Absolutely amazing

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Most of the movie takes place on small beach of vacation cabins on the South Australia coast, but it begins in the vast, featureless spaces of the Australian Outback, the location of this boys town run by nuns. One feature of the way the orphanage operates, boys are recognized as a group during the month of their birthday, so these 4 boys are known as the "December Boys." This December they get a special treat because a donation has been made, and the 4 of them are being sent "on holiday" to stay with a family during the Christmas break on this tidy little beach community. (Remember Christmas in Australia is summertime.) Having mostly experienced life in the Outback ("when it rains a lot and floods we can go fishing.") these 4 boys are confronted with all kinds of surprises in the small coastal community. There is the childless married lady who comes out of the water, topless, to greet the boys. (One of them faints.) There is the precocious teenage girl who has a secret hideaway among the rocks that she calls her Stonehenge, and hints that aliens may have constructed it, although it looks like centuries of Ocean sculpting. And there is the old fisherman fishing for Henry ("Is that a person, or a type of fish?"), the old, large fish that visits the bay.The movie is narrated in modern time by the adult character we come to know as Misty. Jusdging from Misty's current age, the story must have been set in the late 1950s or the 1960s. Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame is Maps, because he has birthmarks on his chest that looks like maps. Lee Cormie is Misty who appears to be about 12 in the movie. Christian Byers is Sparks, and James Fraser is Spit because his dad flew a Spitfire. The teenage girl is cute Teresa Palmer as Lucy. Sullivan Stapleton is Fearless, married to Victoria Hill as Teresa. They can't have children so begin talking about adopting one of the 4 boys. Misty overhears this and much of the last half of the movie has the boys in silent competition to see who might be chosen. This is a very big deal because it was very hard for any of these boys to be adopted.A very nice, little movie, it has a realistic feel and is a coming of age experience for the 4 boys.SPOILERS: Maps is the oldest of the boys, and often takes a "big brother" role. He is very naive in the ways of the world, and especially with girls. Lucy recognizes that and becomes his "teacher", since she has affection for him. She becomes his "first" in her hideaway. Towards the end of the movie, the childless couple announce they have chosen Misty to adopt, and the three of them watch as the other 3 boys wander away. Misty realizes that his family really is the group of 4 December Boys, and he affectionately tells the young couple thanks for choosing him, but he really belongs with the family he already has.The movie ends in modern time, and we see Max Cullen as the Narrator and the Adult Misty. We learn that Maps, after his experience with Lucy, and having a vision underwater while saving Misty, actually became a Priest. All 3 surviving December Boys met at the seaside getaway with Maps' ashes, so they could be scattered on that hillside where the 4 of them had the bonding experience years earlier. (Note: It is not consistent with Roman Catholic practice to scatter ashes, especially for a Priest.)

They say the best place to start is at the beginning, which is where our four main characters are introduced; Maps, Misty, Spit and Spark, otherwise known as the December Boys. The opening scenes take us to the boys home, an orphanage run by nuns in the Australian outback. Some might say this is a place of little excitement, so you can imagine their joy when being told they are to spend the summer in Ladystar Cove. Based on the edge of a seaside town noted for fairgrounds and fireworks, the cove provides the ideal backdrop for an emotional journey they will always remember.The theme of love, romance, family, and friendship all play a role as the December Boys deal with the notion that one of them may be adopted, by a childless couple living in the cove. However, despite the inclusion of several co-stars, the writing focuses more on the boys who are superbly convincing. The cinematography is beautiful throughout with delightful scenic shots and close ups that capture the wonder of childhood.I assumed the film was based in the 60's but there is no given time line and the chosen score is too post modern and does nothing to encapsulate that era. However, despite these flaws December boys contains plenty of small joys and touching scenes, with timely voice overs and good direction, this is a film deserving to be seen.

Set in the early sixties in an outback Christian orphanage four orphans are seen uncharacteristically "mooning" from a window. It quickly moves from the sublime to the ridiculous when the orphans are smoking after lights out. The head nun tells four orphans they are going on beach holiday due to a donation and you wonder why the rest of the orphans miss out. On the way to the beach holiday the children are heard to say "Let's cross swords" as they cross their urinating streams by a roadside break and I realize the scriptwriter has little conception of how Australian boys talk and behave. We then see the boys at a circus where they see 1980's BMX motor bikes in "daredevil" stunts but it's the sixties and you would have to conclude the director is an idiot. The film becomes a narrative of one of the boys wearing glasses and they arrive at the beach begin an unsupervised frolicking escapade. He the sees a black horse and it leads them to the beach where a topless girl emerges from the water and introduces herself in a Mexican accent. You then realize she is what appears to be a French family running the supposed to a beach resort. Daniel Radcliffe plays Maps and appears much taller and older than the other boys and is withdrawn .A Man appears on a Triumph motorcycle looking like his from the eighties. He the take the bespectacled boy for a dangerous stunt ride on his shoulders whilst riding his motor bike on sand. During this symbolised coming of age film we hear Australian rock hits from the seventies. Its further evidence that Australians can't make films and doesn't make any sense the dialogue is ridiculous. The other boys are drinking by now we see the horse with a fish in its Radcliffe's character is already smoking and probably already having sex with the blond Lucy. We see a horse with a fish in its mouth and see a silly adoption story. It only get worse from that point and is a waste of Australian taxpayers money. Acting woeful , Minus five stars.

Set in the late 60s, December Boys is a beautiful, poignant tale of adolescence and abandonment with the vast, awe-inspiring Australian outback as a backdrop, unraveled in the same vein as Stand By Me."What's the big deal about having parents anyway?" Maps (Daniel Radcliffe) retorts to his summer fling Lucy (Teresa Palmer). Maps is the eldest of four orphan boys who get sent for a seaside holiday with an elderly couple. Misty (Lee Cormie) is the youngest and the artistic one of the brood. Sparks (Christian Byers) is good with mechanical things, while Spit (James Fraser) is so named for what he does best.Having been given a glimpse of what the orphans' lives have been like together, you have an idea of where Maps' trend of thought comes from. They've survived so far without parents, and they have had each other to call as family growing up. This just becomes more glaring as they interact with their host family's neighbors, and they get in an emotional competition for possible adoption that tests the limits of their brotherhood.Unfulfilled expectations are shared by all characters regardless of age and situation, and this is the main theme that the audience empathizes with. It is heartbreaking to see their faces light up with hope at the possibility of winning the parent lottery only to be passed on time and time again. Rude awakenings and rejection are themes that most people can relate to after hardened years, but for children to already know it intimately at such an age is what makes December Boys the thoughtful tearjerker it is.