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Movies / On DVD / December Boys
December Boys

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December Boys (2007)

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Reviews Counted:65

Fresh:28

Rotten:37

Average Rating:5/10

Consensus: Uneventful and far too sentimental.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for sexual content, nudity, underage drinking and smoking.

Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Sep 14, 2007 Limited

Synopsis: Based on the novel by Michael Noonan, DECEMBER BOYS is a touching coming-of-age drama set in Australia in the 1960s. Maps (Daniel Radcliffe), Misty (Lee Cormie), Sparks (Christian Byers), and Spit... Based on the novel by Michael Noonan, DECEMBER BOYS is a touching coming-of-age drama set in Australia in the 1960s. Maps (Daniel Radcliffe), Misty (Lee Cormie), Sparks (Christian Byers), and Spit (James Fraser) are four best friends who live in a Catholic orphanage, hoping to be adopted but learning that dreams don't come true--and adults often let kids down. Because they were all born in December, they are the first group of boys who get to travel to a small cove and stay with an older couple, Bandy (Jack Thompson) and Skipper (Kris McQuade), two of the orphanage's benefactors who have offered to house the kids during the Christmas season. Once off on this rare vacation, the boys play in the sand and water, eat well, ride on a motorcycle, go to a carnival, and experience other new and exciting things as they quickly learn that there is more to the world than they ever imagined--and they get to meet some very strange characters in the process. But when Misty overhears that Teresa (Victoria Hill) and her husband, Fearless (Sullivan Stapleton), are considering adopting one of them, the battle is on--except for Maps, who is older than the others and instead spends his time with Lucy (Teresa Palmer), experiencing his first romance. Filmed in Adelaide and on Kangaroo Island and directed by longtime television veteran Rod Hardy, DECEMBER BOYS features beautiful locations, a talented cast, and a terrific soundtrack, including period songs by Norman Greenbaum ("Spirit in the Sky"), the Easybeats ("Friday on My Mind"), and Creedence Clearwater Revival ("Who'll Stop the Rain"). [More]

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Lee Cormie, Christian Byers, James Fraser

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Lee Cormie, Christian Byers, James Fraser, Jack Thompson

Director: Rod Hardy

Director: Rod Hardy
Screenwriter: Marc Rosenberg
Producer: Richard Becker
Composer: Carlo Giacco
Studio: Warner Independent

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Release:

Dec 11, 2007

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Reviews for December Boys

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
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Radcliffe has definitely got the hang of the moody teen act.

Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
09/14/07
Sun Online

"December Boys" is a minor ensemble melodrama that succeeds for the heartfelt efforts of its ensemble.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
09/23/07
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Daniel Radcliffe indicates he may be able to shake off Harry Potter in this amiable little drama.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/14/07
Daniel Etherington
Daniel Etherington
Channel 4 Film

The kind of film people call 'uplifting,' and while it is that much of the way, there are times when it's so oversaturated with sweetness and light, it's likely to uplift more cynical viewers from their seats in the movie theater. No matter.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
09/21/07
David Wiegand
David Wiegand
San Francisco Chronicle

An absorbing, gentle slice-of-life, light on plot but heavy on smaller moments of keen human interaction and observation.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
09/17/07
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

Radcliffe -- in full benevolent leadership -- clearly has a future as a young adult performer once he shelves Harry Potter's wand once and for all.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
09/14/07
Evan Henerson
Evan Henerson
Los Angeles Daily News

An engrossing Australian film about four orphans whose deep bonds of friendship are tested during a summer vacation in paradise.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
09/14/07
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

The movie earns its right to sentiment through its performances and gentle solicitousness toward its young heroes.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
09/13/07
Gene Seymour
Gene Seymour
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

While there's not much to the story, the gorgeous setting goes a long way.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
09/14/07
Jack Mathews
Jack Mathews
New York Daily News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
09/15/07
Jenny Peters
Jenny Peters
Hollywood.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

Though familiar as an old shoe, this is straightforward and well told.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
09/21/07
Joshua Katzman
Joshua Katzman
Chicago Reader

This charming tale of a quartet of Australian orphans who share a life-altering holiday in the 1960s should appeal to sentimental adults old enough to wax nostalgic over their own adolescence.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
09/14/07
Ken Fox
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Enhanced by an exotic locale, the movie overcomes a well-trodden narrative path and unflinchingly brandishes its sentimentality as it stakes out its crowd-pleasing territory.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
09/14/07
Kevin Crust
Kevin Crust
Los Angeles Times

December Boys bathes in the summer sun and sea breezes even as it exudes the energy of youth and promise.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
09/17/07
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Daniel Radcliffe doesn't look uncomfortable, exactly, in December Boys, but he does look like a hot transfer student trying to fit in with local pipsqueaks a head shorter and two grades below him.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
09/13/07
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

[A] tasteful and gorgeously photographed coming-of-age story.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
09/15/07
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Fans and industry watchers who wonder whether Radcliffe has what it takes to turn his increasingly sophisticated performances in [Harry Potter] into a full-blown adult career as an actor... can see for themselves: the kid's got talent...

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
12/09/07
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

A warm, sentimental glow prevails at the end, while copious shots of rolling landscape offset the teatime-telly feel of veteran goggleboxer Rod Hardy’s direction.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
09/14/07
Matthew Leyland
Matthew Leyland
Total Film

Watchable, nostalgia-tinged drama with strong performances from its four leads, though it's not as emotionally engaging as it should have been.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
09/13/07
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
 
 
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Latest News for December Boys

December 11, 2007: RT on DVD: Take Harry Potter, Jason Bourne Home for the Holidays
This week, get Bourne (The Bourne Ultimatum) -- or get Potter (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), or Efron (High School Musical 2), or opt for a different sort of... More...

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For the second straight weekend, a star-driven action drama aimed at adult audiences opened at number one with $14M in ticket sales from roughly 2,700 theaters. This time it was... More...

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This week at the movies, we've got vigilantes (The Brave One, starring Jodie Foster), gym teachers (Mr. Woodcock starring Billy Bob Thornton and Susan Sarandon), war... More...

August 25, 2007: Preview and images. Opens in new window
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