The Boys Are Back - 2 1/2 smiles

I first became aware of Clive Owen when I saw “Croupier,” a 1998 movie about a down-on-his-luck writer who takes a job as a casino croupier to make ends meet. I’ve since followed Owen’s career, including “Greenfingers” (2000), “Gosford Park” (2001), “King Arthur” (2004), “Inside Man” (2006), and “The International” (2009) and was disappointed when he did not become the latest James Bond. And while “The Children of Men” proved Owen is an exceptional dramatic actor, his latest, “The Boys Are Back” gives him an opportunity to demonstrate his acting chops in a smaller, more restrained story. Owen plays Joe Warr, a British-born sports writer who lives and works in Australia. When his wife dies of cancer, he is left alone to care for his eight-year-old son, Artie (George MacKay). Joe, never having had a close relationship with Artie, finds it difficult to handle his young son, who’s not coping with the loss of his mother. Artie seems normal one moment, angry the next, then moody and uncommunicative. Things get more complicated when Joe’s older son from a previous marriage, Harry (Nicolas McAnulty) arrives to spend the summer.

At the heart of “The Boys Are Back” are the father/son relationships and although the interaction between Joe and Artie and Harry is believable, it’s not as compelling as it could be. For whatever reason, director Scott Hicks keeps the audience at a distance so we really don’t tap into the emotion. Sure we can feel for a man who has to be father and mother to a young child, but we haven’t been pulled into the emotional core of the story. Nonetheless, it’s refreshing to see Clive Owen in a role other than an action hero. “The Boys Are Back” tells an interesting story and is technically adept, but lacks a visceral punch. 9/25/09