Seen on: October 1, 2009
The players: Director: Scott Hicks, Writer: Allan Cubitt, Cast: Clive Owen, Laura Fraser, Emma Booth, George MacKay, Nicholas McAnulty
Facts of interest: Scott Hicks recently directed "No Reservations."
The plot: The film follows a father who must raise his two boys alone after his wife passes away.
Our thoughts: Chances are, Scott Hicks’ excellent new drama “The Boys Are Back” will bring you to tears during the first 15 minutes. The film doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to establishing its tragic story line, which is exactly why it successfully captured my full attention in no time. That’s a strong start for a strong, very touching big-screen experience.
Based on the novel by Simon Carr, “Boys” stars Clive Owen in the role of Joe, a talented sports writer who is suddenly forced to raise his young son Artie (Nicholas McAnulty) all by himself after his wife succumbs to a long battle with cancer. Struggling with his own grief, Joe is now also confronted with the challenges of parenthood, which doesn’t exactly make things easier for him.
In a sudden turn of events, however, Joe and Artie are joined by Harry (George MacKay), Joe’s teenage son from his first marriage. You see, Joe left Harry years ago to be with his late wife and Artie, and although he’s happy to have both of his sons around him for the first time, his reunion with Harry provokes a new set of challenges that will quickly test everybody’s patience.
And so begins the emotional journey of these three individuals, who by spending time together as a family, slowly learn how to cope with life’s unexpected challenges and find hope during tough times of sadness. Joe’s boys help him embrace parenthood and all that comes with it, and in return Joe does his best to help Artie overcome his grief and fix his broken relationship with Harry.
Hicks and screenwriter Alan Cubitt handle this material quite well, and much to my surprise, “The Boys Are Back” never turns into a saccharine tearjerker falling victim to all the annoying conventions of the genre. Yes, the film does evoke strong sadness and even some tears occasionally, but it remains real and sophisticated in its examination of the main characters and their sorrow.
In other words, the movie boasts a charming character-driven plot free of major clichés. I really enjoyed Hick’s approach to Joe’s transformation from somebody who doesn’t know how to raise kids to a responsible, fun dad who rediscovers his own inner child through the energy of his two boys. Additionally, he also gets the chance to heal older wounds and just make things right between everybody.
“The Boys Are Back” is a heart-warming story benefitting from a fast-paced plot and interesting characters, but what makes this film so special are the main performances. Clive Owen is better and more realistic than ever in this role of Joe, and it’s a complete joy to see him dominate this film from start to finish.
Owen is an actor who’s visited pretty much every genre in the world of film, and drama certainly suits him as well. His performance here has provoked many to cry Oscar, and while it may still be a bit early for that, I admit I wouldn’t mind seeing him walk out there as a nominee. After all, this guy delivers an amazingly touching performance as a single dad.
Freaky quote: "Do I have to do everything around here?" – Clive Owen
The final word: “The Boys Are Back” is not necessarily a film I would put into my list of 10 best films of the years, but I admit I enjoyed every minute of it. The film starts off building a dramatic atmosphere and slowly leads its troubled characters to a lighter path toward a new life, and watching them embark on this journey is entertaining and certainly inspirational. This is good stuff, folks.
Article by Franck Tabouring