It's a well-meaning film, marked by Luke Ford's sensitive portrayal of a disabled character. But the main character is bland, imparting the same vibe on the rest of the film.
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08/14/09
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The Black Balloon (2008)
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Reviews Counted:39
Fresh:35
Rotten:4
Average Rating:7/10
Consensus: A tender and witty portrayal of a family coping with autism, The Black Balloon is heartfelt without being schmaltzy or moralizing.
Theatrical Release:Dec 5, 2008 Limited
Synopsis: The Black Balloon is a story about fitting in, discovering love, and accepting your family. It’s not easy being Thomas. He’s turning sixteen; and moving into a new house, and school. His older... [More]
Starring: Rhys Wakefield, Luke Ford, Toni Collette, Erik Thomson
Director: Elissa Down
Reviews for The Black Balloon
The Black Balloon is neither 'Rain Man' nor 'The Other Sister. This Aussie charmer charts its own course.
05/03/09
Thomas and Jackie's friendship, blossoming into a chaste romance, is the dramatic engine that powers The Black Balloon, but it's far from the most important relationship in the film.
05/01/09
Top CriticClick to read the article
04/23/09
The film's vision is neither a grim wallow nor falsely cheerful. It's compassionate but unblinking, and in the end we can't help but admire the genuine strength of how its characters accept their special challenge.
04/17/09
Top CriticThe Black Balloon is marked by the fiercest bravery you're likely to encounter on screen this year.
04/16/09
At its sharpest Elissa Down’s feature directorial debut is guided by intense, rough-edged emotional swings that feel authentically alive, even when the script settles for tidiness.
04/10/09
Top CriticThe Black Balloon establishes this family with a delicate mixture of tenderness and pain.
04/10/09
Top CriticA film that mostly skirts artifice and sentimentality for a truer portrait of a family battered and bruised but nowhere near broken.
04/09/09
The outlines are broad and obvious, and Thomas such a bore, that The Black Balloon loses air.
04/08/09
There are wrenching scenes that are brutally stark, yet there remains a steady sense of calm that is touching and sensitive without ever turning sentimental.
04/02/09
Structurally and cinematically, The Black Balloon sticks to the coming-of-age basics, but [director] Down has a gift for conveying time and place.
04/02/09
Top CriticIt sometimes skirts melodrama territory, but the deep emotions ultimately are real and gratifying. Dependable Toni Collette keeps it grounded, disappearing into her role as the incredibly patient mother.
03/06/09
The Black Balloon, a splendid Australian film about a teenager and his older autistic brother, gets it, from the happy/sad imagery of the title through the uplifting, but not saccharine, finale.
03/06/09
Top CriticCollette aside, there is no wow factor in The Black Balloon -- just a not-bad story told with better-than-average skill.
03/06/09
It's a film about a supposedly real-world set-up that never feels true, even though the people who made it clearly set out to treat their subject matter and the audience with respect.
03/06/09
It’s brilliant; a beautifully balanced comedy-drama that makes you laugh as much as it makes you cry, sometimes in the same scene.
01/12/09
It’s brilliant; a beautifully balanced comedy-drama that makes you laugh as much as it makes you cry, sometimes in the same scene.
01/12/09
A writer-director portrays life with an autistic brother to heartwarming effect.
01/12/09
It's a film that comes from the heart.
01/12/09
Latest News for The Black Balloon
December 09, 2008:
Trailer & Poster review 
More...
December 07, 2008:
The Black Balloon wins big at the AFIs
Check out the frocks, shocks, trophies and tantrums at the AFI Awards. More...
July 01, 2008:
Edinburgh 2008: What to Watch
We share twenty of the best films screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, currently running in the Scottish city. More...
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