A recent study listed the adverse effects of various things on a man's health, with the worse being the loss or death of a spouse. That's no real surprise considering that women usually provide for many of the needs of men, be that in terms of affection, cooking, arranging social interaction with others, and taking care of the kids.
Granted, that doesn't universally apply to all couples, but sometimes ending up as the sole caretaker of children is the only thing that keeps divorcees and/or widowers going on through life. Of course, additional stresses and grieving go hand-in-hand with that, and all of that is explored in "The Boys are Back," a well-meaning but rote family drama from Scott Hicks.
He's the filmmaker best known for the well-received "Shine" from 1996, which was then followed by less satisfying and/or commercially successful works such as "Snow Falling on Cedars," "Hearts in Atlantis" and "No Reservations." While this effort will likely receive good marks for the performances -- most notably Clive Owen as the widowed Australian sportswriter and Nicholas McAnulty and George MacKay as his two boys -- the film itself ends up as just mediocre despite its best intentions.
Part of that stems from the fact that we've seen this story before, most notably in the form of the far better "Kramer vs. Kramer" from 1979 (although the loss of the wife/mother character was by her choice rather than death, and she came back in that one). Then there's the issue of this offering containing all of the usual trappings of such a story.
They include but aren't limited to the dad being unsure about the day to day raising of his offspring (sometimes imparted by his occasional voice over narration), resulting in some unusual improvising that's cool from the kids' viewpoint and ends up being the thing that does the trick (here it's a general lack of household rules).
There's also the concerned maternal grandmother who voices criticism of that, the single parent of the opposite sex who provides support and possible future romance, the need to juggle work and the kids, and even the protagonist talking to the deceased spouse about what's occurring, only to have the imagined -- and wise, natch -- spirit suddenly disappear.
While none of that is horrible from an individual or collective standpoint and mawkishness is generally avoided, Hicks -- who works from Allan Cubitt's screenplay that's "inspired by true events" (stemming from Simon Carr's 2001 memoir) -- doesn't put enough of a fresh spin on the material to make it seem original or, for that matter, terribly compelling. Similarly, it doesn't always connect, especially as an overall experience, on a truly deep, emotional level.
Although the script and direction don't stand out, Owen is quite good, as is his interaction with the younger actors playing his kids. While the British actor is better known for his action roles in film such as "Children of Men" and "Shoot 'Em Up," he often brings an emotional intensity to his parts, and the added sensitivity factor works well for him here. In fact, most of the performances range from solid to strong, including Laura Fraser as the doomed wife and later spirit, Julia Blake as the grieving/concerned grandparent, and Emma Booth as the conveniently single mom who befriends the protagonist.
Early in the film, Owen's character states -- via voice-over narration -- that Neverland is always more or less an island. Since he and his sons end up being a trio of dysfunctional "lost boys" with the loss of one wife/mother to cancer and another to wanting to start life anew, one hopes some sort of "magic" might be in store for them, as well as the viewer taking in their story.
Alas, there's no Tinkerbell. Instead, they end up trapped in a familiar tale and the apparently obligatory elements that come along with that. It's a decent enough effort that benefits from good performances, but "The Boys are Back" doesn't otherwise stand out or connect enough to warrant a rating of more than 5 out of 10.
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