Clive Owen delivers a powerful performance as a widowed father struggling to get by with his six year old son in an uplifting but fairly ordinary drama.

Based on the memoir of Simon Carr, The Boys Are Back sees ex-patriot British sports reporter Joe Warr (Owen) struggling to cope after the sudden death of his wife Katy (Laura Fraser) from cancer, leaving him to raise their six year old son Artie (Nicholas McAnulty).  

Yet to come to terms with his own grief while trying to adjust to the role of a single parent, Joe adopts a mantra of “Just Say Yes” to parenting, believing that “the more rules there are, the more crimes are committed” and Artie runs wild.   This is much to the consternation of his mother-in-law (Julia Blake) and attractive single mother Laura (Emma Booth) (can you see where this is going?).

But, with the arrival of his teenage son Harry (George Mackay, looking so much like Harry Potter actor Rupert Grint that I was convinced it was him for half of the film), from his first marriage, Joe is forced to re-evaluate his parenting strategy.

Clive Owen delivers a wonderful performance as Joe. His duties to his son are a clear priority and as a result he’s had almost no time to grieve and his intense repressed suffering is etched on his face. It’s a role which enables Owen to show something that we don’t often get to see from his characters – that of emotional vulnerability, but there’s a cockiness and humour in his eyes which stops him from becoming maudlin.
 
The child actors are also excellent – Nicholas McAnulty as the pouty, turbulent Artie is extremely good. Unsure how to deal with his mother’s death, he lashes out in unexpected ways but Joe’s parenting allows him to run free and wild– the sheer joy on his face in some of the scenes will raise a smile even from the hardest of hearts.  George Mackay is also superb as Joe’s teenage son; he’s tentative about broaching the rejection that he felt when Joe walked out on his mother and these feelings of confrontation are dealt with in some absorbing scenes.

However, as excellent as the performances are and as heart tugging the plot, it’s hard to find anything to particularly original to connect with.  There’s something quite ordinary about these circumstances and even though it’s well told and acted, it can’t escape from the fact that it’s another film about the struggles of single parenthood. The habitual appearances of his deceased wife while appropriate also feel like they’re edging into the realms of cliché.

It’s a decent feel good film that you won’t regret seeing and worth a look if only for Clive Owen’s excellent performance, but it’s not going to set the world on fire.

Rating: ***

Starring:  Clive Owen, Nicholas McAnulty, George Mackay, Emma Booth, Julia Blake
Director: Scott Hicks
Certificate: UK PG | US PG-13

The Boys Are Back is at the London Film Festival but released in cinemas January 15.

Review by Jez Sands

If this was up your street, you should also try An Education on for size, and maybe even hunt down Heart of Fire.