A Boy Called Dad (DVD)

Robbie is just 14 years old, and has fathered a child with one of his classmates. Bad at sports and unpopular at school, he fills his spare time by being a troublemaker. One day when he's running away from someone he has stolen from, he unexpectedly runs across his own estranged father, Joe. At first it seems to be a happy reunion, but after a few days, Joe disappears again without a word to Robbie. Disillusioned, and spurred on by a chance encounter, Joe snatches his own child and goes on the run across the country.

That's right: it's another gently-gritty-but-ultimately-uplifting family drama. Let's face it - you or I could have come up with that plot, and the same goes for the dialogue throughout. All the same, as far as that genre goes, aspects of the film are moderately successful. In particular, the first half hour or so, in which Robbie is temporarily reunited with his father, is quite affecting, if you give yourself over completely to its generic tendencies. Ian Hart does a good job with the material as Joe's dad, and Kyle Ward, in his feature debut, shows himself to be a capable young actor.

The rest of the film, however - from when Robbie takes his baby from its mother's abusive boyfriend - isn't quite as convincing. The increasing presence of stock characters becomes grating; also, there's a bizarre and unnecessary scene in which a young woman who has befriended Robbie suddenly hides Elliott and announces that Robbie must sleep with her in order to get him back. Thereafter, you may find yourself reaching for the fast-forward button as it all slowly and predictably builds up to the standard cathartic emotional climax.

Overall Verdict: Standard-issue tearjerker.

Special Features:
Deleted Scenes
Behind the Scenes Documentary
Audio Commentary

Reviewer: Tom René