"Boyhood" Review

Title: Boyhood

Directed by: Richard Linklater

Screenplay by: Richard Linklater

Year: 2014


Boyhood is a movie that has been long in the making. This is Linklater's passion project and a lot was riding on this film. A movie that took twelve years to make is bound to generate immense amount of hype. The interesting thing about it is that the total number of shooting days is only 39. Either way, Boyhood has been bathing in critical praise since its release. Is Boyhood worthy of the acclaim it has received? Or were these twelve years wasted on a mediocre movie?

Boyhood is about life, plain and simple. There really isn't a plot. This film depicts the milestones of life from the perspective of a single family. It's not a story so much as a string of major moments. The film weaves its way through the big, important parts of life such as high school graduation and starting college. Not only does Boyhood take a look at life itself, but it does so in a very realistic manner. As a result, Boyhood comes across as incredibly relatable. There is something here for everyone to relate to. This movie is not only about childhood, but also adulthood/parenthood and the transition between the two, which makes for a very engaging watch. It captures the typical family life with such unbelievable accuracy, thanks in no small part to the cast.

Ellar Coltrane plays the semi-titular boy Mason and gives a fantastic performance throughout the years. He is great both when he is a child and when he is older. I enjoyed his acting more when he was younger however because it was obviously more impressive, given the subject matter he had to deal with. His older sister, Samantha, is played by Lorelei Linklater and no, your eyes do not deceive you, she is the director's daughter. Whether she was chosen for her acting abilities or because Richard Linklater simply wanted his daughter to be part of his film, she does a very good job in the movie. Having a sister myself, I can say that Linklater's performance is spot on. Patricia Arquette is endearing as Mason and Samantha's mother. She is definitely the character that goes through the most and we are rooting for her every step of the way. She has to deal with divorce, remarriage, abuse, her kids leaving for college, a mental crisis, she goes through it all. Arquette perfectly captures what it means to be a mother and the hardships that come with it, along with the rewards. And finally we have Ethan Hawke playing the kids' father. Hawke definitely gives the best performance as he dissolves into his role. Hawke makes certain that his character's love for his kids is always present and every little nuance he throws into his performance adds that much more to the film. There are many other actors in this film but I would just like to draw attention to one of them; Marco Perella. Perella plays Bill, the mother's second husband and his performance is terrifying. I'm not exaggerating when I say that Perella is a legitimately frightening character.

The film begins when Mason is six years old and takes us on a journey of growing up all the way up to Mason's first year in college. Each stage of his life provides a challenge, something he must either learn to live with or overcome. He has to deal with his parents' divorce, his mother's remarriage, his first girlfriend, etc. Not only are these obstacles realistic, but the whole film feels like it was ripped straight out of reality. I have experienced many similar scenarios presented in the film and I will say that Boyhood conveys each one with incredible exactness. One of my favorite aspects about the movie is that we are introduced to many, many characters, but we don't know how long they will be on screen. We don't know if we will ever see any of these characters again later in the film, much like in real life. As a result, some characters don't receive closure. In any other film, this would be a major issue, but because Boyhood aims to capture real life on the silver screen, this works perfectly. Whenever we meet someone in our lives, we never know how long they'll be a part of it, much like in Boyhood.

One of the most fascinating things about this film is its editing. There aren't any fancy title cards or titled transitions into the new stages of life. There isn't any written indication of how many years have passed between scenes. The movie simply plays out. That's not to say that there are no transitions between the different periods of time. Boyhood employs visual storytelling to give the audience the information they need, like any movie should. This spectacular editing makes for a very well-paced movie. In addition, the editing allows for the most memorable and integral part of Boyhood to become fully realized; the twelve years of filming. We see all of these actors grow up and age right before our eyes. This is so unbelievable that it's shocking. We grow to love this family and to see them mature and grow older is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. This is where the twelve years of filming really comes into play. It wasn't just a gimmick or a stunt to promote this film. It had a purpose; to help make Boyhood be as realistic and as impactful as it can be. And by God did it work.

Richard Linklater obviously put a lot of hard work into making this film. His passion and love are clearly expressed in the final product and Boyhood will most likely be the movie he will be remembered for the most. Another incredible feature about this film is its screenplay. The "story" is well written and the characters' dialogue is very realistic. I realize I've used that term quite often in this review but I'd be hard pressed to find another word that best summarizes just about every single aspect of Boyhood. There are plenty of great speeches that really hit home, like the conversations in Mason Senior's car. But the interesting thing is, the script had to adapt with the changing times. For instance, there is a scene when Mason is video chatting with his father on his cell phone. Back in 2002, this was not possible. My guess would be that the original script had a conversation over the telephone in mind. It's little things like this that made me realize that not only did the characters age throughout the years, but the movie did as well. This is also evident in the musical selection. The film likes to play popular songs from its contemporary year, which helps bring us back to that time. Other references, such as film name-drops, also aid in this endeavor. The cinematography is also great. Nothing particularly noticeable unless you're looking for it, but the camera movements and framing allowed for the audience to become intimate with the characters and share in the experience.

Boyhood is the definition of "passion project". The amount of patience Linklater must have had to craft this masterwork over the course of twelve years is unimaginable. Twelve years is a lot of time, and so many things could have gone wrong during the making of this movie. What if one actor decided to drop out? What if the movie lost sight of its goal in all that time? What if Ellar Coltrane or Lorelei Linklater turned out to be terrible actors? Every decision made about this film was a twelve year investment, and each one thankfully paid off. Boyhood is one of the most singular experiences you could possibly have in a theatre. Filled to the brim with outstanding performances and an excellent look into real life, Boyhood will make you shed tears of despair and tears of joy as you start to feel like part of the on-screen family. This is definitely an achievement in filmmaking and one of the best films of the year. Boyhood was well worth the very long wait.

Grade: A