The Boys Are Back

After leaving his first wife and moving to Australia to get remarried, Joe’s second wife dies and he’s left with a 6-year-old son to rear. Not only that, he wants to make up for being an absent father to his first son and so drags him over from England to live with him. Talk about biting off more than you can chew.

Predictably, Joe (Clive Owen) doesn’t handle so well… His older son starts to look more like the dad, while Joe leaves the laundry to pile up right along with the dishes and a semblance of a life. And then he has an epiphany: Just Say Yes. Frighteningly this becomes his motto for parenthood, and the kids are allowed to do pretty much anything they want. In the process the trio start to merge into a somewhat haphazard family and heal old wounds in the process.

While this may be the cue for tears, you’ll be less inclined to driz thanks to Clive Owen’s more rugged and unsentimental performance. It is his genuine and rather manly approach to his character that will endear you to this movie. Don’t worry, guys, this is less soppy and more enjoyable than you think.

Rating: 4 outta 5.