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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, Sullivan Stapleton,  More more >
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