# Boyhood - Unique Film uses same actors over 12 year period. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 20, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boyhood-unique-film-uses-same-actors-over-12-year-period/693624 "2014-07-20T21:00:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2014, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boyhood-unique-film-uses-same-actors-over-12-year-period/693624/21 "2014-08-02T15:26:27Z")
There are at least the following movies or movie series shot over a long period: _Boyhood_ _Before Sunrise_/_Before Sunset_/_Before Midnight_ _The 400 Blows_/_Antoine & Collette_/_Stolen Kisses_/_Bed & Board_/_Love on the Run_ The Harry Potter series _7 Up_/_14 Up_/_21 Up_/_28 Up_/_35 Up_/_42 Up_/_49 Up_/_56 Up_ _L’Auberge Espagnole_/_Russian Dolls_/_Chinese Puzzle_ ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boyhood-unique-film-uses-same-actors-over-12-year-period/693624/22 "2014-08-03T02:17:39Z")
Another example of a film shot over a long time is the 2012 film _Everyday_, which was shot a little at a time over five years. Besides the films named above, there are movie franchises. They work differently from the ones listed above (although perhaps the Harry Potter books should be thought of as a franchise). A franchise can be totally recast. It can be rebooted so that new films in the series will be just a remake of an earlier one in the series. There can be no continuity at all in the crew, so each one can be done with a new writer, a new director, etc. The franchise can be sold to a new production company so that the people making decisions about the films will be completely different. I’m not certain I can precisely distinguish between franchises and the movies I named above, but they seem to be rather different to me. Here’s a list of 30 long-running movie franchises: [http://www.totalfilm.com/features/30-longest-running-movie-franchises](http://www.totalfilm.com/features/30-longest-running-movie-franchises) ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boyhood-unique-film-uses-same-actors-over-12-year-period/693624/23 "2014-08-03T19:08:09Z")
> [@theR](#): > > The only vaguely similar experience? How about Linklater’s own _Before_ trilogy, also starring Hawke? The characters aged nine years between movies, just as there was actually nine years between the movies in real life. It’s even mentioned in the interview with Hawke linked in the second post of this thread. > > I’m not denigrating _Boyhood_, just pointing out that Linklater has used similar ideas in other works. > > I can’t speak to the audience experience since I haven’t yet seen _Boyhood_. I certainly plan to see it. Yeah, it’s really not the same thing in my mind, having seen all Linklater’s work. Having the entire time span occur in one movie is a different experience. Hell, _Die Hard_ and _Rocky_ use the same characters in their sequels over a long period of time, but those aren’t really similar, either. I loved the _Before_ series, but it’s not quite as striking when they’re released 9 years apart. I’d be interested to see if you agree once you’ve seen it. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boyhood-unique-film-uses-same-actors-over-12-year-period/693624/24 "2014-08-04T01:05:32Z")
Cripes! Even _IF_ there is some hyperbole in some of the praise for this film’s “original” approach, Linklater did something amazing, rare, difficult to achieve, _and he achieved it beautifully_. And half the posts in this Thread have to be about nitpicking whether or not this has ever been done before. Sorry, Linklater, come back to the SDMB when you’ve actually made something of your life, loser. Bring pie. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boyhood-unique-film-uses-same-actors-over-12-year-period/693624/25 "2014-08-04T01:48:28Z")
I saw Ethan Hawke talking about this movie in a late night talk show interview. The concept of the movie sounded so intriguing. I like Ethan Hawke’s acting in the clip. He looks like the scene was unscripted. That’s what I liked about Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, two of my favorite movies. They look like it’s just people talking. They looked unscripted to me, although they clearly weren’t. I’m glad to see the positive reviews of the movie. I was hoping it would be good. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boyhood-unique-film-uses-same-actors-over-12-year-period/693624/26 "2014-08-04T14:46:53Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Of movies that have at least 100 reviews, it is now the highest reviewed/rated film of all time on Rotten Tomatoes, and holds a 99/100 on metacritic, which is essentially unheard of. > > I had never heard of it until this thread! This isn’t normally something I’d ever want to go and watch… but with such universal acclaim, I think I really need to see this. The only complaint I’ve heard is that it’s about a half hour too long. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boyhood-unique-film-uses-same-actors-over-12-year-period/693624/27 "2014-08-04T15:11:09Z")
> [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](#): > > That’s what I liked about Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, two of my favorite movies. They look like it’s just people talking. They looked unscripted to me, although they clearly weren’t. There’s a slim chance that you don’t already know, but there’s a third film in that sequence [Before Midnight](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Before_Midnight_%28film%29). I kind of hope that they keep doing a new one every ten years or so, as long as Linklater, Delpy and Hawke live. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2014, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boyhood-unique-film-uses-same-actors-over-12-year-period/693624/28 "2014-08-05T01:09:04Z")
Every nine years. 1995 - 2004 - 2013 so far. The next one should be in 2022. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2014, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boyhood-unique-film-uses-same-actors-over-12-year-period/693624/29 "2014-08-05T03:44:31Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > The only complaint I’ve heard is that it’s about a half hour too long. You heard wrong, it’s a perfect length. A movie that takes 12 years to make doesn’t lend itself to such criticism. You either accept what Linklater gives you, and put your damn watch away, or go see Transformers or something. I’ve seen it twice now and the 2nd time was even better, because now that I knew what was coming I could savor the moments in that boy’s life. And his sister (played by Linklater’s daughter, she also aged over the years, and her journey, from a little girl to a lovely young woman, was as fascinating as his), his mother and his father. I loved it. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2014, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boyhood-unique-film-uses-same-actors-over-12-year-period/693624/30 "2014-08-05T04:20:33Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > You heard wrong, it’s a perfect length. A movie that takes 12 years to make doesn’t lend itself to such criticism. You either accept what Linklater gives you, and put your damn watch away, or go see Transformers or something. Yep. Hell, I could have watched it unfold for another half hour, easy. Also, I don’t know if it’s been mentioned much in the reviews - I’ve seen a lot of talk about the main kid, who was great - but Patricia Arquette nailed the hell out of her role. ---
**Author:** ![alexandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@alexandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alexandra)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2014, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boyhood-unique-film-uses-same-actors-over-12-year-period/693624/31 "2014-08-05T13:44:00Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > There are at least the following movies or movie series shot over a long period: > > _Boyhood_ > > _Before Sunrise_/_Before Sunset_/_Before Midnight_ > > _The 400 Blows_/_Antoine & Collette_/_Stolen Kisses_/_Bed & Board_/_Love on the Run_ > > The Harry Potter series > > _7 Up_/_14 Up_/_21 Up_/_28 Up_/_35 Up_/_42 Up_/_49 Up_/_56 Up_ > > _L’Auberge Espagnole_/_Russian Dolls_/_Chinese Puzzle_ None of those are single films, then, apart from _Boyhood_. Love the _Up_ series, but it’s a documentary, not fiction. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2014, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boyhood-unique-film-uses-same-actors-over-12-year-period/693624/32 "2014-08-05T16:11:02Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > You heard wrong, it’s a perfect length. A movie that takes 12 years to make doesn’t lend itself to such criticism. You either accept what Linklater gives you, and put your damn watch away, or go see Transformers or something. Actually, Transformers 4 is only 8 minutes shorter (a mind-boggling thought) so you really wouldn’t be saving yourself much time anyway. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boyhood-unique-film-uses-same-actors-over-12-year-period/693624/33 "2014-08-06T00:38:34Z")
alexandra, note that in post #22 I mention _Everyday_, which is a single film shot over five years: > **[Everyday (film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everyday_(film))** > > Everyday is a 2012 British drama film co-written and directed by Michael Winterbottom. Known during its lengthy production variously as Seven Days and then Here and There, the film stars John Simm as a man named Ian who is imprisoned for drug smuggling and charts his relationship with his wife Karen, played by Shirley Henderson. > Everyday premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on 3 September 2012 and then screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2012. > Written by Wi... ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boyhood-unique-film-uses-same-actors-over-12-year-period/693624/34 "2014-08-06T02:27:24Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > alexandra, note that in post #22 I mention _Everyday_, which is a single film shot over five years [QUOTE=George W. Bush] You forgot Poland! [/QUOTE] :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boyhood-unique-film-uses-same-actors-over-12-year-period/693624/35 "2014-08-06T03:24:44Z")
Saw the film this afternoon – quite unique and engaging. It was especially interesting to watch Patricia Arquette age gracefully from her “Kissin’ Kate Barlow” years to present-day matron. Also, I was impressed how they managed to cast a boy who grew up to strongly resemble his fictional dad Ethan Hawke, right down to the ugly scraggly beard. Like some, at first I did feel the movie dragged on for 30 minutes too long; but thinking back, it actually ended on the perfect note. The ending felt less like a finale and more like the opening chapter to the next story in this young man’s life. To end the film at the graduation party, or after the scenes where each parent shares their pearls of wisdom (what little there is to learn – this is real life we’re talking about) would have been far too cliché for what the story deserved. Some reviewers are calling this one of the best movies of all time – which is a bit of a stretch IMO, but it was definitely a resounding success. An experiment like this could have failed in many spectacular ways; but instead, I think it’s clear that Richard Linklater is quickly becoming the Robert Altman of his generation. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boyhood-unique-film-uses-same-actors-over-12-year-period/693624/36 "2014-08-06T13:20:51Z")
In case anyone is interested, Ellar Coltrane (the “boy” in Boyhood) did a Reddit Ask-Me-Anything thread. You can read it [here](http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2cqjjc/i_am_ellar_coltrane_i_grew_up_on_screen_over_the/). ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boyhood-unique-film-uses-same-actors-over-12-year-period/693624/37 "2014-08-11T16:42:48Z")
Thoughts and questions… I really, really liked it, although not to the OMGbestmovieever extent that the critics seem to. I wonder if they’re more in awe of Linklater’s vision than they are of the actual results. And it really is jaw-dropping, how he managed to make his 12-year shoot work. But I turned out to just not care all that much where Mason went to school, or about his problems with his girlfriend, and those dragged down the last 30 minutes. His relationship with his parents was more interesting. Has anybody heard if there were problems caused by the timespan? Did actors drop out, causing re-writes, characters to get dropped? It was fascinating to see a minor character this year become major next year (like the random guest at Thanksgiving becomes Mom’s new boyfriend). Were Ethan Hawke’s new wife, and the girl at the bowling alley one and the same? I missed her name. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boyhood-unique-film-uses-same-actors-over-12-year-period/693624/38 "2014-08-11T17:18:07Z")
I’m so old that when I see “Linklater” I’m reminded of Art Linkletter. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boyhood-unique-film-uses-same-actors-over-12-year-period/693624/39 "2014-08-11T17:21:43Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I’m so old that when I see “Linklater” I’m reminded of Art Linkletter. Me too. Kids say the darnedest things. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boyhood-unique-film-uses-same-actors-over-12-year-period/693624/40 "2014-08-11T18:23:48Z")
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