Boyhood Review

I had planned to go see Kingsman: The Secret Service this weekend while everyone else was wasting their time and money watching Fifty Shades of Grey. Unfortunately, my theater hasn't gotten Kingsman yet, so I'm stuck at home. I figured I might as well finish up the last two Best Picture nominees that I haven't seen. The first one is Boyhood, a movie that has been praised as one of the best movies to come along in quite some time. While I wouldn't quite say that, it is definitely a remarkable experiment in cinema that paid off big time. I can see this being a film that's talked about and studied for years to come.

Boyhood is the story of Mason Evans, Jr., and it follows his life from age 5 to age 18. That is literally all this movie is. There is nothing special or out-of-this-world about its plot. In fact, nothing of any real seriousness happens. It's just the story of this young man as he grows up, and the people that surround him throughout his childhood.

Maybe this makes you view Richard Linklater's project as pointless. Just another coming-of-age drama. However, the fact that this film was made over a 12-year period really does make all the difference. It's not just a gimmick. We see the same actors in different stages of their own lives, which connects you with these characters to an abnormal degree. By the end of Boyhood, I felt linked to the people on screen. As if I had grown up along with them. And that is what makes this movie special.

The film stars Ellar Coltrane as the central character Mason. He does a nice job, though his performance does improve as he ages, which one would expect. I don't think he's the next breakout star in Hollywood or anything, but I do hope this ambitious 12-year role he took on gets him more work. Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette play Mason's divorced parents. I thought Hawke's performance was great, and Arquette did a really good job as well. I can only imagine the difficulty it took to jump back into these characters year after year. After all, they were doing this while also pursuing other films during the last 12 years. That really blows my mind.

I thought Boyhood captured what it's like to grow up better than most movies can. That's not only because my childhood was basically parallel to Mason's and we were interested in a lot of the same things, it's also because the film never tries to be something it's not. It's an examination of boyhood. Nothing more. Nothing feels like it couldn't or didn't actually happen in real life. It honestly just feels like the audience is in the room with these characters, going through the same stuff as they are.

While I was watching this movie, I thought I was missing something. I got invested in the characters and their lives, but I thought there needed to be something else to it. I was expecting something else. It wasn't until the last act of Boyhood that its true weight hit me. Life is a series of milestones. Most of these milestones start to fade with time. Some linger more prominently in our minds than others, but a lot of them are ultimately forgotten. That doesn't make them any less meaningful. They shape who we are and set us down our paths of life. That's what Boyhood is trying to say.

Even at nearly 3 hours long, this movie sneaks up on you. It tricks you into getting invested in its story and characters much deeper than you think you're getting invested in them. I didn't realize it until the end. I didn't realize that I had grown to care about these people's lives. I didn't realize that Boyhood is a fascinating study of existence and the meaning of life. That's because it's so understated and never actually hits a climax or follows a normal progression of events. Some may view it as a waste of time. I certainly didn't, especially when the film's message hit me square in the face.

Those with short attention spans may want to avoid Boyhood. It's something you have to prepare your thoughts and emotions for. If that doesn't interest you, then it isn't the film for you. However, if you're willing to ride along with it as it literally goes through an entire childhood, it's a rewarding experience. One that left me thinking a lot more than I thought it would. Linklater's groundbreaking filming technique was a risky undertaking. There were no guarantees regarding the talent of the young actors, or if the film would flow well enough. It all worked out in the end, and Linklater should - and probably will - be commended for his courage. I believe this is the film that will win Best Picture. While it isn't my favorite movie of the year, I think it's an inevitable decision that the Academy will make. When people think back on 2014, they'll first think of Boyhood. And perhaps they should.

A