Bra Boys
Berkela Films | Release Date: April 11, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
55
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
5
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
The Hollywood ReporterMegan Lehmann
It's a piece of unabashed myth-making from first-time writer-director Sunny Abberton, himself a member of the infamous surf tribe from the working-class beachside suburb of Maroubra, in Sydney. Read full review
70
Village VoiceScott Foundas
Rudimentarily made as documentaries go--and more than a touch self-glorifying at times--Bra Boys is nevertheless intriguing for its insider's perspective of an outsider culture steeped in tradition, male-bonding rituals, and intense localism. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesBob Baker
The contrast between grainy videos of street fights and gorgeous scenes of the same boys conquering enormous waves is simultaneously inspiring and sad. Imagine a world in which gang members looked forward to singing in the Sunday choir. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyClark Collis
Partly a straightforward surf movie with impressive wave-catching footage. However, other sections track the legal troubles of Jai Abberton, a Bra Boy who was tried and acquitted of murder. This makes for an often fascinating but awkward mix. Read full review
63
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
What it lacks in objectivity, it makes up for in vivid intimacy. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneSid Smith
An odd, one-sided documentary that nevertheless opens a window onto Australian class struggles and a world weirdly familiar and exotic simultaneously. Read full review
60
The New York TimesJeannette Catsoulis
This crude, rowdy movie is also unexpectedly touching in its embrace of surfing as an escape from the stigma of poverty and broken homes. Escape from Russell Crowe’s droning narration, however, is impossible. Read full review
50
VarietyRichard Kuipers
Opening with a bright history lesson about poor suburb Maroubra and its place in Sydney beach culture, the docu then fails to adequately answer any charges as members and sympathetic locals line up to praise the outfit for rescuing troubled youth. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleJosh Rosenblatt
Bra Boys isn't really a documentary at all but a piece of PR propaganda designed to counteract years of bad press. Beautiful, soaring, exhilarating propaganda, no doubt, but propaganda nonetheless. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy Burr
Bra Boys uses reenactments to make the case that Jai acted in self-defense, but the tactic comes off cheap and unconvincing. Worse, the director never bothers to talk to anyone outside the tight coterie of insiders. Why should he when his brothers' freedom is at stake? Read full review
42
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
As a chronicle of an extreme surfing subculture, Bra Boys is semi-fascinating. As a chronicle of rough-and-tumble street life, it's appallingly biased and self-glorifying. Read full review
38
New York PostKyle Smith
The film is narrated by Russell Crowe, whose star power is probably the only reason it's being released here. Read full review
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