Boyhood - The best movie of 2014

Boyhood - Richard Linklater's epic masterpiece.

I just had the pleasure of finally seeing Richard Linklater's masterpiece, Boyhood, and I'm still in awe.  This is a movie that really hit home with me.  Perhaps it's because I am looking back at my own journey from boy to man (my wife would joke that I still haven't reached adulthood), or perhaps because I'm looking at my son and his upcoming life, but I absolutely loved this film, and I highly recommend it.

Looking back at the past, what do we remember about life?  We don't remember the day to day minutae.  We remember the moments, snapshots, and events that helped shape us into the people we end up being.  That's what I liked so much about this film.  It almost felt like a scripted documentary.  We are along for the ride as Mason (played brilliantly by newcomer Ellar Coltrane)grows from a little boy to a young adult about to enter college.  We see the highs and lows as we skip from moment to moment in a 12 year window in Mason's formative years.  Linklater used the same cast over more than a decade of filming, and the dedication really pays off.  We don't have to suspend disbelief that a kid in the beginning of he movie is actually the same person at the end.

Even though my experiences weren't the same as Mason's, I could really relate to this story.  I came from a family of divorce and so did he.  Like Mason, it took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.  Heck, I graduated college and STILL didn't know what I wanted to do.  That's what felt so real about this movie.  Instead of being told how to feel, we were left to bring our own experiences to the film and interpret each scene how we wanted to.  Boyhood opens up with a Coldplay song that always brings me back to college.  We are reminded of major national events (9/11, the Iraq war, Obama's election, etc.) and yet they happen organically in this film.  They are only brought up to further a character's story line.  We don't have to relive the horrific events of 9/11, and yet we know they exist.  I was also able to relate to Patricia Arquette's matriarchal character.  She's a strong, exhausted woman who is just trying to do the right thing for her children.  Arquette gives a hell of a performance without being too over the top.  I was very sympathetic to her character because I was raised by a strong woman who did everything to raise her children.

This movie doesn't have a traditional plot.  Like I said, it's a collection of snapshots as we watch Mason grow from a boy to the cusp of being a man.  It's a refreshing film because it doesn't fall into any Hollywood cliches.  It exists as we exist.  Moment to moment.  Snapshot to snapshot.

The fact that it exists at all is amazing..  Filmed over 12 years, so many things could have gone wrong.  Any number of actors could have quit the production.  The studio could have lost interest.  But, amazingly, nothing went wrong an we are left with a perfect movie.

I'm giving Boyhood 4 out of 4 stars.  It should be the front runner for best picture this year.  It's out on DVD and download now.  Please find a way to see it.