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Bra Boys
Berkela Films

Bra Boys reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 55 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
5.7 out of 10
based on 12 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 4 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: R for language some violent content and reckless behavior

Starring Russell Crowe (Narrator)

"Bra Boys" is a film about the cultural evolution of the inner-Sydney beachside suburb of Maroubra and the social struggle of its youth--the tattooed, much-maligned surf community known as the Bra Boys. The story is narrated by Australian actor Russell Crowe and is told through the eyes of Bra Boys members. (Berkela Films)


GENRE(S): Documentary  
WRITTEN BY: Sunny Abberton
Macario De Souza
 
DIRECTED BY: Sunny Abberton
Stuart Beattie
 
RELEASE DATE: Theatrical: April 11, 2008 
RUNNING TIME: 90 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: Australia 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

70
The Hollywood Reporter Megan Lehmann
It's a piece of unabashed myth-making from first-time writer-director Sunny Abberton, himself a member of the infamous surf tribe from the working-class beachside suburb of Maroubra, in Sydney.
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70
Village Voice Scott Foundas
Rudimentarily made as documentaries go--and more than a touch self-glorifying at times--Bra Boys is nevertheless intriguing for its insider's perspective of an outsider culture steeped in tradition, male-bonding rituals, and intense localism.
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70
Los Angeles Times Bob Baker
The contrast between grainy videos of street fights and gorgeous scenes of the same boys conquering enormous waves is simultaneously inspiring and sad. Imagine a world in which gang members looked forward to singing in the Sunday choir.
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67
Entertainment Weekly Clark Collis
Partly a straightforward surf movie with impressive wave-catching footage. However, other sections track the legal troubles of Jai Abberton, a Bra Boy who was tried and acquitted of murder. This makes for an often fascinating but awkward mix.
Read Full Review
63
TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
What it lacks in objectivity, it makes up for in vivid intimacy.
Read Full Review
63
Chicago Tribune Sid Smith
An odd, one-sided documentary that nevertheless opens a window onto Australian class struggles and a world weirdly familiar and exotic simultaneously.
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60
The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis
This crude, rowdy movie is also unexpectedly touching in its embrace of surfing as an escape from the stigma of poverty and broken homes. Escape from Russell Crowe’s droning narration, however, is impossible.
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50
Variety Richard Kuipers
Opening with a bright history lesson about poor suburb Maroubra and its place in Sydney beach culture, the docu then fails to adequately answer any charges as members and sympathetic locals line up to praise the outfit for rescuing troubled youth.
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50
Austin Chronicle Josh Rosenblatt
Bra Boys isn't really a documentary at all but a piece of PR propaganda designed to counteract years of bad press. Beautiful, soaring, exhilarating propaganda, no doubt, but propaganda nonetheless.
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50
Boston Globe Ty Burr
Bra Boys uses reenactments to make the case that Jai acted in self-defense, but the tactic comes off cheap and unconvincing. Worse, the director never bothers to talk to anyone outside the tight coterie of insiders. Why should he when his brothers' freedom is at stake?
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42
Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell
As a chronicle of an extreme surfing subculture, Bra Boys is semi-fascinating. As a chronicle of rough-and-tumble street life, it's appallingly biased and self-glorifying.
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38
New York Post Kyle Smith
The film is narrated by Russell Crowe, whose star power is probably the only reason it's being released here.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 5.7 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

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