I have to balance out the difference between the magnificence of the achievement, and its overall flow as a film, and in doing this, I find myself conflicted in ways I haven't been before, when reviewing a film.
BOYHOOD is a fantastic work, with regards to what it is you are watching when you view the film. A time capsule in motion, centered around Ellar Coltrane, the boy in question, playing Mason, the titular character. Watching him grow from a boy to a young man is the meat of this movie, and it delivers, once you step back and really take in what it is you are absorbing.
But the conflict, for me, is in the flow of the film. There are scenes that I find to be unnecessary, at least with respect to plot. There are scenes that are in the film purely for the sake of the overall experiment, instead of the narrative, and although I don't find them too distracting, it does linger in my mind when a scene is presented that has no overall impact on the film itself. Characters are introduced and discarded as quickly as they come in, representing a mere fragment in Mason's life. Don't get me wrong--there is value in what you see, but its impact on the overall film is lacking, and sometimes distracting when it leads nowhere.
Thank goodness this is not the case for the overall film's quality, in which there were many moments of sweeping excellence to make up for its minor flaws. I have to give the film an 8, against the swarm of critics who gave it full marks, because I think the experiment got in the way of the narrative. That being said, BOYHOOD is CERTAINLY is a film I would recommend that everyone see, if for no other reason than to witness the spectacle of so many excellent actors and creators moving through time in real-time, with the reflections of America's ever-changing landscape in the background of every scene.
Nobody delivers a poor performance here, from Linklater's daughter playing Mason's sister, to Ethan Hawke playing their father. The music was well done, save for some of the lyrics of songs written by Ethan Hawke for the film, since he plays an overly ambitious but ultimately unfulfilled musician, which I hope was the point of his relatively average music. Touching in its placement and purpose, but lacking in the kind of delivery normally associated with films and their powerful moments.
I struggled for a long time trying to rate this film, and wish I could give it at least a 9, for the impressive achievement that it is, in that something like this has never been attempted before. But as it happens with new ground, you don't always shine absolutely brilliant when you first blaze the trail. It's filled with dangers, misfortunes, and mistakes, and ultimately learning about what to do and what not to do in the future. It will be interesting to see what the impact of such a film will have on the world of film, as time goes on.
BOYHOOD is a fantastic work, with regards to what it is you are watching when you view the film. A time capsule in motion, centered around Ellar Coltrane, the boy in question, playing Mason, the titular character. Watching him grow from a boy to a young man is the meat of this movie, and it delivers, once you step back and really take in what it is you are absorbing.
But the conflict, for me, is in the flow of the film. There are scenes that I find to be unnecessary, at least with respect to plot. There are scenes that are in the film purely for the sake of the overall experiment, instead of the narrative, and although I don't find them too distracting, it does linger in my mind when a scene is presented that has no overall impact on the film itself. Characters are introduced and discarded as quickly as they come in, representing a mere fragment in Mason's life. Don't get me wrong--there is value in what you see, but its impact on the overall film is lacking, and sometimes distracting when it leads nowhere.
Thank goodness this is not the case for the overall film's quality, in which there were many moments of sweeping excellence to make up for its minor flaws. I have to give the film an 8, against the swarm of critics who gave it full marks, because I think the experiment got in the way of the narrative. That being said, BOYHOOD is CERTAINLY is a film I would recommend that everyone see, if for no other reason than to witness the spectacle of so many excellent actors and creators moving through time in real-time, with the reflections of America's ever-changing landscape in the background of every scene.
Nobody delivers a poor performance here, from Linklater's daughter playing Mason's sister, to Ethan Hawke playing their father. The music was well done, save for some of the lyrics of songs written by Ethan Hawke for the film, since he plays an overly ambitious but ultimately unfulfilled musician, which I hope was the point of his relatively average music. Touching in its placement and purpose, but lacking in the kind of delivery normally associated with films and their powerful moments.
I struggled for a long time trying to rate this film, and wish I could give it at least a 9, for the impressive achievement that it is, in that something like this has never been attempted before. But as it happens with new ground, you don't always shine absolutely brilliant when you first blaze the trail. It's filled with dangers, misfortunes, and mistakes, and ultimately learning about what to do and what not to do in the future. It will be interesting to see what the impact of such a film will have on the world of film, as time goes on.