December Boys (2007)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Rod Hardy

Writers:

Ronald Kinnoch (story)
Michael Noonan (novel)

Release Date:

14 September 2007 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

After that summer nothing would ever be the same again.

Plot:

One summer, four orphans boys who have grown to be the closest of friends find themselves competing for the attention of the same family.

Plot Keywords:

Boy | Orphan | Seaside | Holiday | Orphanage

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Daniel Radcliffe	...	Maps
Lee Cormie	...	Misty
Christian Byers	...	Sparks
James Fraser	...	Spit
Jack Thompson	...	Bandy
Teresa Palmer	...	Lucy
Sullivan Stapleton	...	Fearless
Victoria Hill	...	Teresa
Max Cullen	...	Narrator / Adult Misty
Kris McQuade	...	Mrs. McAnsh
Ralph Cotterill	...	Shellback
Frank Gallacher	...	Father Scully
Paul Blackwell	...	Watson
Judi Farr	...	Reverend Mother
Carmel Johnson	...	Sister Beatrice

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, nudity, underage drinking and smoking.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:PG-13 | Ireland:12A | Germany:6 | Singapore:NC-16 | Taiwan:PG-12 | India:U | Japan:PG-12 | Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | South Korea:15 | Brazil:12

Filming Locations:

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Company:

Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC)

Trivia:

The December Boys are so called because the four new orphan boys all arrived at the orphanage in December, and celebrated their birthdays in this month.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In this film, set in what appeared to be the 1950s, a Triumph motorcycle appeared with disc brakes. No mass-produced motorcycle had disc brakes until the 1969 Hondas and they never appeared on Triumph models until the 21st century.

Quotes:

Maps: I'm trying to look after you!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2007-10-06)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

December Boys

A Nutshell Review: December Boys

The buzz for December Boys surely points to how Daniel Radcliffe will fare sans cloak, glasses and lightning bolt scar on his forehead, to star in a movie that's totally out of the Harry Potter franchise. Gone are the fantastical elements and scores of ready, adoring fans, and in comes a serious dramatic piece about the coming of age, growing up, and raging hormones. Wait, Harry Potter is about that too doesn't it, although it stretches over 7 movies? But Radcliffe comes through unscathed, and it's not before long that you'd forget that here's Harry Potter. While possibly the biggest recognizable name on the cast list, it wasn't a walkover performance as everyone else had raised their act and not allow a young starlet usurp the strength of the movie. Based on a novel by Michael Noonan, December Boys tells the story of 4 orphans, all being born in the month of December, who were sent packing to a seaside village for a vacation, by virtue that it's a reward sent to the orphanage, and what better (lazier?) way to select the lucky few, than the ones celebrating their birthdays the same month.

So we have Maps (Radcliffe), Misty (Lee Cormie), Sparks (Christian Byers) and Spit (James Fraser) sent on a journey that will test their close friendship, and as usual, each will come face to face with their individual challenge that will forever change their lives. Gee, I sound like a generic trailer, but trust me, although the premise might sound cliché, December Boys hinges very heavily on the delivery of the child actors for its success. While the spotlight might be on Radcliffe and Cormie, Byers and Fraser each have their own charm, but are restrained by the frequency of their characters' on-screen appearance. The landscape of Kangaroo Island adds vast scale to this relatively small movie, opening our eyes to natural geographical wonders, becoming a character in itself, with its inhabitants mere players on its grounds.

While it's not Stand By Me, there's the usual basis that lurks around begging for comparisons. And worse, the story here allows for each of them to try and go one leg up on the other, as they learn that one of the purposes they are there at the village, was to allow for one of them to be selected for adoption. Hence the competition amongst the boys as they vie for attention, putting on their best behaviour, most contrary to what their actual characters are like. Each child however, have an episode directed around him, to similarly allow the audience to pick their preferred sub plots, involving a giant fish, a misunderstood motorcycle stuntman, dealing with mortality issues when their surrogate guardian has to battle disease, and of course, saving the best for last and for Radcliffe, first love, in the form of a young lolita Lucy (Teresa Palmer).

Soon, their hot blooded young boy antics and rebellious streaks give way to a tone of seriousness, and there's where the movie adds its poignant gravitas. December Boys might not seem much from the get go, but with each passing minute, it adds layers upon layers to build its repertoire and stand up against the scrutiny of mediocrity. By the time the final scene rolls by, even though it doesn't show much and does so mostly through narration, I thought the ending was perfect, with a tinge of regret, happiness, sorrow, and a show of solidarity all rolled into one.