Boyhood was a great film to watch, even if it wasn’t a particularly great film. The premise, filming a movie using the same cast over a twelve-year period, filmed to watch as Mason grows from the pictured six-year-old to a young man graduating from high school, is unique and makes the movie stand out. And that makes the movie worth watching.
As remarkable as that premise is, the weaknesses of the film overshadowed the poignant and soft glimpses into Mason’s life. The views of his family are more bitter and biting.
Too many times the acting from the supporting cast is flat and uninspired. And although the focus is on Mason, too many gaps in his mother’s story exist. These issues distract from the movie’s potential charm, leaving me feeling like the movie, nearly three hours long, took too much of my time without giving enough in return.