Film Review -- Boyhood

Directed and co-written by Richard Linklater, the film stars Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, and Lorelai Linklater. Filmed over a span of twelve years - a little was filmed every summer - it tells the story of Mason (Coltrane) and his family from when he was five until he leaves for college. This film has been universally praised by critics (99% on Rotten Tomatoes!) and viewers alike. It is therefore needless to say that this film really sparked my interest, and I was honestly expecting to be blown away by it, just like everyone else was. Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed. This film is unquestionably epic from a cinematic standpoint, as it remained consistent in tone and seamless in transition in its entirety, something I can imagine to be extremely tricky to pull off when you're filming it for more than a decade. That tone, however, is the problem with Boyhood. The film attempts to depict "real life" as closely as possible, and succeeds - to a fault, even. Watching the same actors grow up on screen as opposed to different actors playing different ages adds a "realness" to the film that I've never seen in another, and I certainly appreciate the magnitude of this achievement. The problem is that the "real life" of most typical American middle-class families does not translate into interesting subject matter for a film. Watching it feels like watching a report of the most important events of each year in the life of a boy in whom I am never given any real reason to be invested in. With no conventional plot development, this format gets tired REALLY quickly, and at three hours (!), the film long overstayed its welcome. Sadly I have to disagree with everybody and say that I found the film to be boring, boring, boring. It could have been half as long and still made its point effectively, and by that third hour, I was not only not interested anymore, but felt tempted to shut the film off several times. Watch it for its technical achievements, which truly are spectacular, but be prepared to watch three hours of nothing - really, nothing - happen. 

Should you see it: Yes
Grade: B-