Clive Owen is a very clever man indeed. Easy on the eyes, disarmingly charming, and of a great mind when it comes to picking a savvy project, Owen was within an inch of the iconic black tuxedo when the Bond franchise decided it has best drag itself into the 21st century. Having enjoyed a career littered with high-profile projects realized by above-average filmmakers, the Academy Award nominated British thesp has somehow managed to consistently hide the fact that he's only got two expressions: nobly harried (as seen in King Arthur, Children of Men, The International) and effortlessly cool (see for reference Inside Man, Shoot 'Em Up, Duplicity). However, here under the under the direction of Shine helmer Scott Hicks, Owen for the first time reveals previously unseen depths and a curious vulnerability that suggests there may yet be untapped range behind those come-to-bed eyes and wry, sexy smile.
Based on journo Simon Carr's tender memoir this male-centric weepie recounts how he was forced to reconnect with both his estranged son (Nicholas McAnulty) and teenage stepson (George MacKay) following the tragic death of their mother. Perhaps aware that movie law permits men to shed actual tears only when confronted by stories about baseball or a pro football player with a terminal illness, Hicks takes one or two small liberties with the story. The real Simon Carr, here renamed Joe Warr (Owen), was a political correspondent. But that's not very sexy at all, and it also implies a vague hint of grounding and grown-up capability that doesn't suit a man painted here as someone with all the domestic aptitude of The Dude after a particularly hard day's bowling. Here Warr is a sports writer, forever off gallivanting while his second wife (Laura Fraser) keeps the home fires burning and laundry clean and fresh.
Then, following a devastating diagnosis and a swift deterioration Joe finds himself solely responsible for two children he hardly knows after Harry (George MacKay) returns from private school in England. Harry's presence adds genuine weight to Joe's dilemma and Carr sidesteps the cliché of simply dropping a whiney, emo, hormone bomb in Joe's lap. Harry feels like a real kid with genuine issues of abandonment that engage rather than irritate. But men can't possibly talk about their feelings, apparently, and so the bonding and reconciliation comes about the roughhousing, horseplay, and, of course, sports.
The domestic ineptitude does at times become a little heavy handed. Joe - a professional journalist don't forget, a job founded on self-discipline and responsibility - is incapable of preparing even the most basic meal and avoids the sink full of dishes like they're radioactive. Add to this the constant carping of a disapproving ex-mother-in-law whose attitude seems entirely contrived to force Joe to choose outright between his kids and his job. And we wouldn't be complete without the token single-mum neighbour, whose intermittent assistance seems to provide the only barrier between Joe's makeshift family and active squalor, regularly scolding him along the way for his irresponsibility.
Blunt but effective, you do quickly warm to Joe thanks primarily to Owen's unguarded fallibility in the role of a man genuinely out of his depth. but you have to question the overriding message that the best, and, potentially, the only way to approach parenting is to close your eyes and jump right in with a "just say yes" attitude and only your best intentions to guide your way. Why exactly Joe can't walk in with a considered plan is never made clear or even contemplated. After all, some of us can cook and clean (or at the very least work and oven and a vacuum cleaner).
DVD Bonus Features
Sparse extras comprise a blink-and-you'll-miss-it featurette during which Simon Carr's sons make a brief visit to the London set. Also included is a sixteen-minute montage of a production photo gallery with optional narration by director Scott Hicks. Hicks is clearly an intelligent and articulate filmmaker and his brief insights only make you wish they had sprung for a full commentary track on the feature.
"The Boys Are Back" is on sale January 26, 2010 and is rated PG13. Drama. Directed by Scott Hicks. Written by Allan Cubitt (adaptation), Simon Carr (novel). Starring Clive Owen, Emma Booth, Nicholas McAnulty, George MacKay.
