Full review.
Boyhood is as real as life itself. The actors play people that are noticeably real, and we see them grow and change. My problem with the movie is not about credibility or reality. Both of these traits are saturated in the movie in spades. What I object to is that a movie should resonate more: It should be deep or moving or entertaining.
‘Boyhood’ is too ordinary. I feel as though I just watched a two-and-three-quarter-hour home video, and to a degree I had some understanding for the characters, but I felt they could have tightened the proceedings in a more sensible way. I admire how ‘Boyhood’ reflects real life, and its observations are spot on, but they needed to do more to keep me wanting to politely tell the intimate host of this home movie that I really needed to get back home. The soundtrack is the spirit of good taste, but the proceedings are often boring.
