December Boys

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Four orphans spend a summer in 1960s Australia, competing to be adopted by the same family. We witness as their friendship grows through numerous ups and downs, as they spend their summer holidaying on a secluded beach. December Boys is a film with a clear lack of ambition - very little actually occurs, as the director focuses on the relationships between the boys and completely loses track of any real characters outside the foursome. It's mainly notable for an early Daniel Radcliffe attempt at derailing the inevitable Harry Potter typecasting; he forces a performance that shows he has much to learn when it comes to portraying varied emotion without the aid of CGI. The only other cast member to get enough screen time to impress is Lee Cormie, who plays (the most desperate for affection of the foursome) Misty, with an underlining sadness and wide-eyed innocence that shows a maturity far beyond his years. But there simply isn't much more to recommend December Boys on, other than a strong lead turn. The pacing is incredibly sluggish, making it difficult to become fully immersed in the world of the orphans, because it hasn't held your attention long enough for you to become fully engaged. The trouble is that the filmmakers went all for heart and forgot that they still had to execute a theatrical film - something December Boys never really feels like, thanks to the overly-basic cinematography, and grating voiceover. You could easily stumble upon this on a lazy Sunday afternoon and enjoy it for its leisurely execution, or even rent it on DVD and find it suitably inoffensive and entertaining - but crucially, December Boys is not a movie that begs to be seen in the cinema. Its intimate setting is seemingly destined for a more comfortable home - on the smaller screen.