A Hugh Grant movie that charms, without cuteness or moppy hair

In "About a Boy," Hugh Grant languidly cruises the aisle of a supermarket, his small eyes darting from one attractive woman to another, like an homage to his delicious entrance in "Bridget Jones's Diary." Here, his famously floppy hair has been reduced to fashionable spikes, but otherwise it's the same look: a slippery-eyed barracuda in expensive sportswear. And Grant presents this persona absolutely unapologetically — there's no hidden nice guy in that coolly appraising gaze. He's having a terrific time, and so are we.

Now seems as good a time as any to bring up the Hugh Grant Problem, that phenomenon that causes numerous moviegoers (mostly men) to roll their eyes when invited to "a Hugh Grant movie." Never mind that in "About a Boy" Grant doesn't stutter, act sheepish, or spill orange juice on Julia Roberts' bosom — some of you still will be having none of it. The Hugh Grant Problem is far-reaching — I read in Esquire the opinion that if Grant were American, he wouldn't be a movie star, just a twerp. (This is, of course, nonsense — if Hugh Grant were American, he'd be a sort of senior Josh Hartnett — but never mind. It's clear enough which side of the Hugh Grant divide I fall on.)

Anyway, miss this movie at your peril. Based on Nick Hornby's delightful novel, "About a Boy" is really about two boys: Marcus (Nicholas Hoult), a troubled 12-year-old worried about his suicidal single mom (Toni Collette), and Will (Grant), a cheerfully shallow thirtysomething whose life, quite intentionally, is meaningless. The pair, both Londoners, meet up when Will invents an imaginary son in order to gain access to the dishy mums in a single-parent support group. Marcus and Will warily circle each other for a while, and gradually become friends who learn from each other.

Those with Hugh Grant Problems are already rolling their eyes — you're just picturing sun-dappled scenes of Grant, moppy hair falling on his brow, reading Jane Austen with the kid, right? Nope — something far more interesting happens. Directors Paul and Chris Weitz ("American Pie") resolutely fight tweeness throughout, and mostly succeed. Young Marcus, with his home-cut bangs, is nobody's idea of a cute kid; he's genuinely weird and a bit obnoxious. And Will, clenching his jaw, resists becoming a father figure, or even a big-brother figure, with every fiber of his being. The resulting tension between them makes "About a Boy" a story about real people, not a saccharine fairy tale.

The Weitz brothers (who adapted Hornby's novel, with Peter Hedges) made some changes from the book in the final third of the movie, but they keep its spirit perfectly. In the end, "About a Boy" is about a group of people finding a family — not the picture-perfect kind, but the extended urban kind. "You need backup," Will ultimately says to Marcus. "About a Boy" reminds us, charmingly, that we all do.

Moira Macdonald: 206-464-2725 or mmacdonald@seattletimes.com.