A Boy Called Dad (2009)

Too much of everything

Simply Perfect

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

When he becomes a father at the tender age of 14, Robbie's life quickly spirals out of control. Feeling angry and neglected by his own dad, he starts a series of events that will catapult him at great speed into adulthood.....Even though the first five minutes had me fooled into thinking that this could have been some kind of Shane meadows type comedy, this has an air of gloom from the off-start.But even though this feeling stays with the film right until the very last frame, it's a good story, told with a very truthful tone throughout, and with some outstanding performances from the central characters.The first act is the bonding segment between father and Son, which is very sweet and Jolly, but if you notice throughout this part of the film, the weather becomes increasingly dull and cold, and this indicates the decline of the boys attitude.The film from there on has a really dark sympathetic side to it. Even though the boy has done something bad, you do in some weird way wish him well on his journey, in the sense that he looks after the child well.like i've already said, it's a solid movie, but thoroughly depressing.

This is a drama about the father/son relationship. It follows Robbie a new 14 year old father whose disappointment with his relationship with his father leads him to make some wrong decisions concerning his new born son. It is a well acted but bleak tale with an excellent performances from Kyle Ward as the young lad who wants to look after his son but is woefully under prepared for such a task. Ian Hart also does a good job as the stay away father that his son doesn't want to turn into. A Boy Called Dad maybe would have benefited by following a more traditional path like the strong start of the movie as the situations that occur later are pretty implausible. As a result it does feel like this was a missed opportunity to create something really special. The middle of the film feels contrived but the ending I thought was pretty thought provoking and pulled the film back from disappointment.This is a good small budget film and one I enjoyed and would recommend.

Director Brian Percival manages to maintain an even keel between the social relevance of teenage pregnancy and keeping the audience grounded in a young boy's innocence. Following this personal journey from boyhood to fatherhood is a captivating and precious experience that is sure to tug on your heartstrings. Julie Rutterford's dialogue is spot-on and the acting is brilliant. Ian Hart gives a great performance as Robbie's dead-beat dad and Kyle Ward (14-year old Robbie) brings a genuine honesty and reality to this film.This intimate drama is not to be missed and a story that should never to be forgotten.

Saw this film as part of the Best of the Fest in Edinburgh Film Festival. Whilst it has its flaws (particularly re the lack of representation of any real women characters) this is more than made up for by main story (which focuses on the Dads) which is moving and captivating and the performance of newcomer Kyle Ward (Robbie) alongside Ian Hart as his Dad. The film centres upon fatherhood and whether the chain of bad dads can be broken by Robbie. His interaction with his young baby son, inspired by his own treatment by his dad is especially moving, as is the reaction of the Welsh girl (Nia) he meets on the run with her own father. Definitely worth seeing especially if you have kids or intend to have them and fancy a cry!