Based on Michael Noonan’s novel, four orphan teenage boys, raised in a Catholic convent in Australia’s rugged outback, realize that they may never be adopted.
Hopes rise when the convent sends the boys to live with an elderly couple for a summer in a small seaside community.
The group’s leader Maps (Daniel Radcliffe) gets his first taste of romance in the guise of a local tart named Lucy (Teresa Palmer), while the promise of adoption by a young local couple tempts the boys into an uncomfortable rivalry.
Daniel Radcliffe fits into the film’s nostalgic setting like a boy out of time.
“December Boys” is a minor melodrama that succeeds for the heartfelt efforts of its ensemble.
Rated PG-13. 105 mins.
