THIS MOVIE DEALS WITH SOME GRAPHIC CONTENT AND A HEAVY SUBJECT.
Did I like it? Not exactly. Some parts were fine, I guess. The first minutes are very precious, though.The ending was absolutely terrible.
Will kids (under 13) like it? No, they probably shouldn't watch it.
Will teens like it? Maybe.
Will adults like it? Maybe.
Starring: Andrew Garfield (Eric Wilson/Jack Burridge), Peter Mullan (Terry),
Length: 106 minutes
Year: 2007
Boy A opens with a shy, handsome, young man, who wants to be called Jack. Flashbacks reveal Eric Wilson's sad past; his father is an alcoholic and his mother is in an upstairs bedroom dying of breast cancer, and he's constantly bullied at school.
When a young boy, Philip Craig (Taylor Doherty), comes to his rescue when he is being bullied, Eric finds a friend of him. We then later learn Philip is a victim of sexual abuse perpetrated from his older brother. Together, Philip and Eric, at age 10, murder a young classmate. Philip later dies in prison (a lot of people believe it was suicide, but Jack is sure it was murder) but 14 years later, Eric is given a chance to start anew. But escaping your past is not so easy.
Given a bank account, a pair of Nikes, and a very, very supporting mentor named Terry, he's off to work for the first day. His life seems fine, especially since he makes a new friend and gets a girlfriend. But a problem starts. Newspapers, television and magazines, all announce that Eric Wilson is released from prison, and a huge reward is on his head. (when he sees "Boy A" on TV, I felt so unbelievably bad for him!)
So, this young adult becomes a local hero after saving a girls life (When they wanted his picture, he was so scared!). He's at the point where he and his girlfriend are becoming closer, he's finding a better friend in Chris (Chris even states "You're a good guy, Jack") and society wants him in prison or dead.
{READ MORE OF MY WHAT I THINK AT THE BOTTOM}
RATING: R
SUGGESTED AGE RATING: 15+
PARENTAL CONTENT
SEXUAL CONTENT AND NUDITY
At 35 minutes, a boy picks up a magazine with a female in a skimpy bikini.
At 40 and 43 minutes into it, Jack and a girl have sex. It's one you can skip over. The first scene is brief, the second scene made me (very) uncomfortable. Although it isn't "explicit", it seems VERY long.
At 53 minutes, a boy states his brother sexually abused him. This part is very gross and sad. Despite what a jerk he is, you can't help but feel bad for him.
Terry asks Jack is he's had sex with his girlfriend, apologizes, then Jack says yes.
At about an hour into it, a "birthday present" for Jack ends in the bathroom with him on top of her. (briefly)
They kill the little girl via a razor. It isn't shown in details, thou.
Five kissing scenes.
VIOLENCE
At about 15 minutes, Phillip (with Eric in awe) beats up some older bullies.
At 33 minutes, a fight erupts.
Phillip is one bad boy. He throws a beer bottle at a car, and the car(s) crash. And the two laugh about it.
About an hour and 24 minutes into it, Jack has a dream (flashback) about boys beating another boy. Then they hang ropes as if it was suicide.
Jumping from his apartment, Jack breaks/sprains his ankle/leg. Something that could be in a PG movie.
PROFANITY
46 f-bombs, 19 s-bombs, 1 a**, 1 a**hole, 5 J***s, 1 d***
Michelle says "G*d" often.
1 t*t (a boy explains his mother has breast cancer, and another boy responds "in her ---?"
Profanity count + foreign accents don't mix with me. I might have missed a couple swear words, but you get it.
DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
There is a long bar scene, starting 25 minutes into the film.
A couple people drink alcohol.
BAD EXAMPLES
Jack feels bad about lying to his girlfriend. To that, Terry says "Jack has done nothing wrong." (Eric did the wrong thing, Jack didn't)
When drunk, Terry thinks he is talking to Jack. However, he accidentally tells his own son "Jack, you're my greatest achievement." We learn Terry's son gave Jack away, and he hates his dad for preferring Jack over him.
~~
Religion/Spirituality: Nothing really. A good moral is about forgiveness. When Eric is let out of prison, he becomes a new person (Jack). When Jesus frees us from our sins, he makes us a new person. That's one reason I decided to watch this, I liked that moral.
Scary Scenes: The sex scene was freaky. When a girl goes missing, of course, it's pegged on Jack. He loses his best friend, job, etc. (GRR! I felt SOO bad for him!)
Things to Skip Over: At 40 minutes, fast-forward it until about 45 minutes. You will NOT miss anything *important*. (If you see a car, go back a bit!)
What to talk about
Flashbacks reveal Eric's only friend is Philip. So, maybe, if it was all different, would he have committed the crime? I think not. Children aren't exactly "born" evil. The movie's tagline is WHO DECIDES WHO GETS A SECOND CHANCE? If Eric had a better atmosphere it might have been different.
OK SERIOUSLY FOLKS. THE ENDING IS TERRIBLE. It's just incomplete. Yes, there's a difference between tragic and incomplete. So, it's not worth it. It does make me want to become a director!
