London’s Leicester Square has been suffering from cinema fatigue throughout the 53rd BFI London Film Festival. It’s been the focal point for many of the premieres taking place during the festival and almost every day hundreds of screaming fans have turned out to see the stars of the big screen.
For anyone who hasn’t been to a premiere before it is very much a strange affair. If there’s the slightest whiff of celebrity surrounding any of the dozens of cars approaching the red carpet then an instant melee breaks out amongst desperate autograph hunters. The premiere of Clive Owen’s new film The Boys Are Back (the third premiere in as many days) is very much from the same mould.
However, there’s something slightly different about this movie. Miramax and festival officials had hopes for The Boys Are Back as one of the front runners at this year’s event. The synopsis from the festival’s artistic director Sandra Hebron is glowing, “I’ve seen very few films where I’ve laughed and cried so much” she enthused while introducing the film to a packed Vue Cinema audience. A bold comment maybe, but one that quickly establishes a foundation.
The Boys Are Back Plot Summary
Clive Owen has been guilty in the past of not making particularly wise movie choices, but, since the career nadir that was King Arthur (2004), Owen has slowly re-established himself as a leading actor to be taken seriously. Roles in cult classic Sin City and Closer carved something of an alpha-male persona for the actor, but as yet, his acting CV hasn’t included a role involving as much vulnerability as The Boys Are Back.
Owen plays Joe Warr, a busy sports writer living an idyllic life in Australia when a sudden family tragedy leaves Joe as the sole custodian of his son Artie (Nicholas McAnulty). The responsibility of single parenthood hits Joe with a sudden jolt as he’s forced to juggle a demanding career with the domestic challenges of fatherhood.
As the typical working dad, he’s not exactly well versed on raising a child 24/7, “Shouldn’t the state intervene and make sure women look after little children?”, he jokes at one point with best friend Digby (Erik Thomson). But when Joe’s teenage son from a previous marriage in England, Harry (George MacKay), expresses his desire to go and stay with his dad in Australia, Joe is faced with double the responsibility and the task of bonding with two boys in the middle of difficult stages in their lives.
The Boys Are Back Strikes Emotional Chord
Scott Hicks – an infrequent director - has a history of prizing great performances from his leading men after guiding Geoffrey Rush to a Best Actor Oscar as Australian pianist David Helfgott in the sublime biopic Shine (1996). Coincidentally, this is Hicks’ first feature film on Australian soil since Shine, and again, his choice of real life material is impeccable.
The Boys Are Back is based on Simon Carr’s autobiographical novel of the same name and contains a fluent mix of both human tragedy - which will tug heavily on the firmest of heart strings - as well as slick observational humour and incredibly poignant family traumas that could only be written so fluently by someone who has first-hand experience of such events.
The Boys Are Back could quite easily have lapsed into melodrama or sentimental cliché but Hicks handles the film with delicate hands, moving the Warr family’s struggle – as in real life – from sorrow to brave-faced humour with frequency but never without respect or humility.
Fine Central Performances Form the Backbone of The Boys Are Back
The film is helped by three superb central performances, led by Clive Owen, who puts in his finest screen performance to date as the doting yet woefully ill-prepared dad Joe. Warr’s witty dialogue on the peaks and troughs of fatherhood is executed superbly by an actor whose delivery is faultless. Owen's handling of the emotional turning points in Joe’s life is subtle and always believable, emphasising that the actor can go much deeper than some of his previous roles may have led us to believe.
Casting children in such prominent movie roles can often be a minefield, especially in such an emotional film as this. One badly acted scene can destroy the foundation of any film. If an audience can see cracks appearing in a performance then their ability to relate to the material is made even harder. Acting convincingly in childhood is one of the more difficult tricks to master.
However, youngsters George MacKay (who bears a striking resemblance to Rupert Grint of Harry Potter fame) and Nicholas McAnulty capture the innocence and vulnerability of two children experiencing incredible turning points in their lives. In addition, they strike an on-screen relationship with Owen which contains all the ups and downs encountered by any father-son relationship. It’s never easy polarising a performance back and forth from drama to humour, but it is equally hard to think of a better example of how to achieve it than this movie.
The Boys Are Back could well be the first Oscar contender of the year, easily worthy of a Best Picture nomination. And with the 2010 ceremony’s new extended category it would be a crime if the film isn’t mentioned. Surprising too if Clive Owen doesn’t receive Oscar recognition for his sterling performance as Joe Warr.
The Boys Are Back certainly lived up to Sandra Hebron’s encouraging early review and has now set the bar for all other Oscar hopeful’s. It’s just a case of waiting to see what the rest of awards season has to offer, but the race has most definitely begun.
Verdict: 5/5
Gareth Harding - Gareth is a 27 year old freelance writer based in the north-east of England. 'I have had a keen interest in all aspects of film and ...
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