AllMovie

Prime Suspect writer Allan Cubitt adapts U.K. sportswriter Simon Carr's autobiographical novel about a successful sports journalist who is suddenly saddled with the responsibility of raising two sons from different marriages, and whose unusual parenting philosophy "just say yes" brings them closer together than ever before. A quick witted rogue with a talent for covering sports, Joe Warr (Clive Owen) never took life seriously -- until the day his beloved wife died in the blink of an eye. But while Joe is absolutely overwhelmed with grief after losing his spirited soul mate, his six-year-old son, Artie (Nicholas McAnulty), is taking it even harder. Artie can't accept his mother's passing, and his troubling means of expressing his grief are only serving to make a bad situation worse. Suddenly, into the chaos of Joe's and Artie's lives wanders rebellious teenager named Harry (George MacKay). Harry is Joe's son from a previous marriage, and he's come from England to live with his father and stepbrother. Upon realizing that he's neither emotionally prepared nor equipped to take on the responsibility of being a single parent, Joe decides to throw the rules out the window and "just say yes" to every question his sons pose. The result is a household that's full of jubilance and energy, but constantly on the verge of calamity. Somehow, in the midst of all the chaos, something incredible happens -- the bereaved father and his two sons find the courage to move past their grief, and rediscover the joy of living.