The Black Balloon (2008)
Average Rating: 7/10
Reviews Counted: 41
Fresh: 36 | Rotten: 5
A tender and witty portrayal of a family coping with autism, The Black Balloon is heartfelt without being schmaltzy or moralizing.
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Critic Reviews: 17
Fresh: 16 | Rotten: 1
A tender and witty portrayal of a family coping with autism, The Black Balloon is heartfelt without being schmaltzy or moralizing.
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Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 4,339
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Movie Info
An adolescent boy from a most idiosyncratic family attempts to adjust to his new neighborhood as his 16th birthday looms on the horizon in this family drama from director Elissa Down. Thomas is about to turn 16, and as if adjusting to a new neighborhood, a new school, and new friends isn't enough for a teenage boy to contend with, his family is about as unpredictable as they come. His autistic older brother, Charlie, suffers from ADD, and attends a special school on the days that he actually
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Cast
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Rhys Wakefield
Thomas Mollison -
Luke Ford
Charlie -
Gemma Ward
Jackie -
Erik Thomson
Corp. Simon Mollison -
Toni Collette
Maggie
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All Critics (41) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (36) | Rotten (5) | DVD (1)
Thomas and Jackie's friendship, blossoming into a chaste romance, is the dramatic engine that powers The Black Balloon, but it's far from the most important relationship in the film.
Top CriticThe film's vision is neither a grim wallow nor falsely cheerful. It's compassionate but unblinking, and in the end we can't help but admire the genuine strength of how its characters accept their special challenge.
At its sharpest Elissa Down's feature directorial debut is guided by intense, rough-edged emotional swings that feel authentically alive, even when the script settles for tidiness.
The Black Balloon establishes this family with a delicate mixture of tenderness and pain.
There are wrenching scenes that are brutally stark, yet there remains a steady sense of calm that is touching and sensitive without ever turning sentimental.
Structurally and cinematically, The Black Balloon sticks to the coming-of-age basics, but [director] Down has a gift for conveying time and place.
It's a well-meaning film, marked by Luke Ford's sensitive portrayal of a disabled character. But the main character is bland, imparting the same vibe on the rest of the film.
The Black Balloon is neither 'Rain Man' nor 'The Other Sister. This Aussie charmer charts its own course.
Wakefield anchors the well-paced quieter moments.
The Black Balloon is marked by the fiercest bravery you're likely to encounter on screen this year.
A film that mostly skirts artifice and sentimentality for a truer portrait of a family battered and bruised but nowhere near broken.
The outlines are broad and obvious, and Thomas such a bore, that The Black Balloon loses air.
It sometimes skirts melodrama territory, but the deep emotions ultimately are real and gratifying. Dependable Toni Collette keeps it grounded, disappearing into her role as the incredibly patient mother.
Collette aside, there is no wow factor in The Black Balloon -- just a not-bad story told with better-than-average skill.
It's a film about a supposedly real-world set-up that never feels true, even though the people who made it clearly set out to treat their subject matter and the audience with respect.
It's brilliant; a beautifully balanced comedy-drama that makes you laugh as much as it makes you cry, sometimes in the same scene.
Audience Reviews for The Black Balloon
Super Reviewer
Follows the life of a 15 year old boy and his family, including his autistic brother. I have to admit, I am watching this movie thinking, I couldn't do it! As well as the constant screaming and running around, there is the shit smearing (ugh!).
This is actually quite a sweet little movie and I was impressed with Gemma Ward as an actress. The 90's setting also gives it that something extra. Worth a look!
Super Reviewer
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- Maggie: He's your brother!
- Thomas Mollison: He's a freak!
- Maggie: [slaps Thomas in the face] Your brother will never be able to do the things you will. He'll never go to work or start a family, so we have to look after him. He's staying with us forever.
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- Thomas Mollison: You've just pissed all over my leg, haven't you?
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- Thomas Mollison: Well, maybe if you were to stop signing, he might start talking.
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December 7, 2008:
The Black Balloon wins big at the AFIsCheck out the frocks, shocks, trophies and tantrums at the AFI Awards.
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