Rent Boyhood (2014)
3.6 of 5 from 1197 ratings
2h 39min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Dreamy-eyed grade-schooler Mason (Ellar Coltrane) is facing upheaval: his struggling single mom Olivia (Patricia Arquette) has decided to move him and older sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater) to Houston - just as their long-absent father Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke) re-enters their world. Thus begins a decade of constantly unfolding heartbreak and wonder as Mason swims against the tide of family moves and controversies, faltering marriages, new schools, first loves, lost loves, good times and scary times that shape the person he will be.
- Actors:
- Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Elijah Smith, Lorelei Linklater, Steven Chester Prince, Bonnie Cross, Sydney Orta, Libby Villari, Marco Perella, Jamie Howard, Andrew Villarreal, Shane Graham, Tess Allen, Ryan Power, Sharee Fowler, Mark Finn, Charlie Sexton, Byron Jenkins, Holly Moore
- Directors:
- Richard Linklater
- Producers:
- Jonathan Sehring, John Sloss, Cathleen Sutherland, Richard Linklater
- Writers:
- Richard Linklater
- Others:
- Richard Linklater, Sandra Adair
- Aka:
- Growing Up
- Studio:
- Universal Pictures
- Genres:
- Children & Family, Drama
- Collections:
- 2015, Award Winners, BAFTA Nominations Competition 2024, CinemaParadiso.co.uk Through Time, A History of Baseball Films, A Brief History of Film..., Top Films
- Awards:
2015 BAFTA Best Supporting Actress
2015 Oscar Best Supporting Actress
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 19/01/2015
- Run Time:
- 165 minutes
- Languages:
- English Audio Description Dolby Digital 2.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, German DTS 5.1, Italian DTS 5.1, Japanese DTS 5.1, Spanish DTS 5.1
- Subtitles:
- Arabic, Danish, English Hard of Hearing, Finnish, German, Hindi, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 27/03/2023
- Run Time:
- 163 minutes
- Languages:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- DVD Regions:
- Region 2
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Without Ambition One Starts Nothing, a new featurette featuring American poet and critic Dan Chiasson in conversation with his son Louis Chiasson about their shared connection to the film
- In Search of Lost Time, a new visual essay by critic and film-maker Scout Tafoya
- Before and After Boyhood, a previously unheard interview with Richard Linklater by film critic Rob Stone, author of Walk, Don't Run: The Cinema of Richard Linklater
- Richard Linklater at the BFI, archive interview with Richard Linklater from 2014 in which he discusses Boyhood and his wider career
- Theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
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Reviews (15) of Boyhood
Groundbreaking Indie Drama. - Boyhood review by Steve
An ambitious film made over twelve years, featuring Ellar Coltrane, who grows up before our eyes from infant school to university. The cast (featuring Linklater regular Ethan Hawke, who is excellent) is on hand for the whole journey. No gimmick this, but a unique, detailed and poignant portrayal of childhood, its joys and its threats.
4 out of 4 members found this review helpful.
Been done before by BBC. Over longer period. - Boyhood review by NC
Bit kitchen sink America. Appreciate has been 12 years in making, and the continuity with the performers is quite a clever exercise. Over that period would have expected some calamity to befall someone.
Training day guy was very consistent, in fact could have been in the same film. When the downhome Americans get their stash of guns out to play on the lawn, as they seem to do, was half expecting Denzel to appear!
3 out of 5 members found this review helpful.
Novel idea but disappointing - Boyhood review by dw
The main pleasure of the film is watching people change. Good acting, very good soundtrack and hats off to the cast for staying with it over 12 years but not a very riveting storyline. Somewhat disappointed.
3 out of 4 members found this review helpful.
Critic review
Boyhood (aka Growing Up) review by Michelle Sommerville - Cinema Paradiso
Richard Linklater brings us Boyhood, the film that took twelve years to make, and three hours to tell. Linklater and his cast and crew managed to keep their project secret for many years, and it wasn’t until the film was nearing completion that they announced their creative and unique feat. The film industry flipped. While it is new and exciting, unfortunately, that’s all that is drawing a crowd, and the ‘story’ element suffers.
The film focuses on Mason (Ellar Coltrane). He is a typical American kid - even having blonde hair and blue eyes - and this is the story of his years from five to eighteen. He and his family unite and struggle through breakups, birthdays, good times and bad times. Mason literally grows before our eyes, and we are reminded of our own childhood in the process. To ‘landmark’ the years, Linklater makes many references - such as the Harry Potter phenomenon. This connection to real-life further grounds the film, and connects our experiences to those of the characters.
Boyhood was written and directed by Richard Linklater, who once again plays with the element of time. His past works have predominately been set within the span of one day, though still meander without much plot, with the character’s development driving the action. Special assurances also had to be made to ensure that in the event Linklater died during the twelve years of production, Ethan Hawke (Mason’s father and past collaborator with the creator) would take-over the directing responsibility.
All of the performances were beautiful - both from lead and secondary characters - and it’s amazing to think that their entire progress was created so many years ago. For such young actors (Mason’s sister is even played by Linklater’s new-comer daughter, Lorelei) to understand and portray their characters so well for so long, shows they have what it takes to have bright film careers.
With the art of filmmaking changing throughout the years, Linklater had to find and maintain his style for the whole duration of the production. The camera remains quite static, with quick cuts to the speakers. This gives it less of a film-feel, and more like a documentary. The action and dialogue also feel less strict, and don’t seem to follow a script, being so realistic in nature.
The film has had its ups and downs with critics and audiences, going from 1-out-of-10 ratings, to 10-out-of-10 ratings and winning awards. For the most part, Boyhood is commended for its unique process, while others can’t help but look past that to the obvious lack of story and therefore find the 3 hour run-time too much to bear.
There seems to be no middle-ground with opinions on this film, you either love it, or you hate it. While it’s true it could have had more of a story, I appreciate a filmmaker trying something new, instead of remaking an old product. Either way, it is going to be talked about for many years to come.