The Phoenix Network:
 
 
About  |  Advertise
Adult  |  Moonsigns  |  Band Guide  |  Blogs  |  In Pictures
 
Features  |  Reviews
FIND MOVIES
Find a Movie
Movie List
Loading ...
or
Find Theaters and Movie Times
or
Search Movies

December Boys

Daniel Radcliffe's non-wizard cinematic vehicle
By PEG ALOI  |  September 19, 2007
2.0 2.0 Stars

VIDEO: Watch the trailer for December Boys.

Eagerly awaited by Harry Potter fans as Daniel Radcliffe’s first non-wizard cinematic vehicle, Rod Hardy’s nostalgic coming-of-age film (based on Michael Noonan’s novel) takes place in Australia in the late 1960s. Four orphans living in a remote convent are sent on holiday to a fishing village. Maps (Radcliffe) is the oldest, and beyond caring whether he gets adopted; he’s focused on Lucy (Teresa Palmer), the local Lolita. Spark (Christian Byers) and Spit (James Fraser) are rough imps; the youngest, artistic Misty (Lee Cormie), narrates. Lovely Teresa (Victoria Hill) and husband Fearless (Sullivan Stapleton) are carnival workers who befriend the boys, and when he overhears them discussing adoption, Misty ingratiates himself. Despite fine acting (Radcliffe is subtle and spot-on) and gorgeous visuals, the film flounders with silly fantasy sequences, a syrupy score, and an overwrought ending. The Year My Voice Broke meets Stand by Me? If only.
Related: The girls of summer, Crossword: 'The big owe', Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, More more >
  Topics: Reviews , Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe, Teresa Palmer
  • Share:
  • Share this entry with Facebook
  • Share this entry with Digg
  • Share this entry with Delicious
  • RSS feed
  • Email this article to a friend
  • Print this article
Comments

ARTICLES BY PEG ALOI
Share this entry with Delicious
  •   REVIEW: THE GIRL FROM MONACO  |  July 01, 2009
    This sensual tale of dangerous love comes from writer/director Anne Fontaine ( Dry Cleaning , How I Killed My Father ).
  •   REVIEW: SUMMER HOURS  |  May 19, 2009
    In his understated, intricate L'heure d'été , Olivier Assayas comments on globalization and materialism by way of a simple story of three siblings dividing the contents of their mother's estate in rural France.
  •   REVIEW: IS ANYBODY THERE?  |  April 29, 2009
    This seems to be the year for nostalgia films. Here we have relative newcomer John Crowley directing an English working-class yarn from Peter Harness's autobiographical script.
  •   REVIEW: PARIS 36  |  April 07, 2009
    Director Christophe Barratier (Les Choristes) co-wrote this nostalgic paean to 1930s Paris and the stage musical.
  •   REVIEW: THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (2009)  |  March 18, 2009
    Critics and audiences reviled Wes Craven's 1972 original, but its raw power gave it an enduring, endearing legacy.

 See all articles by: PEG ALOI

MOST POPULAR
RSS Feed of for the most popular articles
 Most Viewed   Most Emailed 



  |  Sign In  |  Register
 
thePhoenix.com:
Phoenix Media/Communications Group:
TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
Copyright © 2009 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group