About a Boy
2002 · 101 min · Director: Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Twelve year old Marcus Brewer lives with his chronically depressed single mother, Fiona Brewer. Both Fiona and Marcus beat to their own respective drummers. Marcus will do whatever he can to make his depressed mother happy, even if it causes himself grief. As such, he realizes that he is perceived as different than most kids, as even the self-professed weird kids don't want to hang out with him as he is the target of bullying. Part of the taunts against him are the fact that he sings and speaks to himself without even realizing that he is doing it. Meanwhile, thirty-eight year old Will Freeman is a slacker who has lived comfortably off the royalties of a song written by his deceased father, and as such has never had to work a day in his life. He is a solitary man who places himself as the first and only priority in life. He comes across the idea that dating single moms meets his selfish carnal needs. It is in this capacity that Will meets Marcus, as one of Will's single mother conquests, Suzie, is friends with the Brewers. Trying to escape his life but wanting Will to date Fiona, Marcus infiltrates Will's life, much to Will's chagrin. Will slowly begins to realize that Marcus is more than just a nuisance, but rather someone who needs some guidance navigating through the trials of adolescence and the trials of dealing with a suicidal mother, and perhaps he can be a small part of providing that direction. Conversely, Marcus may be able to show Will the path to becoming a real adult.
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Emotional fingerprint
About a Boy (2002) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Humor 30%, Empathy 25%, Joy 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Humor, Empathy, Joy. Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Humor, Empathy and Joy. Its IMDb rating of 7.1/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 72/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Empathy
- Sadness
- Tension
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Humor
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Empathy
Dominant emotion: Hope
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Empathy | Sadness | Tension |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 3′ | Humor | 42 % | 17 % | 15 % | 8 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 8′ | Humor | 45 % | 25 % | 21 % | 14 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 13′ | Sadness | 48 % | 31 % | 26 % | 18 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 18′ | Humor | 51 % | 31 % | 26 % | 26 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 23′ | Tension | 60 % | 45 % | 40 % | 43 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 28′ | Sadness | 60 % | 54 % | 48 % | 40 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 33′ | Humor | 49 % | 43 % | 34 % | 25 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 38′ | Humor | 45 % | 39 % | 28 % | 26 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 43′ | Empathy | 51 % | 48 % | 34 % | 36 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 48′ | Empathy | 54 % | 50 % | 34 % | 39 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 53′ | Humor | 51 % | 43 % | 23 % | 31 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 58′ | Hope | 50 % | 35 % | 11 % | 21 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 63′ | Humor | 49 % | 32 % | 10 % | 24 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 68′ | Tension | 51 % | 40 % | 28 % | 35 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 73′ | Sadness | 63 % | 56 % | 54 % | 43 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 78′ | Sadness | 71 % | 64 % | 55 % | 51 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 83′ | Tension | 74 % | 63 % | 38 % | 64 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 88′ | Tension | 74 % | 64 % | 29 % | 63 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 93′ | Hope | 64 % | 55 % | 20 % | 36 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 98′ | Hope | 52 % | 40 % | 10 % | 12 % |
Man in a hole
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
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Cast
Christine
Imogen
Imogen
John
Barney
Barney
Ellie's Friend
Angie
Louie, Angie's Kid
Bitter Ex-Girlfriend
Bitter Ex-Girlfriend
Bitter Ex-Girlfriend
Details
- Directed by
- Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz
- Written by
- Peter Hedges, Nick Hornby, Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 2002
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Country
- United Kingdom, France, United States
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Humor
- Data updated
Where to watch
Rent
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