Review of Boyhood (2014) by Rachael K — 19 Mar 2015

While the concept of Boyhood was interesting, the movie itself was not. I will admit it I enjoyed watching the actors naturally age and grow throughout the film, but it almost felt as though the cast lost interest in the film as it progressed.

The movie failed to keep me engrossed as it carried for what seemed like 4 hours. The only time I felt engaged in the movie was during the time with the abusive, drunk husband. This was the one time in the movie where I felt things got interesting and the acting seemed genuine.

I'm not sure why they didn't expand upon this. Instead, the mom and her kids leave, and there it ends. I wanted to know what happened to the other two kids, were they just left in the abusive situation? The couple lines of dialogue about this between the mom and the girl with the annoying hair in her eyes was not enough to end this period in the boy's life.

Overall, the acting was subpar, except for Ethan Hawke who was consistent, and believable. I don't think this was the worst movie I've ever seen, but I hesitate to call it "good". Instead, I would rate the film as disappointing.

Maybe it's just me, but slapping together a couple days worth of filming over a 12 year period doesn't automatically make an innovative concept a great movie.