Movie Summaryof The Boys are Back by Michael The Moviegoer.
THE BOYS ARE BACK = ***1/2
“Let’s Hear It For The Boys”
It’s only Scott Hicks’ fifth feature film in more than a decade, but “The Boys Are Back” is easily his best. That’s saying a lot for a man who was nominated for a Best Director Oscar for his debut feature “Shine” way back in 1996. After several forgettable follow-ups it seemed as though Hicks was destined to be a one-hit-wonder. But his latest is his masterpiece and it suggests that Hicks is back on the radar as a director to watch.
“The Boys Are Back” is also the first real “star” vehicle for Clive Owen who, alone, carries the entire movie and deserves serious awards consideration.
Owen plays a macho sportswriter living in Australia with his wife and 6-year old son. He’s immature and lazy with no parenting skills whatsoever. When his wife dies suddenly from cancer, he’s forced to face being a father not only to his 6-year old son, but also to another older son he left behind in England from a previous failed marriage.
Owen’s role has him successfully alternating between light-hearted and heavy drama, nearly all of which are in scenes he shares with a fabulous, real-life 6-year old actor by the name of Nicholas McAnulty. The film closely explores Owen’s metamorphosis from irresponsible parent to irreplaceable father.
This is a real departure for Owen after action-thrillers like “The International” and “Inside Man”, but it’s also one of the finest performances of the year.
DVD Double Feature: In 1994, James L. Brooks made a strange film called “I’ll Do Anything”. Strange because it was filmmed as a musical with big production numbers of original songs written by Prince, but it was released with all the musical numbers being deleted from the final film. What was left was a wonderful heartfelt drama of a man, Nick Nolte, having to suddenly care for his 6-year old daughter after her mother, Tracey Ullman, is sent to prison.
Michael The Moviegoer
