Boyhood

2014 • 165 minutes
4.2
4.4K reviews
97%
Tomatometer
R
Rating
Eligible
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About this movie

Filmed over 12 years with the same cast, Richard Linklater's BOYHOOD is a groundbreaking story of growing up as seen through the eyes of a child named Mason (a breakthrough performance by Ellar Coltrane), who literally grows up on screen before our eyes. Starring Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette as Mason's parents and newcomer Lorelei Linklater as his sister Samantha, BOYHOOD charts the rocky terrain of childhood like no other film has before. Snapshots of adolescence from road trips and family dinners to birthdays and graduations and all the moments in between become transcendent, set to a soundtrack spanning the years from Coldplay's Yellow to Arcade Fire's Deep Blue. BOYHOOD is both a nostalgic time capsule of the recent past and an ode to growing up and parenting. It's impossible to watch Mason and his family without thinking about our own journey.
Rating
R

Ratings and reviews

4.2
4.4K reviews
Maya Neuhoff
February 22, 2015
The idea for the movie was a great one. I love that they followed the same people as they grew up and it was fun to watch them, but honestly the story was completely lost on me. I understand it was just the story of growing up, but honestly nothing happened. There was no love interest, no sad or dramatic moments. It was just life. I already live my own, and I've watched many people live other lives so when I sign up to watch a movie about boyhood I'm expecting to watch the overcome of problems we all face, or faced, not just two little kids just physically growing up, which is honestly the most interesting part of the whole film. Fiction movies are supposed to be dramatic fiction, but this was like a documentary. I know a lot of people loved this movie, but I just don't understand why. It was nearly impossible to sit through, and a waste of the years it took to make it.
22 people found this review helpful
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A Google user
February 25, 2015
This movie is long and filled mostly with characters who are hard to like. It feels like an after school special at times and though the movie is very picturesque at times, there really isn't much here as far as substance. It is just a story, or a series of stories linked together by the same characters. After watching it, I couldn't help but think that it was more of an art piece. If you subtract the fact that it was made over the span of 12 years, it is just a bland, unmemorable movie.
21 people found this review helpful
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Rob Rubinoff
January 26, 2015
I believed the hype. I ate the bait. I eagerly wanted to see this movie. But I had no idea how long it would toil on. Was it neat to watch the characters age through the years? Yes. Was it worth watching 3+ hours? No. I typically eat this type of film up -- character studies, character driven dramas. But this one doesn't get my vote.
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