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The Boys Are Back
User Score
6.1 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 15
  3. Negative: 3 out of 15

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  1. Marco
    Oct 3, 2009
    8
    Beautiful cinematography, engaging story, and fine acting. I found it not at all "weepy" or maudlin. On the contrary, the narrative was entirely plausible and admirably understated.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. Allan
    Oct 8, 2009
    9
    Mostly both moving and fun. The movie makes clear that Owen's character doesn't get it all right: he's a bit of a kid himself. But his "just say yes" is a good antidote to the overprotective, overscheduled childhood that the movie's American critics espouse. (I raised 4 boys. I was also firmly told "no" when I wanted to put playground equipment outside some apartments I own.) The kid on the hood is a dumb thing to do; but the bathtub superhero is great, especially watching Owen at first think "I can't allow that!" and then "but why not?" The movie raises this as an issue to think about; and the critics seem unable to do so.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. KarinaM
    Nov 4, 2009
    7
    Beautifully filmed, perfectly acted, well scripted. I see what some reviewers mean about the stock scenes and the ghost of Joe's wife, but the film was really about the relationships among the various males, which were portrayed with sensitivity and reality. I also liked it that Joe didn't end up in bed with the other 'female interest'.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. JulieD
    Nov 4, 2009
    1
    Boring - felt like slapping the child - thought there was something wrong with all of them. Yet another failure for Australia in making movies.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. KerrynS
    Nov 14, 2009
    9
    Fantastic, thought provoking, real story, with breathtaking scenery.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. jimmytancredi
    May 29, 2011
    5
    A movie without much expectations which finished astonishing me. The movie touches us, especially if we fit into one side of the story. I already got will of seeing Clive Owen in a drama, had been some time and finally it was the time for another one. The guy could hold the movie practically by oneself, being completed by Artie who brings the funniest part, and by Harry, who brings the most dramatic, which it swings with the dramatic piece of Joe. A cuddly movie that shows the face of a painful loss and obstacles to tour until the arrival of a deserved victory.… Expand
  7. Neonite
    Jun 15, 2011
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was really looking forward to this movie. I thought it would be a refreshingly intelligent, progressive and emotionally real depiction of single fatherhood. It was almost. I think unfortunately the Australian film industry gets in the way of itself in terms of a genuine, un-cliched human story. The kind of human realism and emotional depth required to really engage the viewer tend to be outshone by the persistent pandering to our own cliched ideals about men, women and the picturesque landscapes we inhabit. I guess the AF industry isn't big or mature enough yet to include those self-obsessed 'Aussie culture' films - with a whole bunch of other movies that transcend them emotionally and conceptually, and really speak to people as a whole [including Australians]. Although this movie is really quite beautifully produced and includes an evocative soundtrack that communicates much of the emotion, the great moments are still weighed down by almost embarrassing unsophistication in terms of male-female relationships and confused gender hostility typically found in Australian movies. Apparently we don't understand love, we don't like real human connections, in fact we don't like men and women appearing to get along or relate whatsoever. We like them to be angry aliens on each other's planet. Otherwise it interfers with our entrenched lazy ideals about who we are and who we are not, that save us from any real emotional development that might one day be reflected in our films and put us on par with other countries. The movie starts with a gratingly ridiculous and base couple banter, followed by a very moving and well edited treatment of death in a family, and yet the movie innapropriately raps up with a faintly victorious declaration that the three 'boys' have managed to succeed in living without women, including their recently dead one. Although based on a memoir, this is still a story snapped up wittingly or otherwise for being about a loveable incompetent male and the irritating competent females who orbit around him, and they all don't get each other and they all fight a lot and yet utterly accept it as their natural lot in life. Yaaaawn. And in true urban spirit, they'll all live self-righteously ever after.… Expand
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
57 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 28 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 28
  3. Negative: 1 out of 28
  1. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    63
    Hicks has made a technically adept film, but one that, for all of its strong acting and vivid photography, left me less moved than I should have been.
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  2. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    75
    Owen, in a heartfelt, award-caliber performance, never goes soft. It's his core of toughness that makes the movie so funny, touching and vital.
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  3. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Kirk Honeycutt
    80
    Few films have so poignantly portrayed a father's relationships with his sons as The Boys Are Back.
    Read full review
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