December Boys 2007

Sid Smith, Chicago Tribune: Juvenile viewers may well benefit from the movie. But, for the adult, it's ultimately a film that arrives too early for the season in its title and too late in terms of style and impact. Read more

Joshua Katzman, Chicago Reader: Though familiar as an old shoe, this is straightforward and well told. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: Particularly for Radcliffe fans, it's an agreeable journey. Read more

Nathan Rabin, AV Club: Radcliffe is the big draw, but he's really a supporting player, just one of the parentless wonders sent to live with a loving couple one glorious, life-changing summer. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: The two halves of December Boys -- the pre-adolescent getting of wisdom and the adolescent getting of action -- never mesh. Read more

Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times: Enhanced by an exotic locale, the movie overcomes a well-trodden narrative path and unflinchingly brandishes its sentimentality as it stakes out its crowd-pleasing territory. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: Daniel Radcliffe doesn't look uncomfortable, exactly, in December Boys, but he does look like a hot transfer student trying to fit in with local pipsqueaks a head shorter and two grades below him. Read more

Amy Nicholson, I.E. Weekly: The coast of Australia is an apt setting for Rod Hardy's precious drama: It's Beaches for men. Read more

Gene Seymour, Newsday: The movie earns its right to sentiment through its performances and gentle solicitousness toward its young heroes. Read more

Bob Mondello, NPR.org: Read more

Jack Mathews, New York Daily News: While there's not much to the story, the gorgeous setting goes a long way. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: [A] tasteful and gorgeously photographed coming-of-age story. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: There seem to be two movies going on here at the same time, and December Boys would have been better off going all the way with one of them. Read more

David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle: The kind of film people call 'uplifting,' and while it is that much of the way, there are times when it's so oversaturated with sweetness and light, it's likely to uplift more cynical viewers from their seats in the movie theater. No matter. Read more

Hank Sartin, Time Out: Read more

David Jenkins, Time Out: With its series of tonally awkward plot developments which seem to have been engineered specifically to meet Radcliffe's various portfolio needs, the best that could be said of this is that the actor's next move should be to talk to his agent. Read more

Russell Edwards, Variety: Visually well-mounted but narratively muddled. Read more

Desson Thomson, 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. Read more

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. Read more