Review of Boyhood (2014) by Benutty — 02 Oct 2014

Boyhood should never have been a feature film.

Feeling wholly episodic, Boyhood fails to resonate as a story--its thematic through-line is unclear and each episode lacks the transitions necessary in drawing any sense of a story together. There are certain scenes that make me believe Boyhood would have worked really well as a 12-part miniseries, wherein every episode delves deeper into each year of the 12 years it took to film. Provided it contained more depth, better chemistry between the actors and a clearer focus to the tale being told (that a longer series could have afforded), this would have been a remarkable achievement.

Instead, Boyhood succeeds as a gimmick. I fail to see how any positive review of this film isn't relying on exactly what the film relies on--the wonder that an entire cast & crew had the patience to take 12 years to film a "passion project.".

And just a project it surely is.