Will Freeman (Hugh Grant) is a wealthy, shallow, and fiercely independent 38-year-old London bachelor. He has never worked a day in his life and lives luxuriously off annual royalties from a successful Christmas jingle his late father once wrote.
He views single mothers as easy targets for casual, commitment-free flings and invents an imaginary two-year-old son named Ned in order to join a single-parent support group called “SPAT” (Single Parents Alone Together).
Will’s deception backfires when he meets Marcus Brewer (Nicholas Hoult) – an eccentric, socially awkward 12-year-old boy – on a group outing.
Marcus is the target of relentless bullying at school and carries the heavy emotional burden of looking after his mother, Fiona (Toni Collette), a well-meaning hippie struggling with severe, suicidal depression.
When Marcus discovers Will’s single-dad persona is a fabrication, he starts showing up at Will’s flat uninvited and a symbiotic relationship develops between the two.
Will teaches Marcus how to fit in, deal with school bullies, and become “cool” (including buying him a pair of trendy trainers), while Marcus teaches Will how to lower his guard, care about people other than himself, and finally grow into emotional adulthood.
As Will evolves, he falls genuinely in love with Rachel (Rachel Weisz), a single mother he meets at a party.
For the first time in his life, Will is forced to tell the truth about who he is and navigate a real, mature relationship while managing his unofficial role as Marcus’s protective godfather figure.
The film was a massive hit, grossing $130.5 million worldwide on a $30 million budget and receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
The British musician Badly Drawn Boy composed the melancholic indie-pop soundtrack entirely.
Will Freeman
Hugh Grant Marcus Brewer
Nicholas Hoult Christine
Sharon Small Imogen
Madison Cook (1)
Jordan Cook (2) John
Nicholas Hutchison Barney
Ryan Speechley (1)
Joseph Speechley (2) Fiona Brewer
Toni Collette Ellie
Natalia Tena Lee
Ben Ridgeway Lee’s Sidekick
Jack Warren Maitre D’
Russell Barr Angie
Isabel Brook Angie’s Kid
Orlando Thor Newman Mark
Jonathan Franklin Nicky
John Kamal Moira/SPAT
Joyce Henderson Frances/SPAT
Jenny Galloway Caroline/SPAT
Janine Duvitski Suzie
Victoria Smurfit Suzie’s Baby Megan
Amy Craven (1)
Rebecca Craven (2) Will’s Dad
Peter Roy Clive
Mark Drewry Lindsey
Denise Stephenson Lindsey’s Mum
Rosalind Knight Rachel
Rachel Weisz Ali
Augustus Prew Simon Cosgrove
Alex Kew Mr Chalmers Roger Brierley Def Penalty Kru
Sunanda Biswas
James Marshall-Gunn
Jamie Mayer
Korede Obashju
Director
Chris Weitz
Paul Weitz
Video
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Will’s deception backfires when he meets Marcus Brewer (Nicholas Hoult) – an eccentric, socially awkward 12-year-old boy – on a group outing.
As Will evolves, he falls genuinely in love with Rachel (Rachel Weisz), a single mother he meets at a party.
