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Movies that feel like About a Boy (2002)

If you loved About a Boy, the closest films we have are Muriel's Wedding (1994), As Good as It Gets (1997) and Italian for Beginners (2000). All three share About a Boy's contemplative and witty feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 8 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Netflix, HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video and others, checked against today's data.

Will Freeman is a good-looking, smooth-talking bachelor whose primary goal in life is avoiding any kind of responsibility. But when he invents an imaginary son in order to meet attractive single moms, Will gets a hilarious lesson about life from a bright, but hopelessly geeky 12-year-old named Marcus. Now, as Will struggles to teach Marcus the art of being cool, Marcus teaches Will that you're never too old to grow up.

πŸ… 93% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.1 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Paul Weitzcontemplativewittyplayfulromantictenderwarm

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If About a Boy hit the spot, these will too

Muriel's Wedding poster
Muriel's Wedding
1994 Β· dir. P.J. Hogan
πŸ… 82%β˜… 7.3comedy Β· drama Β· romance

Common ground in both: friendship and becoming an adult

Socially awkward Muriel Heslop wants nothing more than to get married. Unfortunately, due to her oppressive politician father, Muriel has never even been on a date. Ostracized by her more socially adept friends, Muriel runs into fellow outcast Rhonda Epinstalk, and the two move from their small Australian town to the big city of Sydney, where Muriel changes her name and begins the arduous task of redesigning her life to match her fantasies.

As Good as It Gets poster
As Good as It Gets
1997 Β· dir. James L. Brooks
πŸ… 86%β˜… 7.7drama Β· comedy Β· romance

The same preoccupation in both: single parent

A misanthropic author, a single mother and waitress, and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship after the artist is assaulted in a robbery.

Italian for Beginners poster
Italian for Beginners
2000 Β· dir. Lone Scherfig
πŸ… 87%β˜… 7comedy Β· drama Β· romance

One thread runs through both: friendship

Several lonely hearts in a semi-provincial suburb of a town in Denmark use a beginner's course in Italian as the platform to meet the romance of their lives. The film, which unspools the connections and family drama shared between the students, complies with several aesthetic principles of Dogme 95 movement.

Little Fockers poster
Little Fockers
2010 Β· dir. Paul Weitz
πŸ… 10%β˜… 5.5comedy Β· romance

The same hand behind both of them: Paul Weitz

The difference: Reviewed a good deal more coolly

It has taken 10 years, two little Fockers with wife Pam and countless hurdles for Greg to finally get in with his tightly wound father-in-law, Jack. After the cash-strapped dad takes a job moonlighting for a drug company, Jack's suspicions about his favorite male nurse come roaring back. When Greg and Pam's entire clan descends for the twins' birthday party, Greg must prove to the skeptical Jack that he's fully capable as the man of the house.

Four Weddings and a Funeral poster
Four Weddings and a Funeral
1994 Β· dir. Mike Newell
πŸ… 92%β˜… 7.1comedy Β· drama Β· romance

Both land stillness and wit at once

Over the course of five social occasions, a committed bachelor must consider the notion that he may have discovered love.

He's Just Not That Into You poster
He's Just Not That Into You
2009 Β· dir. Ken Kwapis
πŸ… 42%β˜… 6.4comedy Β· romance Β· drama

Playful and romantic in the same breath

Remember that really cute girl/guy who said they'd call – and didn't? Maybe they lost your number. Maybe they're in the hospital. Maybe they're awed by your looks, brains or success. Or maybe... They're just not that into you.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara poster
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
2011 Β· dir. Zoya Akhtar
πŸ… 89%β˜… 8.2drama Β· comedy Β· romance

The same mix in both: tenderness, then warmth

Three friends who were inseparable in childhood decide to go on a three-week-long bachelor road trip to Spain, in order to re-establish their bond and explore thrilling adventures, before one of them gets married. What will they learn of themselves and each other during the adventure?

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai poster
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
1998 Β· dir. Karan Johar
πŸ… 67%β˜… 7.5romance Β· drama Β· comedy

Both lean on stillness more than on drama

Per her mother's last wish, an 8 year old girl sets out to reunite her father with his college best friend who was in love with him.

Love, Rosie poster
Love, Rosie
2014 Β· dir. Christian Ditter
πŸ… 32%β˜… 7.1romance Β· drama Β· comedy

Comedy with a pulse of wit, in both cases

Since the moment they met at age 5, Rosie and Alex have been best friends, facing the highs and lows of growing up side by side. A fleeting shared moment, one missed opportunity, and the decisions that follow send their lives in completely different directions. As each navigates the complexities of life, love, and everything in between, they always find their way back to each other - but is it just friendship, or something more?

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani poster
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
2013 Β· dir. Ayan Mukerji
πŸ… 64%β˜… 7.3romance Β· comedy

Playful romance in both cases

The difference: None of the stillness About a Boy is built on

On a trekking trip, an introverted Naina falls for a charming ex-classmate, whose thirst for adventure drives them apart. Years later, their paths cross again.

How to Be Single poster
How to Be Single
2016 Β· dir. Christian Ditter
πŸ… 45%β˜… 6.1comedy Β· romance

Common ground: single

New York City is full of lonely hearts seeking the right match, and what Alice, Robin, Lucy, Meg, Tom and David all have in common is the need to learn how to be single in a world filled with ever-evolving definitions of love.

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry poster
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
2007 Β· dir. Dennis Dugan
πŸ… 15%β˜… 5.9comedy Β· romance

Both are built on the same subject: single parent

Firefighters Chuck Ford and Larry Valentine are guy's guys, loyal to the coreβ€”which is why when widower Larry asks Chuck to pose as his lover so that he can get domestic partner benefits for his kids, his buddy agrees. However, things get dicey when a bureaucrat comes calling, and the boys are forced to present a picture of domestic bliss.

In the mood for more contemplative?

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The best-reviewed films that share About a Boy’s defining feeling.