DVD Reviews

The Boys Are Back – DVD Review

By Frankie Dees Jan 25, 2010, 14:41 GMT

Clive Owen delivers a critically acclaimed performance in THE BOYS ARE BACK, the heartwarming and uplifting drama about a man who is suddenly thrust into the role of single parent. Successful sportswriter Joe Warr (Owen) finds himself completely unprepared to raise his rambunctious 6-year-old son Artie and juggle the challenges of a demanding job, running a household and the possibility of romance. Determined to bring joy back into their lives, ...more

‘The Boys Are Back’ is a fine, understated drama about familial loss that never resorts to being overly maudlin with Clive Owen showing his softer side in a role of a father forced to deal with his young son after his wife passes away. 

In a tone-setting opening sequence, we see Clive Owen’s Joe Warr driving down the beach with onlookers screaming at him because he’s letting his son sit on the hood of the car. This sum’s up Joe’s more risk-taking ideas of parenting after his wife’s death and what follows is a protracted flashback letting us know how they got there. 

Based on Simon Carr’s memoir novel ‘The Boys Are Back in Town’, Joe Warr is an English sportswriter now living in Australia after meeting and falling love with Katy (Laura Fraser). Leaving his first wife and young son in England, he marries Katy and raises a son Artie (Nicholas McAnulty) in relative bliss until she’s diagnosed with cancer and slowly succumbs. 

This happens fairly quickly in the film and it’s more about Joe coming to terms with having to deal with his six-year old son and the looming menial responsibilities that he never had to take care of before – after all, the laundry, cleaning and trash all still have to be taken care of, even in the aftermath of an enormous loss. 

At first resorting to heavy drinking, he has to quickly figure out how to be a full-time dad and when young Artie lashes out as he’s too young to fully comprehend his mother’s death, Joe decides to compensate by being a ‘free-range’ parent, a method that employs little to no rules. This seems to work for them, but the parents of his schoolmates scoff, particularly a single young mother he befriends where a romance may be blossoming. 

Just when he comes to terms with Artie, a new difficulty arises when his ex-wife calls and asks him to watch his now teenage son Harry (George MacKay) whom he left years before. With Harry flying to Australia for an extended visit, Joe now has more daddy issues to work out with Harry who feels abandoned and forgotten. 

A lesser film would have taken this material and pulled on the schmaltzy heartstrings with a no doubt reckless abandon, something akin to say ‘Grace is Gone’, but director Scott Hicks (this being his best film since ‘Shine’) manages to present the characters with a sadness that never submits to cheap sentimentalities.

Clive Owen anchors the film in a nice change from his usual brooding and action roles and does a great job keeping the audiences sympathies while displaying questionable at best parental skills. 

The film is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with the few special features being ‘The Boys Are Back: A Photographic Journey’, a fifteen minute or so behind the scenes feature comprised completely of stills arranged to convey the mood of the piece.

It’s a unique method of looking behind the scenes and this feature can be watched with music or with commentary by director Scott Hicks. ‘A Father and Two Sons, On Set’ is a quick look at Simon Carr and his two children as they look onto the reimagining of their lives.  

Scott Hicks lets these characters breath in a realistic manner and the cast wisely chooses to not overplay their hand with Clive Owen carrying the film with ease. Besides the somewhat trite title that could get this film overlooked, this is an easy recommend. 

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