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
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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Andrew Puchniarz
January 12, 2015
Had potential, but ultimately relies on the aging gimmick, which slows down by the end. Mr. Hawke has an admirable performance, but the rest are lackluster. The movie runs on fumes a little after halfway in. My family had more drama than this one, and my life was rather stable. 90 minutes too long.
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Ravi- -Indra
March 9, 2015
There is nothing great in the movie other than just the fact that it took 12 years for the production of the movie and the boy grows on screen. If you didn't know that fact before watching the movie - then you don't feel anything great about it. Its only the patience of producers/actors/directors....As a viewer I don't need to be judging the movie by the hard work done by the production team in making the movie.
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