Reviewed by Stuart O'Connor
Stars Daniel Radcliffe, Lee Cormie, Christian Byers,
James Fraser, Jack Thompson, Kris McQuade
Written by by Marc Rosenberg, based
on the novel by Michael Noonan
Certification UK 12A | Australia PG | US PG-13
Runtime 105 minutes
Directed by Rod Hardy
Daniel Radcliffe is wary of being typecast as Harry Potter. So in his first major film role away from the character he, um, plays an orphan. Who lives in a boarding school-like institution. And has adventures with his mates. And is often sullen and brooding. Good move, Dan.
Joking aside, December Boys is a lovely looking and oftimes moving film about coming of age — comparable in some ways to Rob Reiner's classic Stand By Me, but minus the dead body on the railway tracks. Dan and his mates, the "December boys" of the title (because nobody knows their actual birthdates, their honorary birthdays are in December), live at a Catholic orphanage in the South Australian outback, but are given the chance to spend the summer at the seaside thanks to a church benefactor and his wife. For the four lads — nicknamed Maps (Radcliffe), Spark, Misty and Spit — this is a rare chance to experience a taste of freedom away from the scary, evil nuns (I'm sorry, but they freak me out almost as much as clowns). And it's a paradise, complete with a beautiful French woman who swims topless and a wild black stallion that catches fish. The three younger boys spend much of their time trying to impress a young, childless couple that they believe wants to adopt one of them, while Harry... sorry, Maps... spends his time getting his wand away with a local girl.
For all it lovely locations and some fine acting — particularly from the younger, inexperienced cast — December Boys is a slight, inconsequential film. Rod Hardy's direction never rises above the plodding, and apart from a final scene that does bring a tear to the eye (well, it did to mine) the film feels emotionaly stilted much of the time. It's great to see veteran Aussie actor Thompson back on screen, although he's now so fat that he fills most of it by himself. Radcliffe is adequate; his Aussie accent is fine for the most part (he does slip a couple of times) but he doesn't seem to have his heart in the role and he often appears uncomfortable, as though his underpants are full of sand. December Boys will pull in crowds of Harry Potter fans, but I think most of them will leave disappointed.
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SECOND OPINION | Rhianna Pratchett ** Even though December Boys features, among other things disease, lost love and piscine death, it manages to be terribly nice about everything. We’re talking Sunday afternoon tea and Antiques Roadshow nice. And this lack of any real bite makes it, frankly, a bit dull. It really could have used a dead body on the railway tracks. What make for great emotive memories in a novel, heightened by the unique connection between author and reader, do not always play out as well on the big screen. No matter how many cartwheeling nuns you have.
This isn’t helped by the fact that Misty and Maps are the only characters that are given any, well, character. Poor Sparks and Spit are played down to the point where the story doesn’t feel like it’s about a group at all. December Boys is scenic and beautifully filmed and even, occasionally, evocative — especially for those of us who have had those childhood holidays by the coast, where the sea, sand and rocks seem full of magic and mystery. But unfortunately, it’s still a bit dull.
• Official US Site
• December Boys at IMDb