Owen, MacKay Elevate 'Boys' Beyond Melodrama

'The Boys Are Back'

Review: 3/5

Director Scott Hicks' 'The Boys Are Back' could have easily been a vapid tale of regret and loss suitable for daytime syndication on the Lifetime Channel, but, under Hicks' tender direction the film soars as a charming ode to life after grief; a study of sorrow merged with vivacity that infuses the film with a kind of dual atmosphere, brought all the more to fruition by Clive Owen's portrayal of a benevolent father without a clue, and by George MacKay, as Owen's eldest, estranged son, Harry, who deserves Oscar consideration for his heartrending turn as a tormented teen growing up without a father.

The plot is relatively familiar, although it is, I'm told, inspired by a true story: Joe Warr (Owen) is an esteemed Australian sportswriter with a lovely wife, a young son (Nicholas McAnulty), and an older son (MacKay) who's the product of a failed marriage. Warr's current wife dies suddenly, her death being attributed to the all-too-familiar cancer epidemic, and it becomes Warr's mission to reunite his two sons, abandoning rules and responsibilities in favor of various forms of amusement. "Just say yes," Warr posits, in a valiant, if flawed, effort to divert his sons' focus from tragedy into an effervescent, cathartic lifestyle free of austerity. That this demonstration of carelessness ultimately leads to obvious plot developments is forgivable, considering the exceptional nature of the overall production.

The cinematography by Greig Fraser, relying on warm summer hues that elicit the quiet, buzzing nature and tone of the overall film is some of the best of the year. An opening sequence of Warr speeding down an Australian beach at sunset in an SUV with his youngest son resting on the windshield, screaming with excitement, is lensed with an idyllic, almost dreamlike tracking shot that discreetly alters its focus to the horizon as the SUV speeds on. This photography gorgeously indicates not only Fraser's ability to find a sense of life in the indistinct haze of dusk, but Hicks' deft directorial feel for perseverance, no matter how gentle the message may be. It's a genuine, inspiring film during a time of recession.