December Boys
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Movie Reviews of December Boys
Movie Review: Family Variations
Summary: 4 Stars
DECEMBER BOYS is a fine little Australian film based on the novel by Michael Noonan (to whom the film is dedicated), adapted for the screen by Marc Rosenberg, and directed by Rod Hardy, and while the story takes place in the 1960s, it remains warmly contemporary in its message. And for once it presents the good side of orphanages, rather than the Dickens view.
In the Australian outback there is an orphanage run by nuns, a spot in the dry country where the arid landscape flattens everything until an occasional storm provides temporary lakes for fishing and playing. Four young lads are bonded not only by the fact that they are orphans dues to various sad reasons, but they all have birthdays in December - Maps (Daniel Radcliffe), Misty (Lee Cormie, Sparks (Christian Byers), and Spit (James Fraser. Fearing for retribution for their smoking and other mild infractions at the orphanage they are called into the headmaster's office where they discover that a benefactor has decided to give the orphan boys a holiday each year. The four lads are to spend time with a family at a tiny ocean cove setting. Delighted, they are off to meet their family - Bandy (Jack Thompson) and his wife Skipper (Kris McQuade) - who live in a small shack beside a few other neighbors. The world seems to have opened to the boys and each finds first time joy in living - fishing from neighbor Shellback's (Ralph Cotterill) old boat, riding a motorcycle with neighbor Fearless (Sullivan Stapleton), spying on the nude bathing wife of Fearless, Theresa (Victoria Hill), and finding first love with the young, seductive Lucy (Teresa Palmer). The boys are in heaven until Misty overhears Fearless and Theresa bemoaning their childless marriage and plan to adopt on of the boys. Challenges occur in physical, emotional, and spiritual ways: who will be the chosen 'son'? The manner in which the answer is decided opens a whole new meaning to the concept of family.
The cast is ingratiating and the settings and the music are lovely. The supporting cast of nuns and priest (Frank Gallacher, Judi Farr, Carmel Johnson) are particularly fine. The screenplay fails to fully investigate the motivations of all of the characters and there remain holes in the plot line that could have easily been remedied: symbolism in the form of a wild stallion, a huge fish named Henry, and surreal appearances of the Virgin Mary become a bit obscure. But despite these flaws (and an ending, or epilogue, that is pure corny Hollywood), DECEMBER BOYS is heartwarming and a fine movie for the entire family. Recommended. Grady Harp, December 07
Movie Review: Poignant coming of age story
Summary: 4 Stars
The only reason I rented this movie was because Daniel Radcliffe [of Harry Potter fame] was in it, but there are other stand-out performances in this tender coming of age story about four orphans who over the course of a summer circa 1960s, discover what being a family truly means.
The four orphans are in an orphanage run by a band of Catholic nuns and have sort of resigned themselves to the fact that they may never be adopted due to their ages. One day, they are called in to the head's office, and think they are about to be punished for misbehaving, but it turns out that being "December boys", i.e. born in December, they are to receive a treat of spending a summer by the seaside, a dream come true for four sheltered Outback boys who have been bred on a steady diet of boiled lamb.
They are taken in by a kind couple and find themselves getting well-acquainted with the other inhabitants of the idyllic cove - in particular, the oldest boy Maps [Daniel Radcliffe] develops a crush on an older girl, Lucy [Teresa Palmer] who initiates his sexual awakening. The boys are also drawn to a young couple, a motorcycle stunt performer Fearless [Sullivan Stapleton] and his beautiful French wife, Teresa [Victoria Hill]. Soon, a rivalry develops between the boys when one of them, Misty [Lee Cormie] finds out that the couple is keen on adopting one of them.
The acting is above average for all the characters, in particular, Maps [Daniel Radcliffe] and Misty [Lee Cormie]. Both these characters are well-developed - Misty's intense yearning to finally be part of a real family, with a dad and mom comes across as genuine and heartrending in his portrayal. His deviousness is also credibly portrayed, as he tries to outshine his 'brothers' in appearing to be the best choice.
Maps is a well-drawn character - here is a young adolescent who always puts on a brave front, the leader of the band of brothers, the oldest of the pack, but who is also very vulnerable, especially when he suffers an unexpected 'loss' towards the latter part of the movie. His sexual awakening at the hands of the lustful Lucy is not overly sexed-up but subtly and beautifully done.
The soundtrack is simply beautiful with the songs staying with me long after the credits rolled. And the cinematography of the scenic South Australian seascape is just breathtaking. This may seem a tad sentimental to some, but it struck a chord within me and I highly recommend it.
Movie Review: A neat little message, which was enough for this movie to get by on.
Summary: 4 Stars
An older couple decides that it would be nice to have some youthful energy around and offers four young, orphan boys the opportunity to spend the summer with them on the beach. As the boys get a taste for what life would be like with the family they have always wanted, they begin to understand how much they mean to each other.
December Boys was not the most sophisticated movie. It was actually very simple in most aspects, but that was all it needed to be. It was just a touching story about four boys who, when they had no one else, always had each other. But I will warn you that it might take one giant tug at your heartstrings at the end.
I hope you have one or more people in your life for which you are thankful. If you have that, this movie should remind you somewhat of how fortunate you are. I thought it was comforting in how the movie reinforced the importance of family while encouraging you to look beyond constraints of legal relation when you consider who your family is.
Movie Review: Gentle, warmhearted Australian coming-of-age story of orphans finding family
Summary: 4 Stars
Set about 1970 but seeming to be from a decade earlier, this film centers on Maps (Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame), the oldest of four orphan boys, and Misty (Lee Cormie), the narrator and smallest of the four. All four born in December, they're the orphanage's December Boys. Maps does most of the coming of age, with a summer romance, while all four learn about what family is for them.
There's a moral to this movie, but the main interest is in the engaging way the story is told. It seems real, not too gauzy in its sentiment, with a share of hardness. The only part that struck me as false, not because of how it turned out but because of how it was played, was the resolution of the family issue, which seemed a little forced and rushed. The geographical setting is mostly an ocean cove, very scenic. There's some nudity and sexuality, PG-13 stuff.
The extras are additional scenes. They must have been cut for time, but they're good scenes.
Movie Review: December Boys
Summary: 4 Stars
Though Daniel Radcliffes' character Maps was not the leading character, he proved he is an actor, not to be dismissed as only for the Harry
Potter series.
The movie is excellent if you like "Stand By Me" and "Goonies" from the 1980's you will love and care for these boys as well.
The December Boys
Stand By Me (Deluxe Edition)
Goonies Storybook: Based on the Motion Picture from Warner Bros., Inc. : Story by Steven Spielberg : Screenplay by Chris Columbus
The Goonies [Blu-ray]