The Boys Are Back (2009)

A sports writer becomes a single parent in tragic circumstances.

Director:

Scott Hicks

Writers:

Simon Carr (novel), Allan Cubitt (adaptation)

Stars:

Clive Owen, Emma Booth, Laura Fraser

6 nominations.

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

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.

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Plot Keywords:

half brother | parenthood | single parent | australia | half brother half brother relationship | 

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Taglines:

Inspired by a true story.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexual language and thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

BBC Films Hanway Films

Country:

Australia UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 November 2009 (Australia)

Also Known As:

The Boys Are Back

Filming Locations:

Myponga Beach, South Australia, Australia

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$49,342, 27 September 2009

Gross USA:

$809,752

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,234,705

Company Credits

Production Co:

Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC), BBC Films, Hopscotch Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Wrestling with an oncoming tidal wave of foreign emotions, source novelist Simon Carr nevertheless had to figure out how to re-invent himself, how to go from a shell-shocked widower to a hands-on dad with the wherewithal to bring his family back from the brink. It wasn't easy, and there was no map. He dodged all the do-gooder advice, and started his own experiment in what he called "free range" parenting. He proudly made every mistake in the book. And yet, somehow, day after day, struggle after struggle, Carr and his two sons found a way to grab onto momentary pleasures, "and each other", as they began to re-emerge as a stronger, different kind of family unit than they might have imagined. Though they called themselves "The Lost Boys", the father and sons found something vitally sustaining in each other and in the human spirit's capability to survive a world where nothing, ever, can be taken for granted.

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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.

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Connections

Featured in South Australian Film Corporation 40th Anniversary Showreel (2012)

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Soundtracks

Wasted Generation
Written by Mayfield (Copyright Control)
Performed by Mayfield
Licensed courtesy of Glorious Homeless Records

User Reviews

A good movie

A brilliant movie with emotions perfectly emoted by characters very well etched by the writers. That's what I would like to say about this movie in one word. The director has blended all the factors into one...be it the shots, the music, the characters, the story...all into one. And he has done it in a brilliant way that I felt that I was with those characters living with them. Clive Owen, Laura Fraser, Nicholas McAnulty, George Mackay all did a wonderful job. I did not have any expectation while going into the cinemas to watch this...and when I got out i was feeling very refreshed... A good movie...I recommend it to all.