The Boys Are Back

Genre : DVD ( DVD )
Release : 2010/01/26
Price : $13.99

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Based on a semi-autobiographical novel by Simon Carr, the touching The Boys Are Back stars Clive Owen as Australian sportswriter Joe Warr. Joe's world crashes down on him when his wife (Laura Fraser) dies of inoperable cancer, leaving him a single parent with one very young son, Artie (Nicholas McAnulty), and another, Harry (George MacKay), a teenager from a previous marriage. The events that follow Joe's loss are largely predictable, yet are well worth seeing on the strength of Owen's performance as an overnight widower and conflicted family man. There is the inevitable competition for his attention between home and the newspaper where he works. There are tensions with his grieving in-laws, whom he needs for support while also having to lay down clear boundaries. There is subtle awareness of other women in the world, now that Joe is single again. Trying to be all things for all people just seems to make everyone upset with Joe, yet he carries on, trying to be positive with the kids but falling on his face regularly.

There is a tidiness to The Boys are Back that undercuts any chance of surprising a viewer. A scene where Joe reads aloud from one of his sports columns, for instance, is gratuitously written into the script just to be sure the audience really knows what he does and why he's famous for it. Director Scott Hicks (Shine) tries to balance emotional truth with a stodgy, art-house quality, sacrificing grit in the process. Things loosen up when the action briefly shifts to England, but for the most part The Boys Are Back is solely memorable for its performances. --Tom Keogh

It was a very good movie. I almost didn't buy it. It didn't sound very good to me when I first heard about it. After watching some of the trailers I decided to give it a shot. I am glad I did!

Australian guy loses wife. Guy attempts to pick up the pieces for his kid by instigating peculiar house rule: there are no rules. Guy gets call from another son in England, and then somehow remembers he split on older son's mom long ago. But never mind: a little Chaos Therapy will bring them all together. Women hover around the edges, warning of the (inevitable) disasters to come.

That's it for the plot. But Clive Owen's Aussie dad is charmingly arrogant and later, charmingly chastened. The real gem performances are the boys, and in particular the older son Harry, played by a very gifted young man named George MacKay. MacKay's Harry is quiet and decent--just this side of vulnerable, and trying desperately to hold it all together. As he slowly begins to trust Dad's goofball rules, he lightens up and relaxes, only to be hauled up short by Dad's not quite liking the new rule after all. Every kid in the universe can relate to THAT!

It's the little epiphany Owen has in England--that nothing whatever can undo the past except simply soldiering on--that makes this film a little more than sweet fluff. And the "soldiering on" must consist of levelheaded consistancy and kindness. Nothing else--and certainly no special "rule"--can make for authentic, genuine commitment to the ones we love.

Well written and endearing - sad and emotional and a real lesson about parenting under onerous circumstances.

It is worthwhile to consider that this film is intended to follow very closely the long-leash child rearing technique brought forward in the book of the same title by Simon Carr. No doubt this approach to child rearing is unconventional, but whether somebody likes or agrees with the technique matters not. The point of view of the film was to examine this technique, including its potential shortcomings, in the context of a family trauma in which the father is placed into a new and unsettling role. The film succeeded very well in this regard. The diverse South Australian landscape is captured very well. The characters all deliver true to their roles, no glaring weak performances. There are a few minor flaws or awkward moments in the execution of the story, but the director generally edited well and created a film that did exactly what he had set out to do, and the actors performed with at least a little more depth than schlock that typically gets regurgitated out of Hollywood.

This is a great little movie, sadly under-rated, with wonderful performances by all cast members. I know many reviews have praised young Nicholas McAnulty and, yes, Nicholas is brilliant - especially when you remember that he is an inexperienced 6 year old! On the other hand I felt that George Mackay, as the older brother Harry, stole the show! Absolutely wonderful performance by this young man with a great acting future ahead of him, I'm sure!

I may be a little prejudiced when it comes to this movie since I'm a HUGE Clive Owen fan and, because it was filmed where I live, I was fortunate enough to be a part of it - albeit as an extra but what a wonderful experience!

In a world of mix 'n' match families, this is a must see movie! As for the South Australian location - well that is a bonus!

Enjoy!