Boyhood

ROHfan

I'd like to hear what others have thought of this film. Saw it two weeks ago and it's still with me. And I can't get that damn "Hero" song out of my head.

For those who don't know, the movie was filmed over the course of 12 years so that every character could naturally age instead of relying on different actors. This really added to the continuity and it was unlike anything I've seen. It took a huge commitment from the crew, who agreed to come together every year to continue to film. They filmed once a year from when the lead character was 6 years old to when he turned 18. We couldn't help but feel connected to the family as we literally watched the boy grow up in front of us.

The movie isn't really "about" anything, aside from showing us a portion of a broken family's life. Those who need comedy, action or explosions, suspense, or CGI monsters to enjoy a movie will be disappointed with this one. But if you love dialog, emotion, and can relate to the struggles of dealing with life, then you will love it. There was a scene involving Patricia Arquette's character that bores a hole straight through the heart of any of us who have raised children and have had to make sacrifices to put our children first and have done the best with what we had. If you haven't seen it, and if you've raised kids, please see this movie. And if you're a film lover, you'll be witnessing something that, I believe, has never been done before in a film.

teekay0007

ROHfan wrote: »

I'd like to hear what others have thought of this film.

The movie isn't really "about" anything...

Sounds like they stole that concept from Seinfeld.

tonyb

Saw this and liked it. Patricia is mediocre at best, she never was a great actress. The rest of the cast did great. The concept of using the same actors over a 12 year film shoot is worth the price of admission alone. You'll see the kids acting get better too as they age. Good story, good screen play, well shot, some good acting. Thought the dialog could have been better, but it was obvious the director was shooting for realism over funny quips.

ROHfan

tonyb wrote: »

Patricia is mediocre at best, she never was a great actress.

I think, for this movie anyway, she really fit well. I think she played it completely true to the character and I never doubted it. I agree with your assessment of how the young actors got better as they matured. It's something we normally don't get a chance to see and it was brilliant.

drumminman

Saw this Saturday night. I have to be an outlier here - I thought it was incredibly mediocre, like a reality TV show. Can't understand all the awards it's up for. Maybe I just don't get it, but I saw very little in the way of character development, growth, nothing ever seemed to move emotionally or dramatically. I thought Patricia Arquette's acting was nothing special. The writing was evocative of nothing, which was what the movie was really about.

I did enjoy Ethan Hawke's character - he seemed to understand life, and was able to express himself, better than any of the others.

I really wanted to like this movie, but I thought it was a snoozefest.

ROHfan

Drummin, I suspected this movie would have some polarizing viewpoints. It's a long movie, not too much happens, and it's a slice of life story. Not everyone's cup of tea. For me, there were little things that pulled me in emotionally right from the beginning and, as such, I would have to disagree with your points. I find that if I don't fully surrender to a movie's premise that I can be a little critical in my viewpoints of the film. Is it possible a second viewing may bear fruit?

drumminman

Oohh, I don't think so. Probably just not for me. Lots of people really liked it, which is why it surprised me. The only character that seemed to have an arc of development was the Dad (Ethan Hawke).

To give you an idea of what I find appealing, of the movies I've seen that are up for best pic that I liked are "The Grand Hotel", "The Imitation Game", and "American Sniper". What draws me in: great writing, acting directing, cinematography ( IMO only the Grand Hotel really has the latter).

ROHfan

drumminman wrote: »

( IMO only the Grand Hotel really has the latter).

We absolutely LOVED Grand Budapest Hotel! Was that not the most eye-candy movie of 2014 or what? Wes Anderson never disappoints. I like the way that every smallest detail in every scene is deliberately designed to be there.