This movie is flat-out awesome, mainly for the sake of something that hasn’t been done before. Boyhood literally takes you through the boyhood of a young man named Mason (Ellar Coltrane). We watch Mason grow up from age 5 to 17 when he graduates high school. The film, directed and written by Richard Linklater, gives a realistic view of life. The movie ran like an actual movie except you watch the same character grow up. It was executed to perfection. None of that, “Young Mason played by” and “Old Mason played by.” It was 100% Mason the entire time. You watch as he and his sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater) grow up under not-so-fortunate circumstances. The kids got along great with each other and other kids, it’s just their mother’s choices that kept things “interesting” to say the least.
Their Mom (Patricia Arquette) and Dad (Ethan Hawke) were together at one point, and later she probably regrets not seeing things-out with him. As the kids grow, they deal with seeing their dad on the weekends, school, growing up, constantly changing living environments, and watch their mom make poor choices in partners time and time again.
It’s probably the realist movie out there right now and it’s not a documentary. Boyhood presents an innocent look at a typical American life with its highs and struggles. You’ll definitely feel nostalgia hearing songs that were popular many years ago, seeing the fashion trends change before your eyes, hairstyles, architecture, and everything in between. I can definitely give Boyhood a 9 out of 10. It’s a fun movie you should definitely see simply because its different. Now I will say this, don’t think you can fit “A movie 12 years in the making” (that’s the tagline) in 90 minutes. Oh no, this bad boy is close to 3 hours long. Remember, you are watching a kid at 5 go through life all the way until he goes to college. So be prepared for a good film and get comfortable!
-Jon J.