Film Boyhood

[poledriver]

Storyline
Filmed over 12 years with the same cast, Richard Linklater's BOYHOOD is a groundbreaking story of growing up as seen through the eyes of a child named Mason (a breakthrough performance by Ellar Coltrane), who literally grows up on screen before our eyes. Starring Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette as Mason's parents and newcomer Lorelei Linklater as his sister Samantha, BOYHOOD charts the rocky terrain of childhood like no other film has before. Snapshots of adolescence from road trips and family dinners to birthdays and graduations and all the moments in between become transcendent, set to a soundtrack spanning the years from Coldplay's Yellow to Arcade Fire's Deep Blue. BOYHOOD is both a nostalgic time capsule of the recent past and an ode to growing up and parenting. Written by IFC Films

User Reviews

A modern Epic

It's true: Linklater took 12 years to develop his family of characters. While I was intimidated by the 3 hour run time, I have to admit, there was not a moment of this film I could have done without.

This is more than a coming of age story; the title "Family" or "Motherhood" would be just as appropriate. Set in Texas, the screenplay is natural and reminiscent of plenty of Linklater's other work: a film that begins with dialog unlike any other Linklater films evolves into thoughtful, poignant discourse not unlike that from the "Before" series. One character in a late-night nacho scene was perhaps a callback to the heady "Waking Life." With that said, this absolutely is not a mere think piece. What makes this film truly fantastic is how accessible the material is, given its scope. Without giving any narrative away, I'll say that the story itself is absolutely engaging and not without surprises. I watched many films at Sundance 2014 (including comedies), and this was the first that had the audience reacting throughout: we laughed, gasped, covered our eyes, and I am sure more than a few of us wept.

The characters are well developed. Don't be fooled by the title --- the spirit of Boyhood is alive here, but the female characters are thoroughly developed, distinct, and alive. Unfortunately, though it's 2014, this is a rarity in cinema.

Like in "Waking Life" and "A Scanner Darkly", Linklater has again delivered true visual innovation. This time, however, his set-up is simple: shooting on film, Linklater replaced rotoscoping with time lapse. Has a single film ever intentionally traced a character over such a span of time? Linklater wisely chose to reveal the main character to us subtly. Despite this, the effect is riveting.

I am not exaggerating when I say that after I watched this film I sold all of my other tickets to Sundance films. Viewing Boyhood for the first time was such a joyful experience that I didn't want to tarnish the experience by any comparison. Everyone in the Eccles theater shared a special few hours together. Though this only premiered a few days ago, I am confident that this will go down as one of the most ambitious and rewarding film projects of our time.

 

[poledriver]

The text above is taken from IMDB...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1065073/

 

[Mysterie]

i'm pretty excited to see this at the cinema, that review in OP makes it sound like the best thing since butter on toast, i can only pray that its all true

linklater can do no wrong in my book anyhow, also this might sound creepy, but i love patricia arquette's teeth, and the way she talks, and her in general, ethan hawke is great too

 

[cj]

Can't wait to see it.

 

[poledriver]

I liked it, I saw it last week. I thought at the time it could have done with a few more plot twists, or something more, but yeah I enjoyed it and the 3 hrs went quick. I really liked Ethan Hawke.

 

[herbavore]

I loved this movie and wasn't even aware that it was 3 hours until I came out of the theatre and saw the time--and I agree with poledriver that not a minute of the film was in excess. The kid himself is such a compelling character. Ethan Hawke's character was fantastic and so was Patricia Arquette's. The "fun dad" or "weekend dad" stereotypes never show the full range of love and commitment that most fathers in this position really do have for their kids. Because we get to see that relationship develop over time, maturing as a very young dad matures himself, it is a much more complex portrait than is usually painted. Likewise, the stereotype of the hardworking but selfless mother also gets fleshed out. Mason's mother is both of those things and yet she frequently lapses into desperate attempts at her own happiness through men that she believes will deliver it, at the expense of her children. There is absolutely nothing damning or judgmental in this portrayal either; she is presented as a hardworking, fun loving and wonderful mother but she is human.The sibling relationship over time is about as real as it gets--from cruelties to loyalties, often both at the same time.

I often see films I like twice while they are still in theatres and this will be one of them.

 

[Zerrr]

i'm pretty excited to see this at the cinema, that review in OP makes it sound like the best thing since butter on toast, i can only pray that its all true

linklater can do no wrong in my book anyhow, also this might sound creepy, but i love patricia arquette's teeth, and the way she talks, and her in general, ethan hawke is great too

I have not seen this but I also believe linklater can do no wrong....virtuoso filmmaker.

I still have a (perhaps somewhat odd) affection for Julie Delpy because of his movies..

 

[jessiki]

The movie : Boyhood was fantastic, needless to say. The movie was worth watching .

 

[Max Power]

Earlier today I planned on checking BL to see if this thread existed yet.

Linklater's work seldom disappoints so I'm definitely checking this one out.

 

[Carl Landrover]

Is it sad in a way or a tearjerker or anything?

I can cry very easily from movies. I can actually make myself cry, although it's not fun to do.

 

[poledriver]

No.

 

[malakaix]

I really enjoyed this movie.. it's always a pleasure to watch Ethan Hawke on screen, and watching the actor that plays the boy grow up and develop brought a genuine sense of realism to the movie that was very engaging.

Was it just me, or did any one else notice the resemblence between the boy actor as a teenager and the actor Nick Stahl? I thought he looked like a young Nick Stahl

 

[PriestTheyCalledHim]

I saw this movie, it was just OK, or good on my scale but nothing I'd watch multiple times, or watch again. I'm glad I saw it on DVD and not in theaters as I would not have the patience or temperament to sit through this in the theater and I would have been annoyed I spent money to see it.

I didn't think it was as good as Linklater's other movies, and I didn't like how the one character played by Arquette named "mom" kept getting into unhealthy relationships and marrying the wrong types of men, and how the main character became all emo, narcissistic, and self-absorbed as a young adult. Unlike Linklater's other movies this movie did not have a real point, and the characters seemed very shallow/self absorbed that I didn't really care about any of them except for Arquette's portrayal of "mom", and Hawke wasn't that bad either. I read in reviews people didn't like Linklater's daughter but she was a lot better IMO than the main character was.

I did find it very odd how aside from the lizard or animal in a terrarium in the room when the kids were very young they never had any sort of pets at all growing up, and that to me it seemed like very rarely did they ever spend time with their actual family or do things together as a family; but it's just a movie, and we only see what Linklater shows the viewer.