Starring: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Lorelei Linklater, Cassidy Johnson, Nick Krause
Director: Richard Linklater
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: January 6, 2015
Run Time: 164 minutes
Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars
“Boyhood” is a very unique film. Richard Linklater didn’t rush with this film either taking him time over 12 years with the same cast. We get to watch them grow, specifically a boy named Mason, who ages from 6-18 years old on screen. I like this idea a lot. It is not a documentary either, it is a fantastic story crafted around this family and we get to do on their journey. When you are watching this film, you can’t help but reflecting on your own journey through life as well. The running time is a bit long nearing three hours but if you were to film a movie over a decade, I think I would have some issue delivered a quick 90 minute flick. Plus it fly by like a flash. Come award season, this is going to easily clean up for sure…and honestly it deserves it as well.
Official Premise: 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 Aequette 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 “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 p and parenting. It’s impossible to watch Mason and his family without thinking about our own journey.
Paramount delivered this film as a combo pack including a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD copy. The 1080p transfer is sharp and the film itself is skillfully shot as one would expect from Linklater. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track works well with the film’s music, which is a great compliment to the film. The special features are a little light and I would have expected a little more. “The 12 Year Project” is a featurette discussing this decade plus project. There is also a Q&A with Richard Linklater and the Cast, which is in-depth and dives into the production. Even though, we get all that, I would have loved a commentary track to get some insight on the film with the director and cast reflecting on the film over the years.
