Realism of a Modern Family

Boyhood

Growing up is hard. I am sure that everyone one of us has had some difficult times growing up. Everything from troubles with our parents to peer pressure. Not to sound like a psychologist, but every one of those problems shaped us into the people that we are today. However, when it comes to those experiences being told through the eyes of Hollywood writers, those same experiences can be distorted for artistic purposes. That is until director Richard Linklater (Before Sunrise) took it upon himself to give the world a more realistic view of a modern American family in his 12-year in the making opus, Boyhood.

The plot for this film is very easy, yet very hard to put into an actually paragraph. Boyhood follows Mason Evans, Jr. (Ellar Coltrane Fast Food Nation) over a decade. Through 12 years, we watch Mason grow up, ending with Mason going off to college. During this time in Mason’s life, we watch how is life changes along with his sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater), his mother Olivia (Patricia Arquette TV’s Medium), and his father Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke The Purge). Since his parents are divorced, Mason watches both of his parents try to navigate their own personal lives all the while trying to find himself during one of the most difficult times in a person’s life.

Richard Linklater accomplished something that other writer/directors could not and that is giving the world that realistic look of the modern American family and/or American youth. There is real life drama and real life choices that people face on a daily basis. Boyhood is a calm and sweet film. However, this film is not going to be for everyone. This is a film school film that will be talked about with film scholars and film school students for years to come. They will breakdown the modernistic view of the family and the straight forwardness of the plot. Casual movie goers will definitely not see those things. They will see that it was a lot of nothing for 2 hours and 45 minutes. Which is very true. There is no real action, no courtroom drama, or any type of mystery. This film follows Mason and that is that.

Boyhood isn’t going to be known for its acting either. Coltrane and Linklater (the actress) are fairly bland, but come across as very normal kids. Hawke and Arquette’s performances are better than their children’s. Hawke shows us a struggling musician of a father who loves his kids with subtle hints at substance abuse problems. Over the years we see him get his life together and turn himself around. The same can be said for Arquette who takes a stand in the beginning to change her life for her and her kids. Arquette is able to project Olivia’s inner strength and motherly instinct throughout the film.

Director Richard Linklater deserves the most credit for the critical success of this film. Linklater really does achieve the realism with such a simple movie about life and its struggles. Linklater uses this film as almost a Truman Show-like peek into a real life family over a decade. Linklater also does a great job capturing the year with the music that is selected for each scene. Without spelling out what year it is, Linklater uses his soundtrack to tell the audience what year it is.

I really do not want any of you walking away from this review thinking that I didn’t like this film, I actually did. Though for you casual movie goers, I just don’t think this will be your cup-o-tea. I suggest this film immensely from an artistic standpoint, but warn each and every one of you that this film is not for everyone. This is a simple film with an even simpler premise, so you must remind yourself of that before you sit down for this modern epic.

The Verdict: Worth Your Time