About a Boy

About a Boy

  • Submitted By: beck
  • Date Submitted: 10/22/2008 2:35 AM
  • Category: Book Reports
  • Words: 1448
  • Page: 6
  • Views: 1509

Many stories are told in new and interesting ways. What links does ‘About a Boy’ have to a newer or older story?

The book ‘About a boy’ by Nick Hornby was an international Bestseller by 2000. ‘About a Boy’ the movie production directed by Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz, is now a major motion picture. This production was based on the original story by Nick Hornby, but some significant changes have been made to the film to broaden the audience appeal, and get the best out of the book in the two short hours that the film has to capture its audience.

Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz respect most of what is important in the story, however they use their own creative licence to add and delete scenes and characters. For example; Christine (Will’s best friend’s wife) and Jessica (Will’s previous girlfriend) have been moulded into the same person. This doesn’t change the effect, but helps us keep track of characters. However; Will- the thirty-eight year old child, and Marcus- the twelve year old who acts more like an adult, are still the main characters and have the same personalities as in the book. Ellie (Marcus’ ‘friend’) is still involved, and Fiona remains Marcus’ mum.
The scene where Will and Fiona go to drop Marcus home only to Find Fiona passed out in her own sick on the floor, is hardly tampered with, though the words ‘attempted suicide’ are cleverly sidestepped so that younger viewers do not grasp the whole meaning. In this scene even the text remains very similar, as this is such a sensitive part of the book, and that which helps to determine the actions of the others in the rest of the tale. An example of the text left unchanged is when Suzie cries for Will to call the ambulance, and screams at Fiona “How could you do this? You have a kid!”
In both the book and the film, this day is referred to as the “Dead Duck Day,” as earlier that day, Marcus had thrown a loaf of French bread at a duck and accidentally killed it. This scene too is hardly tampered with as it...

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