There are family stories, and found-family stories, and then there are… stories where an adult befriends a kid in a not-creepy way. Sure, it sounds a bit sketchy put like that, but would you consider Mary Poppins sketchy? Or Carl from Up? We didn't think so! If you think about it, there are a surprising number of films and television shows that feature the kind of unlikely yet heartwarming bond that Hugh Grant and Nicholas Hoult enjoy in About a Boy. It’s a device that can teach characters to become more responsible, to embrace their inner child, to accept love in their lives, and so much more. In fact, the genre is so wide-ranging that it even has its own tropes, as you’ll see in the list below.
Scroll on for the best films and TV shows that explore this unique relationship dynamic:
Sound of Music (1965)
Between Mary Poppins and Sound of Music, Julie Andrews is the patron saint of pseudo-mother figures in film. It’s nearly impossible to choose between Mary and Maria, two of the most classic movie-musical heroines of all time. But in the interest of fairness, Maria has a lot more on her hands with seven kids to look after. This film also features a common trope of the "bonding with someone else’s kid" genre: falling in love with the kids' parent. Maria brings life back to the von Trapp family, wins the affection of the children, and melts the cold heart of Captain von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). It checks all the boxes!
The Nanny (1993-1999)
The Nanny is definitely the most memorable television show for this particular genre, and it shares a lot in common with Sound of Music. Like Maria, Fran Fine (Fran Drescher) is an irrepressible spirit who shakes up the order of a widower who has trouble connecting with his own kids. And like Maria, she ends up falling in love with that very widower. With an iconic theme song, an iconic protagonist, and an iconic will-they-won’t-they romance with Mr. Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy), it’s a staple for sitcom lovers. But the bond between Fran and the three Sheffield characters is without a doubt the backbone of the show.
About a Boy (2002)
A staple of the Hugh Grant rom-com catalog, About a Boy slots into another trope of the genre: a single, unrelated adult accidentally falls into friendship with a kid, and they both help each other mature and learn about life. In this case, the kid is Marcus (played by a young and impeccably cast Nicholas Hoult), who uses Will’s (Grant) sleazy scheme to pick up single moms to his own advantage. The pair forms a strong friendship, and Will refreshingly does not fall in love with Macus’s mom (Toni Collette), but instead becomes part of their family in his own unique way. And of course, he ends up falling for another single mom (Rachel Weisz). It is a rom-com, after all!
Uptown Girls (2003)
Uptown Girls is the story of another unlikely nanny, Molly (Brittany Murphy), the daughter of a deceased rock star who takes the job out of desperation when her dad’s money begins to run dry. Her charge is Ray (Dakota Fanning), a prim and rigid eight-year-old who comes across more grown up than Molly does. Surprise: the odd couple have a lot to teach each other, as Molly encourages Ray to loosen up and have fun, while Ray helps Molly become more responsible and take ownership of her life. They also teach each other how to deal with grief over the loss of their fathers. It’s a touching and beloved tale and a shining example of Murphy’s gone-too-soon talent.
The Nanny Diaries (2007)
More nannies! This time, it’s Scarlett Johansson, and in a meta twist, she approaches her position as an anthropological study. In doing so, she breaks down yet more tropes of the genre — the distant, wealthy parents who are obsessive about their child’s care, yet hands-off when it comes to parenting, and the rocky relationship between mom and dad that causes their child to lash out. Grayer (Nicholas Art) is a true terror at first, but Annie (Johansson) softens to his wild-child ways when she realizes how his parents’ behavior affects him. In the end, she not only manages to get through to Grayer, but also to change his family forever.
Laggies (2014)
Laggies has a slightly different approach than the previous films. When Megan’s (Keira Knightley) life starts going off the rails, she runs away and falls in with a group of teens, including Annika (Chloë Grace Moretz). Unlike some of the more wholesome mentorships on this list, Megan isn’t a great influence on Annika (the first time they meet, she buys the teens alcohol). However, she still steps in to the mother-figure role (literally, by posing as Annika’s estranged mom) and the friendship forces her to look at her own personal life with new eyes. Bonus points: falling in love with Annika’s hot dad (Sam Rockwell).
St. Vincent (2014)
Here we have a subset of the "unrelated adult becomes friend with kid" trope: grouchy old guy begrudgingly bonds with precocious little guy. In this case, the grouchy old guy is Vincent (Bill Murray), who is also technically fulfilling the nanny trope when he convinces his neighbor Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) to let him take care of her son Oliver (Jaeden Martell). Despite some of Vincent’s underhanded dealings — which almost bring their friendship to an end — Oliver admires him and appreciates his lessons on how to stand up for himself.
Raising Helen (2004)
Another trope of the genre is "person not yet ready to be a parent unexpectedly gains custody of kids." In this Garry Marshall film, Helen (Kate Hudson) was raised by her older sister (Joan Crawford) after her mom passed away when she was a kid. In a sad twist of fate, their other sister (Felicity Huffman) also dies, passing custody of her three kids (Hayden Panettiere, Spencer Breslin, and Abigail Breslin) to Helen. Unlike other entries on this list, Helen already had a bond with her nieces and nephew. But she has to learn to step up from "fun aunt" into the role of a parent, forcing her to mature and change her lifestyle in order to care for the kids the way they deserve.
The Mick (2017-2018)
The Mick is like a twisted mirror version of Raising Helen. Mickey (Kaitlin Olson) also becomes the guardian of her sister’s three kids (Sofia Black-D'Elia, Thomas Barbusca, and Jack Stanton), but in this case it’s because their parents are wanted by the FBI for fraud and tax evasion and fled the country. Scrappy Mickey steps into her sister’s upper-class life to care for the kids, but suddenly becoming a parent does not alter her irresponsible ways. Over the course of the show’s two seasons, she corrupts them as often as she successfully parents them.
Up (2009)
Another for the "grouchy old guy" category — in fact, this Pixar film may be the definitive film of the "grouchy old guy" category. Up is a fantastical adventure, but the sweetness of the film lies in the relationship between Carl (Ed Asner) and Russell (Jordan Nagai), a Wilderness Explorer and Carl’s inadvertent stowaway. While Carl has pushed everyone away since his wife’s death, Russell helps him to open up again and enjoy life even in the midst of their several death-defying mishaps during the journey to Paradise Falls.
The Pacifier (2005)
One last nanny for the road. U.S. Navy SEAL lieutenant Shane Wolfe (Vin Diesel) is an unlikely sitter, but he is assigned to look after the five Plummer children (Brittany Snow, Max Thieroit, Morgan York, Kegan Hoover, and Bo Vink) while their mother leaves the country to assist a mission. Shane shows a surprising aptitude for childcare (or maybe not so surprising, if you’ve watched enough nanny movies), but when their late father’s secrets come to a head, his SEAL skills are just as useful as his ability to direct the school play.