Published: Friday, October 2, 2009
Owen’s expert acting makes up for weepiness in ‘Boys’
You can tell when actors begin to have children, because their script choices change accordingly.
That’s the only explanation for Clive Owen leaving behind the likes of “Croupier” and “Sin City” and embracing “The Boys Are Back,” a cornball Australian production.
Still, this is a single-dad movie as you’d expect Owen would make: His sportswriter is unapologetic, somewhat angry and defensive about his hands-off parenting techniques.
Joe Warr is a still-recent widower with a young boy (Nicholas McAnulty), living in Joe’s adopted homeland, Australia. Joe’s teenage son (George MacKay) from a previous marriage is coming from England for an extended stay in Joe’s big country home.
Given Joe’s hotshot work commitments and “no rules is good rules” style, this promises to be an interesting experiment in male bonding.
In its early going, “The Boys Are Back” (lousy title) handles a few interesting tones: Joe’s grief, the uncertainty of his children, his rather well-traced relationship with his mother-in-law (the excellent Julia Blake).
The mother-in-law is the main critic of Joe’s freewheeling ways and the movie at least allows her a certain dignity in her arguments. But she’s still the wet blanket, the schoolmarm ruining all the boys’ fun.
Director Scott Hicks, whose career has been undistinguished since his breakthrough with “Shine,” has a pronounced weakness for weepiness, which is probably not what this already sentimental story needs.
It’s based on a memoir by journalist Simon Carr, who in fact lost his wife and was confronted with the task of being a full-time father.
But the movie never quite figures out how it feels about its hero’s approach, even when Joe messes up badly during a trumped-up sequence involving his coverage of the Australian Open.
If only the movie had the care and discretion of Clive Owen’s performance. He’s full of energy and cheek, but also capable of handling the emotional stuff.
And there you have the reason for seeing this movie, along with some pleasantly sunbaked Down Under scenery: the spectacle of a skilled movie star doing his work. Few do it better right now than Mr. Owen, even under these circumstances.
“The Boys Are Back” ½
A widower spends time with his two sons, whose problems test his “no rules is good rules” approach to hands-off parenting. While generally pretty weepy, this movie is solely worth seeing for Clive Owen’s skillful performance, the spectacle of a movie star who knows his stuff.
Rated: PG-13 for subject matter
Showing: Guild 45th
That’s the only explanation for Clive Owen leaving behind the likes of “Croupier” and “Sin City” and embracing “The Boys Are Back,” a cornball Australian production.
Still, this is a single-dad movie as you’d expect Owen would make: His sportswriter is unapologetic, somewhat angry and defensive about his hands-off parenting techniques.
Joe Warr is a still-recent widower with a young boy (Nicholas McAnulty), living in Joe’s adopted homeland, Australia. Joe’s teenage son (George MacKay) from a previous marriage is coming from England for an extended stay in Joe’s big country home.
Given Joe’s hotshot work commitments and “no rules is good rules” style, this promises to be an interesting experiment in male bonding.
In its early going, “The Boys Are Back” (lousy title) handles a few interesting tones: Joe’s grief, the uncertainty of his children, his rather well-traced relationship with his mother-in-law (the excellent Julia Blake).
The mother-in-law is the main critic of Joe’s freewheeling ways and the movie at least allows her a certain dignity in her arguments. But she’s still the wet blanket, the schoolmarm ruining all the boys’ fun.
Director Scott Hicks, whose career has been undistinguished since his breakthrough with “Shine,” has a pronounced weakness for weepiness, which is probably not what this already sentimental story needs.
It’s based on a memoir by journalist Simon Carr, who in fact lost his wife and was confronted with the task of being a full-time father.
But the movie never quite figures out how it feels about its hero’s approach, even when Joe messes up badly during a trumped-up sequence involving his coverage of the Australian Open.
If only the movie had the care and discretion of Clive Owen’s performance. He’s full of energy and cheek, but also capable of handling the emotional stuff.
And there you have the reason for seeing this movie, along with some pleasantly sunbaked Down Under scenery: the spectacle of a skilled movie star doing his work. Few do it better right now than Mr. Owen, even under these circumstances.
“The Boys Are Back” ½
A widower spends time with his two sons, whose problems test his “no rules is good rules” approach to hands-off parenting. While generally pretty weepy, this movie is solely worth seeing for Clive Owen’s skillful performance, the spectacle of a movie star who knows his stuff.
Rated: PG-13 for subject matter
Showing: Guild 45th
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