Consider this my official prediction:
“Boyhood” will win the 2015 Academy Award for Best Picture.
I say this not because it has already
won the Golden Globe, and not because I think it is a great movie. I say it
because it has all the things that the Academy likes to reward films
for. It is large in scope (though not a big budget film), it has
solid performances throughout and it is heavy (and I mean HEAVY) on
the “emotional realism”. So congratulations to them for their
impending Oscar.
Too bad it's not that great.
Shot over a 12 year period, the film
follows Mason Evans Jr. (Ellar Coltrane) from ages 7 through 18. His
life hasn't been terribly easy, as he and his sister (Lorelei
Linklater) live with their mother (Patricia Arquette) and don't get
much time with dad (Ethan Hawke). They move frequently as Mom can't provide a substantial life for them and is always trying to
improve things, eventually going back to school. She gets remarried
to a man who is a fairly strict disciplinarian (Marco Perella) but
who eventually becomes an alcoholic and abusive. After divorcing him she
eventually remarries again to an Iraq veteran who can't see past his own sense of
responsibility – and can't understand why everyone else doesn't
think the way he does.
Through it all we watch Mason grow up.
Through his relationship with his parents and his sister we see a lot
of the types of things that real people have to deal with.
Personally, I think this is why “Boyhood” is getting such rave
reviews; sooner or later through this film (and it goes on
interminably long) you will run into a situation or two that you've had with
either your parents or your children. All of these episodes are
presented very realistically, which is fine, but they are all pretty
“serious moments” which I got tired of pretty early on.
The performances are all great.
Arquette shows acting chops I actually didn't think she was good
enough to possess. Coltrane's role is incredibly understated (he's
one of those moody “I feel too much to talk too much” kids) but
he is very good in it. But where I am not on the same page as the
standard critics is based on two things. First, I didn't think the
characters were that interesting. A mom that makes tons of mistakes,
moody kid, abusive stepdads.... we've seen it all before and in much more interesting ways. Second, and more importantly, it is all a
huge "downer".
Now I enjoy a good “deep” movie as
much as the next guy, but this one is trying to be deep every single second.
Particularly in moments where someone is realizing “wow, time
marches on” the film tries to send a big, meaningful message. Perhaps it
is just my taste, or my personal lack of amazement that I am going to
get old and die one day, but I think that in order for a film to get
anything from a viewer in moments like this it has to offer them "meaning", not just present the moment that it happens. Otherwise it is just
depressing. And there are ample depressing moments in “Boyhood”.
And (spoiler alert?.... perhaps) I
really wanted (after 2 hours and 45 minutes) a payoff. It just
doesn't come. Mom has a breakdown the day her son moves out,
realizing that life is fleeting and her time to be the most important
person in his life is over. Then he goes off and has a nice time
with his new college roomie and a couple of girls when they go
hiking. Perhaps it was just that this wasn't the payoff I was
looking for, but I felt it was no payoff at all.
I have full respect for the
ambitiousness of the project, and I don't feel like watching it was a
waste of my time. But what I look for most in a movie is to be
entertained or moved. “Boyhood” failed to do much of either.
Interesting enough to watch because of the scale of the project, but
ultimately won't end up on anyone's “favorite films ever” list, I
am sure.
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