Boyhood

Have I mentioned before that I love well written movies? Yeah, I thought I did. Not only do I expect on a good script (whether it's fluff or heavy-handed), I count on it, because this IS supposed to be an art form. Well, art form simply describes "Boyhood" in spades!

Filmed over 12 years with the same cast, "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--from 6-18 years of age, 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 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.

Others to round out the cast are Marco Perella as Professor Bill Welbrock, Libby Villari as Grandma, Steven Prince as Ted, Jamie Howard as Mindy, Andrew Villarreal as Randy, Shane Graham as Neighborhood Friend #1, Tess Allen as Neighborhood Friend #2, Charlie Sexton as Jimmy, Barbara Chisholm as Carol, Zoe Graham as Sheena, Maximillian McNamara as Dalton, Richard Robichaux as Mason's Boss, and Sam Dillon as Nick.

This was directed by the incomparable Richard Linklater ("It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books" '88, "Slacker" '91, "Dazed and Confused" '93, "Before Sunrise"'95, "SubUrbia" '96, "The Newton Boys" '98, "Walking Life" '01, "Tape" '01, "School of Rock" '03, "Before Sunset" '04, "$5.15/Hr." (TV movie) '04, "Bad News Bears" '05, "Fast Food Nation" '06, "A Scanner Darkly" '06, "Inning by Inning: A Portrait of a Coach" (Documentary) '08, "Me and Orson Welles" '08, "Bernie" '11, "Before Midnight" '13). By his very resume, this guy has an eclectic array of projects he's worked on, and with such a difference in his work, Linklater has proven himself as quite the chameleon. He knows his actors and how their characters should interact together, and it shows all too well with this film. He wrote this film as well which is where he shined the most. First of all, to take a film and stretch it out as long as 12 years is cutting edge in and of itself, secondly taking a subject matter that has been done many times over (a basic rights of passage film), and  be able to write it in a way that is funny, sad, tragic, poignant, rebellious and happy and keep your attention for a whopping 162 minute running time is miraculous. The script was real as were the performances. An example of real--Dad: (Mason bowls a gutter ball) Alright, don't worry about it. Mason: I wish I could use the bumpers... Dad: You don't want the bumpers, life doesn't give you bumpers. It was as though you were just observing a family in the living mode. The interaction between these actors also seemed real and effortless.

This is a film you need to watch. As the selling slogan dictates: "12 years in the making". Literally you get to see this boy age before your eyes and if that isn't original enough for you, then there's nothing out there that will take care of that request.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                  Rated: R                               162mins.