A sports writer becomes a single parent in tragic circumstances.
Director:
Scott Hicks
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Title: The Boys Are Back (2009)
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6 nominations.
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Clive Owen | ... | Joe Warr | |
| Emma Booth | ... | Laura | |
| Laura Fraser | ... | Katy | |
| George MacKay | ... | Harry | |
 |
Nicholas McAnulty | ... | Artie |
| Julia Blake | ... | Barbara | |
| Chris Haywood | ... | Tom | |
| Erik Thomson | ... | Digby | |
| Natasha Little | ... | Flick | |
| Lewis Fitz-Gerald | ... | Tim Walker | |
|
|
Nakia Pires | ... | Lucy |
| Emma Lung | ... | Mia | |
| Steven Robertson | ... | School Housemaster | |
| Georgina Naidu | ... | Paula | |
|
|
Daniel Carter | ... | Digby & Paula's Child |
Edit
Plot Summary
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Storyline
The Boys Are Back is a confessional tale of fatherhood. It follows a witty, wisecracking, action-oriented sportswriter who, in the wake of his wife's death, finds himself in a sudden, stultifying state of single parenthood. Joe Warr throws himself into the only child-rearing philosophy he thinks has a shot at bringing joy back into their lives: "just says yes." Raising two boys - a curious six year-old and a rebel teen from a previous marriage -- in a household devoid of feminine influence, and with a lack of rules, life becomes exuberant, instinctual, reckless... and on the constant verge of disaster. The three multi-generational boys of the Warr household, father and sons alike, must each find their own way, however tenuous, to grow up. Written by Miramax
Plot Keywords:
half brother | parenthood | single parent | australia | half brother half brother relationship |Taglines:
Growing up can be the adventure of a lifetime. See more »Genres:
DramaMotion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated PG-13 for some sexual language and thematic elements | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
12 November 2009 (Australia) See more »Also Known As:
De vuelta a la vida See more »Edit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$49,342, 27 September 2009, Limited ReleaseGross USA:
$809,752, 8 November 2009Company Credits
Production Co:
Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC), BBC Films, Hopscotch Productions See more »
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby DigitalColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
Edit
Joe Warr: [narrating] I don't know whether you've ever seen a map of a person's mind. Doctors sometimes draw maps of other parts of you, and your own map can become intensely interesting. But catch them trying to draw a map of a child's mind, which is not only confused, but keeps going round all the time. There is zig-zag lines on it, just like your temperature on a card. And these are probably roads in the island, for the Neverland is always, more or less, an island.
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Undeterred by source novelist Simon Carr's momentary skepticism, Tiger Aspect Pictures undertook a search for a screenwriter who could match Carr's seriocomic sensibilities and found exactly that in Allan Cubitt. Although best known for his work on the multi award-winning British mystery series 'Prime Suspect 2', Cubitt's work was diverse, ranging from adaptations of 'Anna Karenina' and 'The Hound of the Baskervilles', to the BBC mini-series, 'The Hanging Gale', about a family in the midst of the Irish Potato famine. It was Cubitt's passion for Carr's book that made him the winning candidate. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Joe Warr: [narrating] I don't know whether you've ever seen a map of a person's mind. Doctors sometimes draw maps of other parts of you, and your own map can become intensely interesting. But catch them trying to draw a map of a child's mind, which is not only confused, but keeps going round all the time. There is zig-zag lines on it, just like your temperature on a card. And these are probably roads in the island, for the Neverland is always, more or less, an island.
See more »
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this was a very interesting film to watch but by no means gripping. Certainly a lighter role for clive Owen after Duplicity and The International and he is of course faultless in his execution of the role as journalist Joe Carr showing great vulnerability in his relationship with women in general, notably his two wives and then his two sons Arty and Harry who live apart. There are a lot of sensitive moments and much is overplayed, though personally the death of his wife I think is not played enough and the grief of the family seems somewhat hollow to me. Laurel seemed too available and not involved enough in the story and can someone explain what the party was all bout at the house when Joe Carr was away. Who were the uninvited guests and how did they get into the house? Didn't get that at all, not at all! Another film which promises a lot but delivers little, touching on serious family issues but not really addressing them.