Review of Boyhood (2014) by Jason M — 08 May 2016

I was expecting a lot more. It was fascinating to see the cast, especially the boy and his sister grow up over 12 years before our eyes. At first I thought it was some computer enhanced aging technique, but as it progressed, it became more apparent this was actually filmed over a long period.

This is a typical Linklater film, like Before Sunrise, etc. It is a good film. it is about a boy growing up, doing normal things. However, the protagonist, Mason, is a mediocre adolescent, a slouch who wears makeup and paints his nails. He is effeminate, and isn't particularly likeable. So, the film evolves into a showcase for a underachiever and a high-probability inefficient, unproductive loser. Why then, should this be a great film?

The movie is almost 3 hours long. I thought this was completely unnecessary, given the simplicity of the plot. A number of vignettes of a single mother family, working hard to make ends meet and making the worst mistakes possible in selecting spouses and boyfriends. Her poor choices obviously negatively impact her poor children who lack a father figure in their lives.

Linklater selects his daughter as one of the main characters. Good showcase for nepotism.

After seeing this movie, I thought, how would I feel about it if it hadn't been filmed over 12 years? The answer is that this wouldn't be a particularly eventful film. Therefore, this is a great film in that it was filmed over 12 years, but aside from this feature, there is not much depth to this flat plot. The groupthink of critics obviously disagree with this, but I'm simply calling a spade a spade here.

By the way, this was not the first movie to be filmed over the course of many years. "Seven Up!" (1964) established the genre in a documentary format.