DVD Review: The Boys Are Back

Release Date: January 26th, 2010
Running Time: 104 minutes

The Film

Clive Owen stars as Australian sports writer Joe Warr. His busy career means his wife, Katy (Laura Fraser), has been the dominant force in raising their five-year-old son, Artie (Nicholas McAnulty). Joe’s bonding with his son has been limited to gift giving and short moments between trips. Luckily Katy’ mother (Julia Blake) has been a constant source of support for the family.

Everything changes when Katy is diagnosed with cancer and dies soon after. Joe is now left alone to raise Artie by himself, never having truly learned how to be a parent. To help him out Joe’s estranged son from a former marriage, Harry (George MacKay), takes a leave from school and moves in. Just as Joe is learning to be a father to Artie, this also marks the first time he and Harry have been together as father and son. As Joe tries to figure out everything and be the “cool” Dad his home becomes increasingly chaotic. Further pressure from his job to continue traveling only makes matters more complicated. If the boys are going to make this work they will have to find a way to bond despite their pain and emerge as a stronger family.

The film is based on the true story told in Simon Carr’s book “The Boys Are Back In Town.” This brings a level of reality to the story that helps avoid clichés. The loss of Katy is simply brutal. You feel the real, palpable pain of the characters without it coming off as saccharine or manipulative. But it is the carefully developed arc of Joe that is the centerpiece of the story. This is Clive Owen as we’ve never seen him before: a masculine father figure thrown into the role of being an all-encompassing parent. The chemistry between Owen and the boys is excellent, creating a believable family unit. What ensues is a bittersweet tale of people having to grow together and learn how to be a family after life throws them a horrible curveball. It’s not easy, but through some hard work and bonding they will all be better for it.

Overall The Boys Are Back is solid filmmaking and a guaranteed tear-jerker that avoids the endless clichés of the genre in favor of drama rooted in real, relatable emotion.

The DVD

The video is presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Colors are natural and black levels are strong. Detail is above average for SD with the close-up shots showing off some excellent fine detail, and many of the landscape shots feature good depth. There is no excessive print damage, video noise, or compression artifacts, making for a well-rounded SD transfer.

The audio is offered in English/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound with English/Spanish subtitles. This is a front-heavy mix that rarely calls for any sort of aggressive sound design. The surround channels make their presence known through subtle atmosphere, but that’s about it. Dialogue is balanced well with the score. There’s nothing sonically awesome about the mix, but the film doesn’t require more than this.

The Extras

Only two special features are offered on the disc.

“The Boys Are Back: A Photographic Journey” (16 minutes) is a montage of behind-the-scenes photos that paint a picture of the production. It can be watched set to music or with commentary from Director Scott Hicks elaborating on the project.

“A Father and Two Sons, On Set” (2 minutes) is a short piece that follows author Simon Carr and his sons as they spend the day on the set of the film.

Final Thoughts

The Boys Are Back may not push the boundaries of the DVD format, but fans of the story or of Owen should definitely at least rent the title.