If “Snowpiercer” is talked about by cult fans for years to come, then I can imagine “Boyhood” being talked about by film scholars for decades to come. The film springs from a deceptively simple “gimmick” of following the same cast for 12 years (director Richard Linklater worked on the cheap, and shot a couple scenes a year for 12 years) all to organically watch the central character grow up.
What Works: The hook of the film is so non-flashy, that it’s easy to take for granted, but let’s not pretend Linklater wasn’t taking a huge risk in this approach. What if Ethan Hawke (the boy’s father) had died of a drug overdose? Or Patricia Arquette (the boy’s mother) had been killed in a car wreck? Or breakout Ellar Coltrane (who plays the central boy Mason) had parents who converted to being Jehovah’s Witnesses and didn’t want him involved in Hollywood anymore? Not that this film is necessarily “Hollywood,” but the point remains that it’s enormously risky to shoot a film this way…Just ask whoever the insurance company is on whatever projects Robin Williams was currently filming.
Anyway, how about the film itself? Well, “Boyhood” flows so organically that it’s easy to undervalue it at first. The film isn’t plot-driven in a conventional sense, but a lot really does happen if you recognize this as the definitive movie of what it was like to grow up in the late 90’s and 00’s.
Even though I’m older than the central character, I found myself being brought back to a specific cultural time just by some of the song selections or toys he plays with. If someone was coming to America for the first time, and wanted to know what it’s like to grow up in suburban or small-town America, I would show them “Boyhood.” Certain things didn’t apply to me—-my parents never divorced or remarried jerks—-but even then those scenes come off as truthful and lived in; you can really feel the tension a ten year old boy must feel when he’s forced to eat a phony “family dinner” with an abusive drunk. And the things I could relate to—-like the crappy minimum wage job with a waaay too serious boss who doesn’t seem to get that it’s a stepping-stone crappy job at all—-felt exactly right.
“Boyhood” isn’t searching for drama, comedy, tension, or waterworks, but by the time it’s over, all of it has happened, and it feels more natural than most documentaries.
What Doesn’t Work: Some people will get restless or bored. They will be, and that sucks for them, but if you can honestly watch some of these scenes and not feel moved by this boy’s plight or relate to him in any way, then I almost feel sorry for you. At their best, movies are vehicles of empathy where we’re really getting inside the life of someone who’s not us, and this is the best example of that I’ve seen in years. He’s growing up so seamlessly in front of our eyes, it’s the first character in ages that I felt like I really knew by the time the credits rolled.
What I Would Have Done Differently: If you’re a parent, watch this movie, especially if your children are between 0 and 10. Watch it, and then see if it doesn’t make you appreciate the time you spend with them just a little bit more.