Review of Boy (2012) by Mitchell B — 28 Feb 2012

The best comedy comes from truth and Boy finds so many magically comic moments because it's such an honest film. The humour is alway genuine whether it's through the naiveté of young Alamein's idolisation of his errant father or Alamein senior's inept attempts at living up to the mythical status his son has bestowed on him. You can see the pure joy in young James Rolleston's eyes as his father and namesake returns to sweep them away to the promise of big city life, Michael Jackson concerts and dolphins for everyone.

Equally honest are the moments of sadness. Director Taika Waititi has taken the best moments of tragic truth from Eagle vs Shark and blended them into Boy to create a far richer story. Whether you are laughing or crying, you are doing so because you understand exactly what the characters are going through.

For me, Boy was like a snapshot of my childhood as a skinny Maori kid running around the family home in the Bay of Plenty. There were so many familiar places, scenes and pieces of wardrobe and dialogue that the entire film was like flicking through an old family photo album. Boy is brilliantly realised and without a doubt one of the funniest, touching, memorable Kiwi films of the last ten years, if not ever.

Ka pai Taika Waititi. Ka pai.