Every now and then a midst the chaos of all the massive blockbusters, easily recognizable big named stars, and heavy duty marketing campaigns, the summer film season manages to bring us a small and touching coming of age story. In the last few years we've seen the return of such films that were first made prominent by director John Hughes (Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off) throughout the 1980s, which told young unknown talented stars into highly successful Hollywood celebrities. With movies such as Perks of Being a Wallflower, King of Summer, and The Way Way Back all being so successful amongst both critics and their target audience, it's no surprise that the trend is still running high. Now we have yet another film to add to the genre in the form of Boyhood, yet most wouldn't exactly call this movie small.
Below is the first trailer for Richard Linklater's Boyhood:
Upon first glance, Boyhood generally seems like a typical story of a boy going through the trials and tribulations of life through situations we've all faced growing up. Yet as of right now, it isn't really the film's story that it has going for it, but rather director Richard Linklater's approach to the project. When we say this film was "twelve years in the making", we literally mean it, as in Linklater hired young actor Ellar Coltrane and the rest of the film's cast when they were much younger than they are now. Linklater's been piecing the narrative of story together throughout these years, and filming as young Coltrane and the rest of the cast themselves grew and aged.
In a way, you can think of it as what the Harry Potter series did with young actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, as we all witnessed them grow up on screen. Yet even that isn't a justifiable comparison, as what the Potter series did over a span of eight films, Linklater has done in just one. It's certainly a risk for the director, given he's had to wait since 2002 along with the rest of the cast to finally wrap with this project and finally get reactions from both critics and audiences alike. There's no doubt this film at least deserves props alone for it's bravery and creative look on film making, and one that could change the way movies are made for years to come. But the real question is, will it actually pay off for Linklater in the end?
Linklater is best known for directing the cult 90s coming of age story Dazed and Confused, which starred the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Mila Jovovich, and Ben Affleck. Linklater had always emphasized on how little teenage drama Dazed and Confused focused on in comparison to the films of John Hughes, so it's a bit surprising to see him now go on and do a more dramatic coming of age story like Boyhood. Linklater himself has generally kept to smaller movies in the last few years, but judging buy the word of mouth already spreading about this film, and it's high praise from numerous film festivals, it definitely seems to be a big hit for the director's career. Considering all the new approaches being used for this film, and dramatic story of a boy's childhood as he grows up with his divorced parents, it wouldn't be too surprising if Boyhood ended up being an award contender.
Below is the first poster for Boyhood, featuring lead actor Ellar Coltrane:
So how do you think Boyhood is going to turn out? Do you think it was smart of Linklater to film the movie over the span of twelve years? Let us know below!
