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A Boy Called Dad (2009)

Director: Brian Percival

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4 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Here’s another contemporary British drama that would have been better made for TV and trimmed down to a lean 60 minutes. There’s no problem with the acting. Ian Hart is faultless as Liverpool painter and decorator Joe – feckless, funny, heart somewhere near the right place – who ran out on his young family years ago. Newcomer Kyle Ward plays his son Robbie, now 14 and also a dad after getting a girl from school pregnant. Father and son haven’t seen each other for years, but Robbie recognises dad from the photos when he spots him on the street. The humour in these early scenes is all warmth and sharp edges and this could have been an acute little film about broken families. Instead – and maybe it’s the pressure to write it bigger-than-life for the big screen – the plot becomes more outlandish as Robbie goes on the run with his baby after a fight, with dad close behind. None of it is believable for a minute.

Author: Cath Clarke

Time Out London Issue 2071: April 29 – May 5, 2010

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User reviews of this film

Gen said...

Posted on May 26 2011 01:26 Plot rambled and descended into too many stereotypes for me. Weak ending. But good performances from the two lead characters.

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George said...

Posted on Apr 28 2010 10:35 Not a masterpiece but touching nevertheless

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mark said...

Posted on Apr 28 2010 10:33 Found this film very moving and a lovely essay of fatherhood. Feel it is more of a coming of age tale than something that is meant to be seen as pure social realism/ realistic as per the review. Worth seeing

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Jill said...

Posted on Apr 25 2010 14:03 Powerful and very moving. Brilliant performances. Looks lovely

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