The Boys Are Back

DH and I recently had a chance to watch The Boys Are Back (ARV $29.99), a movie inspired by a true story, starring Clive Owen, Nicholas McAnulty, and George MacKay.

The death of his wife leaves wisecracking sportswriter Joe Warr (Clive Owen) with a curious six year-old (Nicholas McAnulty) and a rebellious teen from a previous marriage (George MacKay) to bring up in a household devoid of feminine influence. So Joe takes on parenting the only way he knows how—full throttle. With an exuberance born of necessity, he teaches his boys to meet the
joy and fragility of life head on. The Boys Are Back chronicles the fierce love and loyalty the three Warr men discover for each other as they make their way through the trials of everyday life.

When I first found read about The Boys Are Back, I knew it would be a sad movie, but not only was it filled with moments of heart break, there were also many moments that were heartwarming.

It was interesting to see how Joe coped with the death of his wife, as well as how Artie reacted to the death and life without his mummy, and even how Harry, a son from a previous marriage, related to them both when he came to visit them in Australia from England.

We watched as Joe struggled to keep his job while raising Artie on his own.  He tried his best to keep him happy, while often turning to the voice of his wife for guidance.

Although far from perfect, Joe encouraged both his boys to live lives full of fun and adventure, and wanted to give them both the best possible life that he could.

What really touched me throughout the movie was how Artie viewed life and death.  His innocent questions and comments would tug at my heart.  When he said he wanted to die to be with his mummy, or why he wanted to get a convertible, I was moved to tears.

Both DH and I thought The Boys Are Back was a great movie (we both were shedding tears throughout it).

The Boys Are Back does a nice job in capturing the heartache, innocence, joy, and struggles of Joe and his boys, as they venture through life on their own.

And in the end, the boys are indeed back, in more ways than one…

DVD Bonus Features

• The Boys Are Back: A Photographic Journey — A picture is worth a 1,000 words as director Scott Hicks takes us on a pictorial tour of the making of the film.
• A Father and Two Sons, On Set – Simon Carr, whose memoir inspired the movie, and his real-life sons visit the set.

Street Date: January 26, 2010
Suggested retail price: $29.99
Feature run time: 104 minutes
Rating: Rated PG 13 – for some sexual language and thematic elements
Bonus materials not rated
Aspect ratio: 35:1
Sound: 5.1 Dolby Digital
Languages: English and Spanish

Thank you to Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment for providing the product for review free of charge.  I received no monetary compensation for this post.