I was drawn to “December Boys” (2007) for a couple of reasons: I enjoy coming-of-age stories that aren’t overly explicit and the fact that it's set on the Southern coast of Australia—specifically, filmed on Kangaroo Island, which is part of South Australia. Daniel Radcliffe, known from the Harry Potter movies, was unfamiliar territory for me; I hadn’t seen any of his work before and wasn’t particularly interested in him or those films. The narrative centers around four boys from an Outback Catholic orphanage who get to celebrate their December birthdays with a Christmas holiday by the sea. They find out that a young couple without children is considering adopting one of them, which sparks some competition, although the oldest (Radcliffe) doesn’t seem to care much and spends his time learning about girls and romance. Their coastal experience becomes an important event as they ultimately figure out what family means. If you aren't from Australia, I suggest using English subtitles to understand the often-difficult Australian dialect; otherwise, you might only grasp around half of the dialogue and miss the story altogether. It’s really true. After watching it a few times, I can only recall two of the boys: Maps and Misty. The others are practically forgettable. While the plot is interesting, the way the story unfolds isn't very engaging (though the ending does have a slight emotional impact). The film tries too hard to be “magical.” Scenes pass with poorly developed characters and minimal dialogue or explanation. This is one of those movies where you’ll need to read between the lines to appreciate it, which could make it worthwhile for repeat viewings. On the positive side, the locations on Kangaroo Island are stunning, especially the aerial shots of Remarkable Rocks in Flinders Chase National Park. The movie really shines whenever Teresa Palmer is present; she plays the character Lucy. The promotional materials—the poster or DVD cover—are misleading because Teresa appears to be around 12 or 13 years old. In reality, she was 20 during filming and portrays a roughly 16-year-old girl with noticeable curves. Her scenes with Maps are the best part of the film (and aren’t awkward, as another reviewer claimed). Lucy is aware of her allure and skillfully uses it to charm Maps. Other memorable moments include a hidden cave high on the rocks, a wild black horse that seems to fish, a character reminiscent of Evel Knievel who might not be as “Fearless” as he presents himself, a large fish named Henry, and an irritable older man fascinated by it. The DVD includes about 10 minutes of deleted scenes that should have remained in the film; they help clarify the story. Apparently, the book was set in the 1930s, but the filmmakers changed it to the late 1960s. Some viewers found this confusing, though I didn’t mind it. Others complained that the characters seemed too old at the end considering they were children in the late 60s, but the epilogue clearly takes place in the near future—the 2010s or 2020s—which would make them around 50 or 60 years old. BOTTOM LINE: Although the story isn’t particularly captivating or moving as far as cinema goes, the highlights I mentioned above lead me to give “December Boys” a respectable rating, especially the scenery and Lucy's performance. If you enjoy seeing Teresa Palmer in this film, you should also check her out in "Bedtime Stories" (2008), "Restraint" (2008) and "The Grudge 2" (2006). The movie runs for 1 hour and 45 minutes. GRADE: B

Source on TMDB