Director Hicks keeps the cliches under control in this treacly tale of a man struggling to be a single father.
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10/09/09
The Boys Are Back (2009)
72
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:81
Fresh:58
Rotten:23
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: Great performances by Clive Owen and The Boys save this melodrama from entering into the sappy territory it might have in less competent hands.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating]
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Sep 25, 2009 Limited
Box Office: $783,013
Synopsis: Inspired by a true story, THE BOYS ARE BACK is a deeply moving, wryly confessional tale of fatherhood, that intimately evokes both the fragility and wonders of family life. It follows a witty,... [More]
Starring: Clive Owen, Laura Fraser, Nicholas Macanulty, Julia Blake
Director: Scott Hicks
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Reviews for The Boys Are Back
The tears will definitely trickle from your eyes. It’s distinguishing the trickle from the treacle that becomes the problem.
10/02/09
Might just put you off ever having children, if you don't already.
10/15/09
There's nothing terribly wrong with this leisurely paced chronicle of a single father's struggles parenting his two sons, but there's nothing terribly right with it, either.
09/18/09
Top CriticAn affecting blend of warm comedy and high pathos, The Boys Are Back brings an unusual all-male perspective to its otherwise familiar themes of domesticity, death and dysfunction.
10/30/09
...reduces the complexities of human relationships to a series of aphorisms and sitcom-like scenes, each of which is carefully designed to teach a lesson or establish a plot point.
10/09/09
Much like its lead character, the film lacks the discipline to always do what's best.
10/09/09
An impressive performance from Clive Owen as a single dad who tries to connect emotionally with his two sons and learn from his mistakes.
10/02/09
Even a corrosive influence like yours truly finds something a bit hinky about the motto 'Just Say Yes.' At least when applied to raising children.
10/27/09
All told, the movie’s a solid entry in the Bad Dad Gets It Together genre and Owen is really quite touching, especially when he’s not trying too hard, which is most of the time.
10/01/09
Top CriticThe pain of divorce and the tragedy of a parent's death supply the raw emotional materials of The Boys Are Back, making it all the more impressive that director Scott Hicks steers clear of the maudlin and the manipulative...
09/15/09
Top CriticJoe's "just say yes" policy is billed as an antidote to helicopter parenting, but there's little evidence that his laxity benefits anything but his own ego.
09/30/09
This indie gem marks the arrival of Oscar season. McAnulty and Mackay give very natural performances that are real and genuine.
10/10/09
Joe says in a voice-over that "life is a journey to be traveled no matter how bad the road." And The Boys Are Back is a highly satisfying ride.
10/31/09
Has there been a better film about single fatherhood than The Boys Are Back? None that I recall.
10/08/09
Top CriticIt manages to veer from touching to humorous (Warr has some rather unconventional parenting techniques) without being overly mawkish, and the sumptuous cinematography by Greig Fraser is perhaps the best commercial ever for South Australia.
10/09/09
Top CriticA head-turning performance by Clive Owen and a similar breakthrough from Emma Booth ... an incredibly powerful and moving film.
09/15/09
The boys are great, and the relationship between brothers who have been thrown together because they share the same absentee father is the film's truest, sweetest element.
10/08/09
The film seems to regard Joe with affection, and Owen certainly portrays him as a nice man. But why are his unformed theories about bringing up Artie supposed to fill us with affection and sentiment?
10/01/09
Top CriticBland, uneventful and going in circles for most of its second half, The Boys are Back never really gets to the point.
10/01/09
Latest News for The Boys Are Back
November 09, 2009:
Scott Hicks Talks The Boys Are Back
RT talks to director Scott Hicks as his latest film, 'The Boys Are Back', starring Clive Owen, opens in Australian cinemas. More...
September 24, 2009:
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