Why Boyhood Is Overrated But Still Important

Boyhood has been appearing on many top-ten lists, and it was the number one film on both Film Comment's and Metacritic's lists--both of which survey critics and assign points to those critics' films. I didn't dislike Boyhood, but I do think it is the most overrated film of the year. People should still see it because the concept itself is totally unique. As most people know, it was filmed and edited over the course of a 12-year period, so it literally shows the maturation of young actor Ellar Coltrane beginning at age six . The film attempts to balance the mundane with the philosophically profound, but in doing so it often relies too heavily on heavy-handed dialogue. While Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke put in solid performances, none of the other actors are great, including Coltrane and the director's daughter--especially as they age. I do like the way it respects the role fathers can play in the lives of their children. Too often in the history of film do we have fatherless children or children with emotionally or physically abusive fathers. Ethan Hawke's character chooses to make certain financial and personal sacrifices so that he could remain in his children's lives. And that's admirable.