Movie review: Father knows WORST in 'The Boys Are Back'

Has there been a better film about single fatherhood than "The Boys Are Back"? None that I recall. Avoiding easy sentimentality, it patiently observes a fractured family unit stumbling forward.

Australian sportswriter Joe Warr, suddenly widowed, raising two sons from two marriages, doesn't have much of a clue. Joe is a byproduct of several intersecting trends, combining the self-centeredness and extended adolescence of baby boomers, the do-it-yourself tendencies of Gen Xers and the nonhierarchical informality of dot-com techies.

Joe is a man who loved his family in a theoretical way, but hasn't had a meaningful role in his sons' lives. He's been a long-distance voice on the phone to 13-year-old Harry (George MacKay), and a Santa Claus figure to 5-year-old Artie (Nicholas McAnulty), bearing presents from his far-flung writing assignments.

He has a couple of theories about household rules -- keep them to a minimum -- and a high tolerance for mess. He's persuaded that he can have all of the fun parts of parenthood (road trips, sleepover parties, water balloon fights) with none of the demanding parts (indentured servitude with the PTA, menu planning, curfews). Basically, he's making it up as he goes along.

If only it were so easy. Joe is suddenly thrust into the situation of so many housebound women, trapped at home by young children. He has to explain death to a preschooler and deal with a demanding boss who expects him to have the home situation well in hand after three months. This being scenic, golden-hued Australia, Joe tempers the stress with liberal doses of booze.

Since Joe is played by the strong, appealing, self-aware Clive Owen, he does not come across as a model of parental neglect. He has to rebuild his sense of himself, the world, and his family from scratch, and he launches himself at the daunting task with buckaroo bravado. The result is Huck Finn meets "Lord of the Flies." The only way through is forward, even without a map.

It's a painful journey; Owen is incomparable when it comes to choking back tears. It's howlingly funny, too; director Scott Hicks ("Shine") mixes tones masterfully. Together, actor and filmmaker illuminate their hero's journey with arc-light clarity. Joe is a full-grown adult fundamentally redefining himself: the ultimate adventure. It's all the more intriguing because Joe is no paragon. There are many temptations in his path and he's not immune to the allure of a pretty barmaid. While he's distracted and out of reach, there's an episode of real tension that plays out like a scary version of "Home Alone."

The film's moral is hopeful. Joe doesn't get all the nuances of parenting. Driving through the surf with a giggling child sitting on the hood is probably not a great idea. He hasn't perfected the skill of listening to what kids mean, rather than what they're saying. But he gets enough to make it work. If a kid wants to do cannonball dives into the bathtub, what the hell? In a time of hyperviolent videogames and nonstop Instant Messaging, it looks like Joe's providing his kids a gentler, more innocent and playful kind of boyhood.

Colin Covert • 612-673-7186