Blu-ray Review: Richard Linklater's 'Boyhood'

The beauty of Richard Linklater’s Boyhood isn’t that it reinvents what it means to make a “coming of age” movie. Instead, the beauty of the film is its dedication to showing how life really unfolds.

Ellar Coltrane stars as Mason Evans Jr., a role he played for a few months every 12 years, as Linklater focused his camera on the young actor from elementary school to high school graduation. While the film is called Boyhood and does focus on Mason Jr., Linklater never commits to that. There are countless scenes throughout the film told without Mason in the room, ensuring that it is as much a story of his entire family as it is about him.

Mason and his sister Samantha (Linklater’s daughter, Lorelei Linklater) are being raised by their single mother Olivia (Patricia Arquette). Their father, Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke) occasionally comes into their lives, mostly to provide them with a fun escape. As they grow up though, Mason and Samantha’s relationship with their father grows beyond that.

While Coltrane’s performance is quite eloquent - even if his delivery of some of the monologues towards the end could have used a bit more polish - the actor that really shines in this film is Patricia Arquette. She gives the most natural performance possible as a struggling single mother, just trying to give her children the best possible lives. The scene at the very end of the film, when she finally realizes that the nest is completely empty, is as powerful as anything committed to film this year.

Linklater also avoids the traps that stagnate “coming of age” films. There’s no long break-up scene with the first girlfriend, there’s no bloated graduation scenes and there’s no gross-out silliness. Mason’s life unfolds naturally, as Linklater and his script focuses on what makes him unique instead of boring us with the same cliched scenes we’ve seen too many times before.

Boyhood certainly has some issues - aside from Arquette, the ending features too many characters going on about what life really “means” - but it is such a unique film experience. It may have taken Linklater 12 years to put together, but you don’t feel that way. Mason grows up before our eyes, but it’s just like in real life. Your body doesn’t say “now you are older!” just like Boyhood doesn’t feature title cards or anything to say “now Mason is older!”

IFC teamed with Paramount for the Blu-ray release of Boyhood, which may disappoint some hoping for a Criterion release. Considering Linklater’s relationship with the boutique label, it may happen eventually, but Paramount’s release is certainly enjoyable. It features a standard making-of called The 12 Year Project, which features some of Linklater’s interviews with his daughter and Coltrane at younger ages. More of that would be cool to see. The second feature is an hour long Q&A with the cast.

Boyhood is not a traditional film by any means. There’s no overall problem or climax. The audience just sees a boy growing up. A girl growing up. A father learns to connect with his children. A single mom struggles to support her children. It’s life. And, it’s Boyhood.

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