The Boys Are Back

[slickstu]

Scott Hicks' latest directorial effort is the story of a sports journalist, Joe Warr (Clive Owen), coming to terms with fatherhood after the death of his wife leaves him home alone with his young son, Artie (Nicholas McAnulty). Struggling to be something other than the absent father who occasionally returns home from long trips bearing gifts, Joe becomes the model of irresponsible parenting. Much to the chagrin of the boy's grandmother (Julia Blake), Joe favours fun times ahead of structured discipline, giving his son joyrides along the beach on the bonnet of his car, building him a high wire flying fox from which to alight from a tree in the front yard and all but banning housework from their daily schedule. By contrast, Joe's private schooled teenaged son, Harry (George MacKay), from a previous marriage who arrives on his doorstep from England is the model of discipline and provides his own parental challenges.

I usually find Clive Owen to be a rather robotic performer but here he is excellent, finding a subdued human streak within which is rarely seen in the roles he tends to undertake - he's very, very good! Julia Blake is also excellent as Joe's well-meaning mother-in-law who can see all his parental troubles before he does, exhibiting considerable strength and boundless empathy in equal measures. McAnulty and Mackay more than hold up their end of the bargain as Joe's two sons.

The script is worthy of the performances, managing to steer clear of predictable plotting with the exception of maybe one instance and the lovingly shot South Australian coastal locations showcase the Australian landscape beautifully.

By turns jubilant, tragically sad and disarmingly beautiful, The Boys Are Back is a triumph for Hicks, Owen and the Australian film industry generally.

8 out of 10.