she’s so messed up that she would leave him to fend for himself. He realizes there’s no one else if his mom drops off the planet, so he schemes to match Will and his mom.

Marcus - “Suddenly I realized - two people isn’t enough. You need backup. If you’re only two people, and someone drops off the edge, then you’re on your own. Two isn’t a large enough number. You need three at least.”

As for Will - “The thing is, a person’s life is like a TV show. I was the star of The Will Show. And The Will Show wasn’t an ensemble drama. Guests came and went, but I was the regular. It came down to me and me alone. If Marcus’ mum couldn’t manage her own show, if her ratings were falling, it was sad, but that was her problem.”

Will is an adult, living a life without the entanglements of involved human relationships. He avoided what he would call the complications. He was pitied by married couples for being a 38 year old bachelor. People saw him as shallow, empty, and lacking substance.

“My life is made up of units of time. Buying CDs - two units. Eating lunch - three units. Exercising - two units. All in all, I had a very full life. It’s just that it didn’t mean anything.”

Marcus points out that despite the lack of suicidal depression, Will couldn’t avoid the fact that he was living a sub-standard life. Even if Will thought that singing “Killing Me Softly” with abandon was a sign of insanity, he acknowledged that people sang with their eyes closed because the words meant something. They were caught up in the something that had substance, weight, and importance.

“Me, I didn’t mean anything. About anything, to anyone. And I knew that guaranteed me a long, depression-free life.”

Somehow, he can’t manage to keep the boy at a distance. He begins to care. He discovers the joy of selfless giving. He faces the problem of honesty. And then he falls in love.

He offers sanctuary and self-esteem to a young boy and in return he receives the greatest gift he has ever received: a friend.

Will: “Every man is an island. I stand by that. But clearly some men are island CHAINS. Underneath, they are connected… “

Marcus finds the support he desperately needed from the first. He finds himself surrounded by people. Their presence means strength. And it means he will never be alone.

Marcus: “I used to think two was not enough. But now things are great; there are loads of people… I don’t know what Will was so pissed about. I don’t think couples are the future. The way I see it now, we both got back-up now. It’s like that thing John Bon Jovi said: ‘No man is an island.’”

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