The Boys Are Back
Australian sports writer, Joe Warr (Clive Owen) has recently lost the mother (Laura Fraser) of his youngest son Artie (Nicholas McAnulty) in a struggle against an untreatable cancer. Life has been turned upside down with grief as Joe is suddenly aware of the fact that he is now the lead role model and care taker of his youngest. Just as Joe briefly connects with Artie, he receives a call from his ex-wife tipping the scales a bit more. His teenage son Harry (George McKay), whom he left at age 6, wants to come for a visit to Australia. While learning the ropes of single fatherhood, Joe definitely comes off a bit reckless as a father with his inattentive stance on rules, “just say YES”. He is in a constant struggle to balance a demanding job and the need to be there for his boys, whom both desperately need his attention. Through a continuous strand of conflicts the boys must learn to work with and turn to each other for the support and guidance they need.
I’m honestly not sure how I felt about The Boys Are Back. It was definitely a film worth watching, but not an overpowering heartfelt film. There were a few times when strings were pulled, but it just was not as emotionally endearing as it could have been. The acting was very impressive, but there is a distinct lack of dramatics and plot. It did not appear to have been as developed or detailed as it could have been. There life seems to bounce along in a rule less stream of uneventful happenings. Now, this may have been the way Simon Carr’s memoir The Boys Are Back In Town was actually developed, but I cannot assume so since I have never read it. I am under absolutely no impression that films and books will ever pan out to be exact replicas on one another. The true story in itself is very heartbreaking and emotional. I think that is what actually held my attention aloft throughout the film. However, touching as the true story was, I simply did not find the film itself endearing.
The acting on the other hand was just the opposite. Young actors, Nicholas McAnulty and George McKay made the acting enjoyable to watch. The portrayal of their roles was quite impressive. Owen was also quite impressive in this film. Far from his action packed films, this was a bit of a switch of character for him to be a loving, fatherly type. He did a very good job, but somehow came up lacking a little on drawing empathy from the audience.
As far as the visuals go for this film, it was very beautiful. The scenery of Southern Australia was breathtaking. Very clear, crisp coloring and picture. The sound was also very pleasing. Everything was right up front and easily distinguished. There weren’t a lot of distracting background noises.
Special Features
The Boys Are Back: A Photographic Journey– Photographs taken throughout the filming with commentary by director Scott Hicks
A Father and Two Sons, On Set- This is a very brief piece of Simon Carr and his two sons meeting the actors portraying them.
There just wasnt a whole lot going on for the special features of this movie. It would have been nice to hear more from Simon Carr.