December Boys

PG-13

Released Sep 14, 2007

1h 45m

Drama

List

41%

70 Reviews

Tomatometer

52%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

For many years, four teenage orphans at an Australian outback convent have watched their younger comrades find new parents, and realize that they may never be adopted. The Reverend Mother sends the four boys away on a seaside vacation, where they meet Teresa and Fearless, a couple who would make perfect parents. The youths compete with one another to be the one Teresa and Fearless decide to adopt.

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Critics Consensus

December Boys' location and settings are invitingly gorgeous, but the coming-of-age drama that takes place on them is uneventful and far too sentimental.

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Gringo L

I liked it, and so did two friends from Chile, both of whom cried at the end! Jack Thompson played his part exceptionally well. A nostalgia film in many ways. Pokes fun at Catholicism, but in a lighthearted, grassroots kind of way. The ending was an unexpected twist but really well done. The only thing I didn't like was the motorbike was too modern for the period it was supposedly set in.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/13/24

Full Review

Robinson d

Este e um da queles filme que nem o ator saúva a produção

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

09/02/23

Full Review

dave s

December Boys is pleasant enough but feels like one of those movies that will be forgotten days after having been watched. Featuring Daniel Radcliffe and Teresa Palmer in early roles, it tells the story of four boys from an orphanage in the Australian Outback who are granted a holiday in a quiet cove on the coast. It's about first love, family, friendship, faith, dreams and a whack of other things, but is marred by some heavy-handed symbolism, distracting visions by one of the characters, and a maudlin final twenty minutes that will leave you rolling your eyes. December Boys has its charms, but it also has its faults, making it a real mixed bag.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Frances H

Once again I disagree with the critics consensus. This film was not at all what I would call sentimental and more storm and stress than most coming-of-age flicks I have seen. It was a very well done film, even if Daniel Craig was a bit old for the part.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/25/17

Full Review

Audience Member

OK story but I'm sick of lazy producers that can not use the correct props and music for the stated time period, (the 60's). Brand new 2006 motorcycles, a triumph that sounds like a Harley, music from 1978. WHAT A LAZY HACK!

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Nice story, we'll told but not enough fun? It seemed very dramatic and left me feeling sad. Never read the book so not sure if that was the overall tone of the book too, but would have liked a little more of the light hearted side of the tale. All the actors were outstanding and the cinematography spot on. Over all a good story, we'll acted but missing something.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

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Rod Hardy

Director

Daniel Radcliffe

Maps

Christian Byers

Spark

Lee Cormie

Misty

James Fraser

Spit

Teresa Palmer

Lucy

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Hank Sartin

Time Out

Rated: 2/5

Nov 18, 2011

Full Review

Amy Nicholson

I.E. Weekly

The coast of Australia is an apt setting for Rod Hardy's precious drama: It's Beaches for men.

Rated: C

Feb 22, 2008

Full Review

Ann Hornaday

Washington Post

Radcliffe is good at showing vulnerability but without the skills to give it gradation. The magic doesn't work for him this time.

Nov 3, 2007

Full Review

Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

Sentimental, gentile and hopefully nostalgic, from acting to lensing to design to location to direction, December Boys will warm your heart on a cold winter or hot summer night. Now this is magic.

Nov 7, 2019

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Mildly involving tale of four orphan boys in the Outback

Rated: C

Aug 11, 2011

Full Review

Jim Lane

Sacramento News & Review

Rated: 3/5

Aug 7, 2008

Full Review

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Synopsis

For many years, four teenage orphans at an Australian outback convent have watched their younger comrades find new parents, and realize that they may never be adopted. The Reverend Mother sends the four boys away on a seaside vacation, where they meet Teresa and Fearless, a couple who would make perfect parents. The youths compete with one another to be the one Teresa and Fearless decide to adopt.

Director: Rod Hardy
Producer: Hal Gaba, Jonathan Shteinman
Screenwriter: Marc Rosenberg
Distributor: Warner Independent
Production Co: Australian Film Finance Corporation
Rating: PG-13 (Underage Drinking and Smoking|Sexual Content|Nudity)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 14, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 11, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $46.5K
Runtime: 1h 45m

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