Filmed over 12 years with the same cast, Boyhood is a cinematic experiment that becomes something more: a lived-in portrait of growing up, told not through big milestones, but through the blurry, in-between moments that actually shape us. Richard Linklater’s film follows Mason (Ellar Coltrane) from age six to college, letting us witness the quiet evolution of one boy’s world—and the people orbiting it.
🎥 The Format
This is a story made of small scenes and long time. There’s no dramatic arc, no clear villain or climax. It feels like memory—fragmented, nonlinear, and often unremarkable until suddenly, it’s not. From mom’s new partners to a bad haircut to a whispered “I like your hair” note in class, the movie doesn’t force meaning. It invites it.
✅ What Makes It Work
Kit picked this one for a reason: it’s one of the purest executions of the coming-of-age genre we’ve seen. The authenticity is unmatched. No recasting. No shortcuts. Just real time, real growth. There’s a brilliance to how the film resists sensationalism. It doesn’t chase “firsts” like sex, graduation, or death. It gives equal weight to boredom, chores, and basement parties. Kit especially connected with the film’s realism around parenting—both the triumphs and the unintended harm. A dinner table shaming scene struck her so deeply, it actually informed how she now handles tough parenting moments in her own life.
Cade brought a different lens: for him, this movie felt deeply familiar. Growing up in Texas, pledging allegiance to both the American and Texas flags, awkward dad weekends and road trip bonding—it wasn’t just nostalgia. It was recognition. The emotional pacing of the film mirrors how kids actually process things. Moments are absorbed, not always explained.
⚠️ What Doesn’t Land
For Cade, there was a small “what if” itch—this story had the platform, the critical acclaim, and the artistic license to say anything, but it often held back. It left so much interpretation to the viewer that sometimes it felt like it avoided taking a stance. Still, that’s also part of its strength. Boyhood isn’t trying to teach—it’s trying to observe.
🎯 The Verdict
Both hosts gave it an 8/10. Kit felt it was one of the best picks for the coming-of-age theme—thoughtful, patient, and emotionally rich. Cade appreciated how much it reminded him of his own childhood, especially how the film gave weight to seemingly forgettable moments. This movie doesn’t grab you. It stays with you.
🍿 Pair This Movie With...
– A rewatch of The Tree of Life (if you want more poetic boyhood)
– Your own childhood photo album
– A quiet night where you can press pause and just sit with it
🎤 Cade & Kit Sign-Off
Kit: “I saw this in my 20s in a tiny theater in Edmonton, and I still think about that dinner table scene. I picked this movie because it shows how growing up isn’t always loud—it’s in the quiet decisions we remember later.”
Cade: “I related to this one. It reminded me of the weird stuff I actually remember from childhood—the fights, the boredom, the broken promises, the drive-thru bowling alley trips. It didn’t feel like a movie. It felt like growing up.”
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