There are some films which really don't require a symphonic orchestral score and About a Boy is not what I'd call a score movie. It's the kind of film I'd assume was filled with pop songs and maybe a smattering of brief orchestral cues for some of the dramatic moments. I suppose, in some ways I was right. About a Boy is filled with songs and short score cues, but unlike the eclectic selection usually expected and David Newman stuck writing 30 seconds of orchestral bits, the songs and score cues are all by the same group. In this case, they're by the British band Badly Drawn Boy, one of the less angry, more laid back and enjoyable Brit Pop type guitar bands. My only reservation is that I can't help thinking some producers somewhere thought how great it would be to have "About a Boy, music by Badly Drawn Boy" on the album cover and film credits. Cynical, me?!

This is one of the few cases where I've been inspired to buy a score album based on seeing the film, indeed most scores I buy are for films I've never seen and often have no intention of seeing. I don't honestly know much about Badly Drawn Boy, although based on their work here, they are write tuneful, sometimes witty songs and have penned some enjoyable instrumentals. The pick of the songs is undoubtedly Something to Talk About, an instantly memorable song that's got a lot of radio play here in the UK. However, Above You, Below Me is a good pick as is the folksy A Minor Incident.

The London Metropolitan Orchestra is credited inside the booklet, but they provide little beyond the occasional string backing and odd brass bit here and there. I suppose in some ways, they could have been replaced with good synthetic equivalents, although it's nice that they didn't skimp on employing a real orchestra. This is the kind of film were the actors provide all the drama and the music just needs to play away in the background sometimes, so none of the instrumental cues have great substance, but are all most enjoyable. The mixture of sporadic orchestral instruments and the band's occasionally quirky arrangements work remarkably well. A highlight is the amusing File Me Away with it's charming and amusing doo-doo female chorus backing that elevates it above the rather basic melodic material.

There's no pretension to great dramatic underscore, as I said, the film doesn't need it. The songs and instrumentals all being by the same band makes it considerably more coherent than a compilation equivalent, no matter how well the songs are picked. Badly Drawn Boy are not a hugely innovative band, but have penned some decent tunes and the production is interesting without being intrusive. I was amused by some articles which heralded bands writing film scores as the greatest innovation in film music. There's a time and a place for this kind of thing and About a Boy is just that time and place, you'd need a band of considerably more dramatic caliber to write for something less lightweight, but for now, this will do just nicely. A slightly off the wall choice for the average symphonic film score fan, but a perfect Attack of the Clones antidote.

Rating ~

1. Exit Stage Right (0:21)
2. A Peak You Reach (4:33)
3. Something to Talk About (3:40)
4. Dead Duck (0:46)
5. Above You, Below Me (2:40)
6. I Love NYE (3:20)
7. Silent Sigh (4:44)
8. Wet, Wet, Wet (0:42)
9. River, Sea, Ocean (2:24)
10. S.P.A.T. (3:24)
11. Rachel's Flat (0:34)
12. Walking Out of Stride (1:48)
13. File Me Away (3:23)
14. A Minor Incident (3:44)
15. Delta (Little Boy Blues) (4:00)
16. Donna and Blitzen (4:19)

Total Time ~ 44:30