"December Boys" marks star Daniel Radcliffe's first lead foray outside the world of Hogwarts, and the magic is conspicuously lost. Not that Rod Hardy's well-meaning drama is terribly bad, but it's listless and overly sentimental that ultimately, it's a forgettable experience.
Set in 1930s Australia, Radcliffe plays the role of Maps, an orphan boy raised in a Catholic orphanage. Together with three other orphans born in December (hence their eponymous moniker), they were sent on a holiday at a beach for Christmas where a newlywed couple plans to adopt one of them.
While the film's location and cinematography are breathtaking, there's not much else. Marc Rosenberg's script adapted from Michael Noonan's novel can't achieve enough momentum to keep it out of a monotonous setup. The characters are such bland figures lacking any sense of depth, which unfortunately fails to give Radcliffe a role that's more challenging than being, eh, an orphan.
In the end, there's not much to make for the overtly familiar convention. Save for the visuals, there's nothing here that you haven't already seen in other coming-of-age films, which might have been done better.
Set in 1930s Australia, Radcliffe plays the role of Maps, an orphan boy raised in a Catholic orphanage. Together with three other orphans born in December (hence their eponymous moniker), they were sent on a holiday at a beach for Christmas where a newlywed couple plans to adopt one of them.
While the film's location and cinematography are breathtaking, there's not much else. Marc Rosenberg's script adapted from Michael Noonan's novel can't achieve enough momentum to keep it out of a monotonous setup. The characters are such bland figures lacking any sense of depth, which unfortunately fails to give Radcliffe a role that's more challenging than being, eh, an orphan.
In the end, there's not much to make for the overtly familiar convention. Save for the visuals, there's nothing here that you haven't already seen in other coming-of-age films, which might have been done better.