'The Boys Are Back'

'The Boys Are Back' (PG-13) ***

Writer: Alan Cubitt based on memoir by Simon Carr
Director: Scott Hicks
Starring: Clive Owen, Emma Booth, Laura Fraser, Nicholas McAnulty, George MacKay

Clive Owen gives a natural and outstanding performance in the weepy "The Boys Are Back" and he proves himself the real deal. His portrayal of a widower trying to connect with his two sons from different marriages is very good and real. The movie starts out as a heart breaker and most of the tears are shed in the first half hour. The actors who portray the kids give natural performances and are effective especially the younger one played by Nicholas McAnulty. This is a relaxed and engaging drama that takes it's time and tells a moving story. It is from the director of "Shine" Scott Hicks and he knows how to involve us in the story. There is also a great debut by a talented and beautiful actress Emma Booth as a love interest and another appealing one by Laura Fraser as his second wife. This isn't a powerful or outstanding drama but it is a very good movie and it makes us care. I don't know if I believe what happens at the end is real but by then I was already involved in the story and it will probably make you cry a few times.