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        I first heard about Boyhood roughly 6 months ago, on the nightly news. They were interviewing the writer/director Richard Linklater about how and why he made this film and what was so different about it. I’ll get into the details of all of that a little later; but I knew then that I had to see this movie, even if it didn’t really seem to be the sort of film I’d typically enjoy. And so onto my list it went as I awaited the chance to finally see it.
 

        Boyhood is one of those movies whose summary is so short it’s almost non-existent. “The journey through adolescence as experienced by a boy named Mason.” I mean, does that tell us anything about it? Not really; and yet it tells us everything. I suppose at this point I should probably explain.
 

        Boyhood is considered a groundbreaking and magical film because it was filmed with the same actors over an 11 1/2 year span. Most filmmakers chose different actors to play the same character when the timeline of the film spans many years; for example: when a child grows up. This film didn’t do that. In this film they chose a boy of 6 and used him for this role until he was 18. They didn’t continuously shoot the movie over the 11 1/2 years, but came back to it for a few weeks a year, every year, from 2002 to 2013.
  

        The end result of all of this is a movie that critics seem to adore but audiences could care less about. It’s ranked as one of the best films ever on many of the top review sites and has received 4 Golden Globe nominations. When in theaters Boyhood took in a measly $24.1 million over the course of 5 months; and while that is 10X the overall budget for the film, it certainly doesn’t hold a candle to some of the other big releases this year.
  

        As for my opinion of it all, I know I’m not the only one out there that didn’t like this movie, but I’m certainly in the minority as critics go. It could be that the children chosen to play these “monumental” roles just didn’t have enough of that Hollywood luster. It could be that the only continuity of the story line seemed to be the actors themselves. It could be that watching this was as painfully boring to me as watching 2 hours and 45 minutes of a neighbor’s home movies. Really it’s all of these things that led to my overall dislike of this movie. 

        To sum it all up; Boyhood is like the package of socks you get for Christmas every year. Just because the wrapping paper and bow used to conceal it is unique, it doesn’t mean that the socks inside are any more interesting, or entertaining.

               Boyhood is rated R, was written and directed by Richard Linklater and stars Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater, Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke. It is out now on Blu Ray, DVD and digital download.