50
Carr's original anecdotes don't supply much storyline, so Hicks spans the gaps with golden-lit montages set to Sigur Rós. They're a great advertisement for Australian vacations. And vasectomies.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
63
ReelViews by James Berardinelli
Hicks has made a technically adept film, but one that, for all of its strong acting and vivid photography, left me less moved than I should have been.
80
This is polished yet authentically moving.
40
There’s little that can be done with material wrung of its complications to accommodate an ultimately life-affirming, it-all-works-out agenda.
80
The Hollywood Reporter by Kirk Honeycutt
Few films have so poignantly portrayed a father's relationships with his sons as The Boys Are Back.
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Liam Lacey
For all its generally judicious choices, there's one device in The Boys Are Back that may test the patience of some viewers. Every once in a while, the late Katy pops up in a scene to offer Joe wifely advice.
67
Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum
With those piercing eyes, Owen makes a lovely, soulful Joe, of course. But it's not the nice papa we want to understand here, it's the unapologetically naughty one.
58
Not surprisingly, Boys works much better as an Owen vehicle than a movie--it’s a great, meaty part in a decidedly less-than-great film.
75
Rolling Stone by Peter Travers
Owen, in a heartfelt, award-caliber performance, never goes soft. It's his core of toughness that makes the movie so funny, touching and vital.