Pleasant but pedestrian.
Comment
10/06/07
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December Boys (2007)
43
%
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Reviews Counted:65
Fresh:28
Rotten:37
Average Rating:5/10
Consensus: Uneventful and far too sentimental.
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... [More]
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Lee Cormie, Christian Byers, James Fraser
Director: Rod Hardy
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Reviews for December Boys
Radcliffe is the big draw, but he's really a supporting player, just one of the parentless wonders sent to live with a loving couple one glorious, life-changing summer.
09/14/07
Based on a novel by Michael Noonan, this sentimental tale of Australian orphans coming of age by the seaside has little to distinguish it except for the presence of Daniel Radcliffe.
09/11/07
The two halves of December Boys -- the pre-adolescent getting of wisdom and the adolescent getting of action -- never mesh.
09/21/07
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04/23/09
Director Ron Hardy’s heartfelt, if somewhat tepid, adaptation of Michael Noonan’s coming-of-age novel harks back to the days of the Australian New Wave, when films about isolation, loneliness and the existential dilemmas of life on an island continent.
09/14/07
A coming of age story for Dummies. It packs in the schmaltz and spells out all the life lessons in case you weren't paying attention. It's not unwatchable, but I certainly wasn't in the mood that day.
09/14/07
Daniel Radcliffe indicates he may be able to shake off Harry Potter in this amiable little drama.
09/14/07
Though familiar as an old shoe, this is straightforward and well told.
09/21/07
There seem to be two movies going on here at the same time, and December Boys would have been better off going all the way with one of them.
09/21/07
Top CriticJuvenile viewers may well benefit from the movie. But, for the adult, it’s ultimately a film that arrives too early for the season in its title and too late in terms of style and impact.
09/20/07
The absence of a seasoned lead figure is a decisive flaw, with the same to be said about the writing. The religious inserts only make it blasphemous to the gods of cinema.
09/10/07
A cloying, unremarkable affair.
09/14/07
"December Boys" is a minor ensemble melodrama that succeeds for the heartfelt efforts of its ensemble.
09/23/07
Even Enid Blyton’s toes would be curling tight enough to snap faced with a movie this winsome. Black marks all around – and back to Hogwarts with you, young Radcliffe.
09/14/07
Well-intentioned, but teeth-grindingly earnest, with a voice-over that seems to consist entirely of clichés.
09/14/07
Conflicted but well-acted.
10/11/07
An absorbing, gentle slice-of-life, light on plot but heavy on smaller moments of keen human interaction and observation.
09/17/07
Don't expect magic here.
09/20/07
I was not charmed. I was not moved.
10/08/07
Top CriticLatest 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...
September 16, 2007:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Jodie Struggles But Still Hits #1
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...
September 13, 2007:
Critical Consensus: Brave One Isn't Tops, Mr. Woodcock is Flaccid, Hunting Party is Busted
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. 
More...
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