(mild spoiler on the tone) I agree that the real character arc and story are not found in Mason's journey as much as in that of his (two original) parents. While we get to see them go from selfish people to really refined adults, Mason seems to just float through the movie as more of an observer who isn't changing all that much, except to be more gloomy, and his sister too. A part of me wonders if this isn't intentional and one of the keys to understanding the theme of this messy masterpiece. The question seems to be - "will the kids eventually reach the same refined, life-giving growth and adulthood that their parents are gradually learning to master, or will they even want to try at all?" Like most of us when we head for college, the kids are about to be hit with a predictable wake up call that will answer that question, but we will not get to see it. The movie ends right here just as we were told it would.
You might find a different theme than I did, but to me it was all the little standout moments where teachers and friends were pouring into Mason's life - and that ultimately that is what made the difference in helping the kids overcoming the trauma in their childhood and take up that mantel, but like so many young men and women in their teenage years, we are dealing with unfinished lives. I don't think, at the end of the film, that Mason has fully realized all that he's been given. Did any of us realize how much went into making us who we were at that age?
It does kind of feel like the movie is all over the place, with little vignettes of life making up the most striking and enduring of Mason's lifelong memories. A lot of reviewers on here felt like it didn't tie up nicely with a bow at the end - and that it should have. I felt this too at first, and to be honest, I didn't like the older Mason all that much, but I also realized I was left with the satisfying notion that because of the support of the people who really loved him, he's probably going to go on to become something great. It will be something like what we see in his dad, and most of us liked him. I thought the end brought us just to the edge of that sense of relief, but no further.
As an aside, I personally would have preferred less vulgar language by the main characters towards the end. The last fifteen minutes seemed to be just saturated with it and it didn't help me feel like they were rising above all the misery in their lives. I didn't mind it as much from the supporting characters. The movie's cute poster made me think the tone would be a little bit lighter, but expect more of the opposite. If that's all okay with you, you'll like Boyhood.
Have one to sell?
Other Sellers on Amazon
Added
Not added
$4.81
+ $3.49 shipping
+ $3.49 shipping
Sold by: HOLLYWOOD DEALS
Sold by: HOLLYWOOD DEALS
(63265 ratings)
98% positive over last 12 months
98% positive over last 12 months
Only 18 left in stock - order soon.
Shipping rates and Return policy Added
Not added
$8.97
& FREE Shipping
& FREE Shipping
Sold by: discman_ny
Sold by: discman_ny
(86001 ratings)
97% positive over last 12 months
97% positive over last 12 months
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Shipping rates and Return policy Added
Not added
$9.00
& FREE Shipping
& FREE Shipping
Sold by: santa clara books
Sold by: santa clara books
(38730 ratings)
98% positive over last 12 months
98% positive over last 12 months
Only 2 left in stock - order soon.
Shipping rates and Return policy Image Unavailable
Image not available for
Color:
Color:
-
-
-
- Sorry, this item is not available in
- Image not available
- To view this video download Flash Player
Boyhood [Blu-ray]
IMDb7.9/10.0
Enhance your purchase
| Genre | Drama |
| Format | Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Color, Digital_copy, Widescreen |
| Contributor | Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane |
| Language | English |
| Runtime | 2 hours and 44 minutes |
Digital Copy Notice: The purchase of this DVD or Blu-ray disc comes with rights to access a complimentary digital version from the production company. To access the digital copy, redeem the code included in your product packaging before the expiration date. Learn more
Product Description
Filmed over short periods from 2002 to 2013, Boyhood is a groundbreaking cinematic experience covering 12 years in the life of a family. At the center is Mason, who with his sister Samantha, are taken on an emotional and transcendent journey through the years, from childhood to adulthood.
Product details
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- MPAA rating : R (Restricted)
- Product Dimensions : 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 0.8 Ounces
- Item model number : 59165583000
- Media Format : Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Color, Digital_copy, Widescreen
- Run time : 2 hours and 44 minutes
- Release date : January 6, 2015
- Actors : Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane
- Dubbed: : Spanish
- Subtitles: : English, Spanish
- Studio : Paramount
- ASIN : B00MEQUNIW
- Number of discs : 2
- Best Sellers Rank: #56,864 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #4,359 in Drama Blu-ray Discs
- Customer Reviews:
Customer reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
4,406 global ratings
How are ratings calculated?
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2020
Verified Purchase
10 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2016
Verified Purchase
This movie, despite the detractors here, is well worth the price and the hype. Of course for those who do not understand anything outside of the norm of modern American cinema- because it is not formulaic it may not appeal. The feat of filming the same actors over the given time span is ion itself noteworthy. For those who say it has no story, no plot... it is about life- People's lives.... and all of our lives are stories. They just aren't some fictional action film. This is about a family's journey, and to be honest- a very realistic view. I have known versions of every character- both in subtle and full blown versions. the guy who becomes the responsible adult when the right woman enters his life.... the woman who ends up with the wrong guy for stability..... the artistic kid who falls in love and keeps his convictions while his girl decides she wants something more shallow.
Not every story or every character has to be so in your face- this isn't a comic book action movie. This movie is very real. And it is very much worth the watch. I saw it in the theater and chose to buy it here as well. It deserves the nominations and awards.
Not every story or every character has to be so in your face- this isn't a comic book action movie. This movie is very real. And it is very much worth the watch. I saw it in the theater and chose to buy it here as well. It deserves the nominations and awards.
36 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2020
Verified Purchase
So great it is hard to find words as original as the film itself. A masterpiece of understated yet powerful truths of childhood portrayed with such honesty and beauty. As the mother of a boy, who grew up so fast and away, everything resonated, everything was so perfectly real, so perfectly drawn, not a false moment, or emotion. I have the soundtrack, I own the video, and I treasure the experience of watching Mason grow up. One of the best films of all time, ever.
11 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2020
Verified Purchase
This movie spoke to me in a way no other has before. The main character Mason, who I am only two years older than, not only lived a similar life I did in many ways, but having a chunk of the movie take place in Houston where I grew up was the icing on the cake. Everything about this movie felt real, the actors didn't seem like they were acting. Everything from character interactions, conversations, plot points, passing of time, all of it felt natural. It was almost as if someone just happened to be recording during random moments of these people's lives and it worked wonderfully. This movie is not an action thriller, romance or any other genre I can think of. The best way I can describe this movie is that it's life, that is the point of the movie, life and the painful joy it can bring. It capitalizes on the fleeting moments of time we get with those that we love before the inevitable winds of change roar through and blow us off course into an entirely new direction. And the ending... I loved the ending. Because the ending felt like it was all just getting started, like the end was the beginning. Our little Mason had grown and was just starting to live life on his own, coming to the realization that no matter what happens and how much time has passed, that everything is simply always "right now". And that hit hard. This is an absolutely beautiful film that not everyone will be into, but I urge you to give it a shot. If you can relate to Mason's upbringing on any level chances are this movie will suck you in from start to finish.
4 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2018
Verified Purchase
Don't let the idiots who get off on car crashes and 'splosions mislead you. This is possibly the greatest film achievement in human history. If you grew up in America in the 1970's or beyond, it's literally your life. The writing is so seamless and real, it doesn't even seem like a movie...the performances so true, it's hard to believe there was even a script. I thought I might've been swayed by something and rewatched to confirm - wept non-stop through the first 30 minutes before shutting it off. The fact that they filmed children for 12 years and the return of actors from earlier sequences is just a sidenote. The core of this is a testament to the human experience. And it delivers beyond compare. Not so much a movie as required reading for any generation.
15 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Top reviews from other countries
Demob Happy
3.0 out of 5 stars
Very overrated.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 29, 2017Verified Purchase
I'm going to have to go with the naysayers on this one. Three stars may even be a bit generous. There is lots to commend the concept and the aims of the filmmaker, but the characters just aren't interesting enough to sustain this viewer's interest over the film's significant length. I would just like to emphasize that I have no problem with slow-moving or undramatic films, but I just don't find the millennial protagonist (and his tawdry observations about social media) interesting. There is clearly humanity here, but it is rather wasted on inconsequential narrative development. Maybe that is in part the point, but I can't help find the film's perspective too varnished and lacking in the pain and ambiguity that often accompanies adolescence. The parents are essentially good people who live pretty unremarkable middle-class lives despite the inauspicious beginnings. Mum seems unlucky in love. Dad is a perennially cool type with few obvious flaws except his failure to make his relationship with his children's mother work. The descent into alcoholism of the mother's second husband is cartoonishly superficial. Quite a lot of the acting borders on the fine line between naturalistic and awkward - as if the players had little time to study the script and give it some life. It is easy to conclude that filming as they did inhibited their ability to really inhabit their characters. Elsewhere the acting seems simply amateurish.
7 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Dr Gonzo
4.0 out of 5 stars
One of a kind
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2015Verified Purchase
This is a movie that truly surprised me. I am genuinely very conflicted about this film.
On one hand, the 12 year method adds so much to the film, but because of it, we get a slightly weak performance from the main character in later sections of the film. There is an amazing penultimate segment that felt like and should have been the finale where as the actual finale is quite weak and feels pointless. There are moments that beg to be expanded upon and continued, and then there's moments that feel pointless.
It's so difficult to critique a film such as 'Boyhood' as many criticisms I think of could easily be the entire point of the film. Maybe the pointless moments serve to build upon the message, or maybe it was just bad directing and editing. The repetition seems to also be a part of the message. The film doesn't feel overlong and the message is a very interesting one, but the message feels like it's being forced down my throat too much. If all these flaws are actually there on purpose to build upon the message, then great, but that means the forced nature to which it's presented by the characters feels needless.
The cinematography is simplistic but great. No swooping epic shots, just well shot close quarters scenes. The soundtrack definitely has a specific highlight [ found within the fantastic penultimate scene ] The actors, specifically Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke, honestly feel like they are the character. This is definitely a product of the method in which this was filmed as each character feels like they know each other like family.
Many say that they will probably never watch this again but I honestly think that I will watch this again as whilst it has certain flaws, the film really got to me on so many levels, also I'm a sucker for coming-of-age films.
On one hand, the 12 year method adds so much to the film, but because of it, we get a slightly weak performance from the main character in later sections of the film. There is an amazing penultimate segment that felt like and should have been the finale where as the actual finale is quite weak and feels pointless. There are moments that beg to be expanded upon and continued, and then there's moments that feel pointless.
It's so difficult to critique a film such as 'Boyhood' as many criticisms I think of could easily be the entire point of the film. Maybe the pointless moments serve to build upon the message, or maybe it was just bad directing and editing. The repetition seems to also be a part of the message. The film doesn't feel overlong and the message is a very interesting one, but the message feels like it's being forced down my throat too much. If all these flaws are actually there on purpose to build upon the message, then great, but that means the forced nature to which it's presented by the characters feels needless.
The cinematography is simplistic but great. No swooping epic shots, just well shot close quarters scenes. The soundtrack definitely has a specific highlight [ found within the fantastic penultimate scene ] The actors, specifically Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke, honestly feel like they are the character. This is definitely a product of the method in which this was filmed as each character feels like they know each other like family.
Many say that they will probably never watch this again but I honestly think that I will watch this again as whilst it has certain flaws, the film really got to me on so many levels, also I'm a sucker for coming-of-age films.
S P Mead
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very enjoyable movie.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 29, 2016Verified Purchase
"Boyhood" is an enjoyable film, written and directed by Richard Linklater. This was a bold undertaking - filming the same people, portraying the same characters, over a decade. And the result is fascinating.
The story concerns the life of a boy - who, at the start of the film is aged about 8 ... and it ends a decade later. We get to see this boy age, from being a child to becoming an adult. It is, as such, a 'coming of age' film. It is a story about life, about growing up, about developing individuality, making choices, and taking part in the world. Much of it is mundane - but that's how life is!
The movie stars Patricia Arquette, Lorelei Linklater, and Ethan Hawke - and the central role is brilliantly played by Ellar Coltrane.
The film is well made, and the picture and sound quality on the Blu-ray are excellent. It is quite long, at nearly 3 hours, but I didn't find it boring. Rather, the detailed character development was very engaging.
Very good acting all round. Overall, a worthwhile movie.
The story concerns the life of a boy - who, at the start of the film is aged about 8 ... and it ends a decade later. We get to see this boy age, from being a child to becoming an adult. It is, as such, a 'coming of age' film. It is a story about life, about growing up, about developing individuality, making choices, and taking part in the world. Much of it is mundane - but that's how life is!
The movie stars Patricia Arquette, Lorelei Linklater, and Ethan Hawke - and the central role is brilliantly played by Ellar Coltrane.
The film is well made, and the picture and sound quality on the Blu-ray are excellent. It is quite long, at nearly 3 hours, but I didn't find it boring. Rather, the detailed character development was very engaging.
Very good acting all round. Overall, a worthwhile movie.
2 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Linda the Scot
4.0 out of 5 stars
I think the premise of this film is great, and it must have taken guts as well ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 11, 2016Verified Purchase
I think the premise of this film is great, and it must have taken guts as well as a lot of perseverance for the director, cast and crew to embark on and stick with the same project for 12 years. It's also good that they strove to make this film without special effects or adding the kind of scenes you get in action films. Instead, they stuck with the genre and achieved the consistency that makes this film roll out smoothly and look more realistic.
Ethan Hawke does a great job as the dad. He portrays a person who is flawed - as we all are - and doesn't pretend to be perfect or a know-it-all, but is realistic and learns from his mistakes. I especially like the part near the beginning where he apologises to little Mason for his scathing comments on using bumpers for bowling.
The ordinariness of this film is what makes it unique and sometimes emotional. It is about life, and finding your place in it. We may not all be able to relate to every aspect of the film, but we can all find at least one area of it that we identify with.
The one flaw that I see in this film is the portrayal of drug-taking, teenage sex and premature drinking as something all or most teens go through - or that all/most teens will practice a combination of all these things. Sure, they are not uncommon, and in some places/areas they will be more common than others. I was just disappointed that all these things were happening to the main character. On the other hand, as the male ticket seller told me when I bought my ticket at the cinema, this film shows how "rough" it is being a young man growing up....And I agree with him. Plus Mason had a difficult childhood, so it is not my job to judge him...
Ethan Hawke does a great job as the dad. He portrays a person who is flawed - as we all are - and doesn't pretend to be perfect or a know-it-all, but is realistic and learns from his mistakes. I especially like the part near the beginning where he apologises to little Mason for his scathing comments on using bumpers for bowling.
The ordinariness of this film is what makes it unique and sometimes emotional. It is about life, and finding your place in it. We may not all be able to relate to every aspect of the film, but we can all find at least one area of it that we identify with.
The one flaw that I see in this film is the portrayal of drug-taking, teenage sex and premature drinking as something all or most teens go through - or that all/most teens will practice a combination of all these things. Sure, they are not uncommon, and in some places/areas they will be more common than others. I was just disappointed that all these things were happening to the main character. On the other hand, as the male ticket seller told me when I bought my ticket at the cinema, this film shows how "rough" it is being a young man growing up....And I agree with him. Plus Mason had a difficult childhood, so it is not my job to judge him...
Philip Turton
3.0 out of 5 stars
The "real time" gimmick can't quite make up for a weak plot...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 20, 2015Verified Purchase
Once you get past the fact that it was filmed over a period of years, and that the actors aged in real time (about which all the fuss was generated), you come back to the central question with any film - Is it a good story? Well, it's alright, but not more. The time span means nothing gets told in detail, so the film consists of a series of small vignettes, which are alright as far as they go, but it's not a film which really engages you. I suspect that time won't be kind to it.
2 people found this helpful
Report abuse



![Kung Fu Panda: 3-Movie Collection [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81k5HPlL0HL._AC_UL140_SR140,140_.jpg)
![Hitchcock/Truffaut [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A1H8g8kwGwL._AC_UL140_SR140,140_.jpg)
![Nomadland [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71S4z+xfRcL._AC_UL140_SR140,140_.jpg)