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I enjoyed this movie. It is tender, lush and wonderful. The Boys Are Back was adapted from a memoir of the same name by Simon Carr, a funny and affecting book.  The movie is inspired by a true story and takes a close look at grief and single parenthood from the father’s viewpoint. I think it does an excellent job. Filmed on location in southern Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula and England, the cinematography is beautiful – windswept-golden fields, rolling hillsides, sun-glistening seashores. (Thank you for another visual masterpiece, Greig Fraser!) The movie makes you think. It makes you feel.

Directed by Oscar winner Scott Hicks (Shine), The Boys Are Back examines the differences between mothers and fathers as sole caregivers. The script is by the television writer, Allan Cubitt and I think he did a great job. The movie is slow-paced and deliberate, wanting the viewer to actually feel the emotions and not just view the movie as an objective passerby.  I thought it was effective. The movie was so real, it felt as though I was glimpsing into the private heart of someone who had recently lost a loved one.

Clive Owen plays Joe Warr, a British transplant who has a job as a sportswriters in his adopted homeland of Australia. Joe moved from England to Australia to be with his second wife, Katy (Laura Fraser), an equestrienne he impregnated while she was at a match in England and while he was married to his first wife (Natasha Little). He had a son with her, Harry (George MacKay, the youngest Bielski brother in the excellent movie, Defiance. He also looks remarkably like Rupert Grint/Ron Weasley). Joe  had a son with his second wife, Artie (Nicholas McAnulty).  When Artie is 7 years old, Katy dies of cancer and Joe is left to raise Artie on his own, which is a challenge since he has a demanding job as a sportswriter who has to travel to different cities and countries. Then, to complicate matters more, his teenage son, Harry, decides to come from England and spend some time with him in Australia. There starts the journey of grief and healing for all 3 of the “boys.”

Joe lives in a wonderful rambling house in the countryside near Melbourne. He’s a dad who doesn’t have many rules and calls their home “Hog Heaven.” Dishes are piled high in the sink, pizza boxes are strewn everywhere, and little Artie pretty much does what he wants. By the way, this is Nicholas McAnulty’s first role as Artie and he is brilliant. He is so believable, you forget that he’s an actor. He stole every scene he was in.

For Joe, grieving and left alone to care for young Artie, he rarely says no. His older teenage son, Harry, becomes a big brother to Artie when he arrives and the three of them have awkward, loving and “boy fun” moments together while Joe and Artie are mourning and all three of them are trying to learn what each other’s role in the family is.  Joe’s good intentions of being “one of the boys” sometimes backfire and cause problems for him, his boys and the local school moms who view Joe’s parenting as dangerously unorthodox.

Katy’s mother, Barbara (Julia Blake), disapproves of Joe and wants to take Artie to live with her.  (Emma Booth), the mother of a schoolmate of Artie’s, at first seems more sympathetic to this handsome, sad dad, and maybe even willing to sleep with him. But Laura too proves wanting when she fails to embrace Joe’s “just say yes” parental philosophy and also to meet his every household and child-care need. As for the first wife back in England (Natasha Little), her coldness is shown to be far worse for Harry than her ex-husband’s wanton irresponsibility is.

Another influence inserts itself into the Warr bachelor household when a neighbor lady enters the picture. Laura (lovely Emma Booth), is a single mom who Joe meets at Artie’s school. She becomes very helpful and babysits Artie when needed. It seems she wants something more from the relationship – something that Joe really isn’t able to give. When Joe goes off to Melbourne to cover a tennis match and springs it on Laura at the last minute, she declines to act as nanny and housekeeper. Fifteen year old Harry promises to take care of both seven year old Artie and the property while Joe does his sports coverage thing for a couple of days. Which doesn’t turn out all that well. This begins the dramatic tension of the film, as Harry leaves to go back to England, and Joe and Artie go after him, to try to convince him to come back to Australia.  

Owen doesn’t get many tender roles like this. I thought he was wonderful and displays more range and humanity than ever before, while the two boys are genuine and heartfelt. I felt the pain and bewilderment in all the characters’ actions when things didn’t go right.

The film’s ethereal soundtrack by Iceland’s Sigur Rós is a melancholy yet lovely accompaniment consisting of classical guitar and haunting melodies.

I definitely recommend seeing this film. It’s beautiful.