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Rating: 5 out of 5
I would say that my childhood was pretty good. I grew up in a small town in South Carolina. I tell everyone that if you have seen Forrest Gump, then you have seen the town I grew up in. That might be too much information, so I will get back on the subject. This is supposed to be a review of Boyhood. For me, growing up was an adventure filled with ups and downs. That is life for everyone. Growing up, every summer, I would go to Kansas City to visit my grandparents. My grandparents lived on a farm, and I found it the best time of my life. I visited my grandparents from the age of six to the age of eighteen when I went off to college. I wouldn’t trade any of those moments or memories for anything.
How about this? Richard Linklater dropped a film on the world that he wrote and directed. You would think, what is the big deal about someone making a film. Linklater and the actors involved filmed this film from 2002 to 2013. It’s crazy and completely shows in the movie. Boyhood is a groundbreaking story through the eyes of a boy named Mason Jr. (Coltrane). The film focuses on Mason’s entire adolescent years. Mason lives with his mother, Olivia (Arquette), and his older sister Samantha (Linklater). Mason’s dad (Hawke) and his mother are divorced, with Olivia having primary custody. Mason Sr. comes around for his weekend visitation but missed them in the past year as he had been trying to become a musician but is also quite irresponsible as a father. Olivia wants to make a better life for herself, and the kids decide to move to Austin to start studying. Mason Jr’s world is greatly affected as both his parents try to navigate through their own relationships. Mason also tries to figure out his own life as he grows up, attends school with friends, and finds love and heartbreak until he is ready to leave the house and spread his wings.
One of the craziest things you will notice about this film is how everything changes so quickly from one major scene to another. You watch Mason Jr grow up from a little boy to an adult. You watch his entire family change and grow along the way. This film was great because it didn’t hire other actors to portray their characters. It kept the same characters throughout the twelve- or so-year process. You can really tell with the kids because Mason and Samantha both grow up before your eyes in a matter of seconds.
What I found fascinating about the filming of this movie was that it started without a completed script. This film was unique because Linklater gave the actors the freedom to write their own scripts and use inspiration from their life. The script was written and changed each year after Linklater saw the changes in each actor. Some examples are Hawke’s character is based on his and Linklater’s fathers, both Texan insurance agents who divorced and remarried. Arquette’s character is based on her mother, who resumed her education later in life and became a psychotherapist.
We have seen actors grow throughout the years before our very eyes. Yet, those take years to happen in series or films. A prime example is the Harry Potter series. We see the three main characters grow through the years. On the other hand, Boyhood completely blows your mind because twelve years is thrown into a 3-hour movie. One second, Mason is a young boy, and it seems like every 30 minutes, he changes. The changes aren’t subtle; they go from one extreme to another. As one watches, you will get a sense of your own life. That everything is a blur, or as the old saying goes, “time is movie fast, and I don’t know if I am having fun.” As the years pass, life becomes a blur, and you don’t know where the time went.
As you watch Boyhood, you realize that the film explores many aspects of a person’s life before going off to college. As the years go on, Mason seems uninterested in many things but finds a passion for photography. He finds his passion after his high school teacher scolds him about not doing work. Mason’s views on love are somewhat flawed as his parents are divorced. Living with his mother, she goes through two relationships that ended badly. His father remarries and finds love. When Mason finds love, he has a bad breakup in the next scene. Once again, everything seems like a blur through life.
I have to give it up to the cast. You have to give it up to people who sign on to do a movie for around twelve years. That is commitment; if something happens, your whole film could be messed up. Ellar Coltrane as Mason Evans Jr. was strong. He started off as a kid and turned into an “adult.” You watch him grow in a blink of an eye. I will say that he seemed to play himself and had that carefree grunge look about him. Lorelei Linklater, as Samantha Evans, was also pretty good. She was annoying as a little girl, but as she grew up, I don’t know if it was me, but she always seemed high with how she talked. Ethan Hawke as Mason Evans Sr. was fun and the cool dad. He was very into his kids, even though he did leave them for a while to become a musician. When he does spend time with his kids, he asks them about love and is very supportive.
I want to take a moment and give it up for Patricia Arquette as Olivia. I know the story is about Mason, but Olivia’s story is also a big part of the film. Arquette showed love for the kids but also went through some things that Olivia had in her life. She showed the fear of a woman in an abusive and alcoholic relationship. She becomes a teacher and gives out great advice. Arquette’s winning scene is at the end when Mason is about to leave for college. She says, “I just thought there would be more.”
Boyhood is a strong movie about growth and life. I commend the actors involved for being up for a long filming process showing how life changes. The actors did a great job, with Arquette deserving the strongest praise. Life will come and go instantly if you are not paying attention. Always live in the moment.
