The Boys Are Back is the first film director Scott Hicks has made in Australia since his critically acclaimed Shine. Taking on another true story (of sorts), he attempts to create the rarest of genres: a male-oriented, life-affirming weepy drama.
Based on the memoir of single parent, Simon Carr, a British political journalist who was based in New Zealand, Clive Owen plays his fictional counterpart, Joe Warr who is based in Australia. When Joe’s wife dies, he commits to parenting, taking six year-old Artie (McAnulty) on a road trip of discovery and recovery. When his estranged son from his first marriage turns, he brings a fresh set of challenges for Joe and the family, issues of abandonment being to the forefront.
