Boyhood - Unique Film uses same actors over 12 year period.

Cafe Society
41

I’ll repeat what I said in a completely redundant thread that I started…

I did think it 30 minutes too long. It turns out that I didn’t really care much about Mason’s college choice/girlfriend problems, and that story drags down the ending. I thought his parents, and his relationship with them, much more interesting.

I wonder if the critics are dazzled by the concept and the logistics (I certainly was) more than the results on the screen.

Did any actors drop out after several years, necessitating re-writes?

Was Ethan Hawke’s new wife the woman from the bowling alley? There’s no explanation of where the new wife came from, so that would be tidy – although they don’t look much alike. But then, time passes…and that’s the whole point.

42

Not that I know of. I do know that Linklater would sit down with the actor every year to learn more about him before setting the story in stone. For instance, the actor got into photography so they incorporated that interest into his character when they shot going forward.

Not the same actress so, presumably, not the same character.

43

I can understand this criticism, but Mason’s high school / college transition and first real heartbreak resonated so truly for me. I remember those feelings so much, and they really made an impact on who I became.

The movie traces from childhood until leaving home. My relationship with my parents and family sure grew less important in the last few years before I left home. On screen, it’s a sort of dramatic change of cast and tone – but the pacing felt very correct to me. Those last couples years when your identity starts asserting itself and grinding against the boundaries of home, well, that’s important. It felt right to me, even though I might agree it was a little jarring and less gripping.

I need to watch it again, but my gut call would put Boyhood in my top ten movies.

44

I loved this movie. I knew nothing about it other than it took 12 years with the same actors.

Some thoughts: (unboxed spoilers follow)

It was incredibly “real,” yet didn’t feel like a documentary. The conversations sometimes seemed like ones I had had or heard.

All the actors were fantastic. I thought Ellar as Mason was wonderful, and I also thought the girl/woman playing his sister was fantastic.

I really liked how neither Mason or his sister yelled in the film. Stereotypical teens seem to yell back and forth with their parents, but they didn’t. The adults yelled at each other and the kids, but Mason and his sister didn’t yell. This was especially notable when the mom got mad at Mason’s sister for not picking him up after school. The sister calmly explained what happened and pointed out that he wasn’t a little boy any more.

The entire movie is “show don’t tell.” Everything has to be figured out. You’re not told a thing. And it’s not like a puzzle. I just mean that you have to figure out when the transitions happened, what is happening and why, etc.

There’s no plot, so if that’s your thing, you might be disappointed. Usually I need a plot, but I also love a good “story” (as opposed to a conflict-driven movie).

It’s 2:40 in length and I could have easily stayed for another 20 minutes, yet each section was long enough.

At first I was put off when he became a bit of a prick near the end, but I was worse at that age. Many people go through that, and he started to mellow out near the very end. It’s unreasonable to expect the character to be perfect, and this is what happens when you transform from a boy to a man.

I loved how he was into video games to the point of ignoring school, family, and food, and then got into his art and pretty much rejected electronics (except for the digital camera, but he was also into film developing at the same time).

I loved how Texas was portrayed in the movie.

I loved the humor, especially the dark humor. My friend and I even laughed at the drunken step dad.

Great movie, but I can understand how not everyone would like it.

45

Runs with Scissors writes:

> I loved how Texas was portrayed in the movie.

Having just seen the movie We’ve Gotta Get Out of This Place, I admit it’s nice to see an occasional film that shows parts of Texas where most people act like ordinary human beings. And I love the film Blood Simple, for instance, but all Texas is not like that. The boy lived in or visited half a dozen different cities in Texas during the time of the movie.

46

:bump:

Got a screener of the movie from a friend and saw it last night.

I have kids who are 6 and 4. The movie really tore me up in the early stages, when I saw the boy and girl growing up. I can’t imagine how hard it was for Linklater to see his own girl age before his eyes, though of course he was with her the entire time in real life.

I liked the movie, though it seemed to me that they filmed a lot of footage when the boy reached 18 or so because they didn’t have enough of a movie. I thought it made the movie about 25 minutes too long.

Still, the opening 2 hours or so were awesome and I loved it. It could have been called “Childhood” since it featured the girl so much as well. I fine myself wanting to protect both of them even though they are now adults.

I feel the same about 7up, which features adults quite a bit older than me. I have seen every 7up movie and when I saw 56 UP, I teared up seeing those kids and what some of them have gone through.

Boyhood: 8/10

A great movie.

47

In the UK this film is the big story - The Grand Budapest Hotel not quite close, Birdman not so much.

Big momentum behind Boyhood though.

48

I was surprised and pleased when the BAFTAS chose Boyhood and Linklater over their own homegrown films like The Theory of Everything and The Imitation Game. I think it shows that the basic premise of Boyhood, family/growing up/love, is universal, in much the same way that the UP series is popular in America. We can relate too.

It may or may not win the Best Picture Oscar (I almost hope it doesn’t), but I’m glad it wasn’t just released, talked about a bit among cinephiles & Linklater fans, nominated for a few Indie & Critics awards and then pretty much forgotten.

49

I just watched this film for the first time. I live in Texas and am 40 (something) and can easily relate to the parents. The kids in the film are real, and remind me of the kids of some of my friends. This film, over the next 50 - 100 years, will become very important because it portrays a real view of a very plausible life of somebody coming of age in the early 2000’s. I realize that there’s no real driving plot but so what? That’s the point, this is a time capsule movie that perfectly captures the time we live in. As we grow older this will be a nostalgic favorite. Love it!

On a side note, I grew up in Austin so I loved the Texas setting. A lot of people on this board rag on Texas even though they’ve never been here but this movie features the side of Texas that I love. It’s not the largest side, but it’s there and it’s easy to find. It really reminded me of what it was like to grow up in Central Texas and has insired me to revisit some of my favorite hot spots. It’s a beautiful film.

50

Watched it last night on cable. I thought it was very good. Ethan Hawke was outstanding, and the 2 kids were phenomenal considering the span of time they had to deal with. The only complaints I have are 1) the one-dimensionality of the drunk-ass vet (husband #3) once we skipped to that time period and 2) kind of fizzled at the end with all the artsy-fartsy dialogue. But a great view of growing up and all the challenges kids face. Parents, too, of course.

51

I just watched it finally, too. Wonderful. I was struck by the male role models that Mason did and didn’t have in his life. Awful step-dads and a flakey but deeply loving dad, relatives hear and there. Mom was long-suffering and solid; the men were all over the place.

Made me go hug my son, you know?