Boyhood

Play trailer

1:45

Boyhood

R

2014

2h 45m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

331 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

The joys and pitfalls of growing up are seen through the eyes of a child named Mason (Ellar Coltrane), his parents (Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke) and his sister (Lorelei Linklater). Vignettes, filmed with the same cast over the course of 12 years, capture family meals, road trips, birthday parties, graduations and other important milestones. Songs from Coldplay, Arcade Fire and other artists capture the time period. Directed by Richard Linklater.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Epic in technical scale but breathlessly intimate in narrative scope, Boyhood is a sprawling investigation of the human condition.

Read Critics Reviews

Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

01/27/2025

5/5

Filming twice a year while sculpting the details of the screenplay, Linklater somehow captured the fundamental grief of the parenting experience.

Go to Full Review

Shadow and Act Staff

Shadow and Act

09/15/2022

...it’s hyperbolic in its minimalism and boring in spots and its overall narrative reach often exceeds its grasp. Even still, it’s one of the most important movies of the decade so far and you should experience it just to say you did.

Go to Full Review

Chris Nashawaty

Entertainment Weekly

10/11/2018

A

Like Michael Apted in his Seven Up! documentary series, Linklater makes you feel as if you're watching a photograph as it develops in the darkroom.

Go to Full Review

JD Duran

InSession Film

08/19/2024

A

Boyhood was an incredibly risky project but the end product feels so genuine...

Go to Full Review

Benjamín Harguindey

EscribiendoCine

06/24/2024

10/10

Boyhood is one of those rare experimental films that manages to achieve exactly what they were looking for through that experiment. [Full review in Spanish]

Go to Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

02/16/2024

5/5

What makes Boyhood this extraordinary experience and achievement is the opposite of that adjective: the ordinary. Linklater and company sought to deliver a genuine interpretation of a life experience without flashy movie bells and whistles.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

J D

@RT27717589 Apr 2

A first of its kind allowing cast to age and play their roles. Movie highlights self reflection and ask deep questions on the roles we take in society. I enjoyed the filming locations and the believable characters in the film. I could really relate to Mason having the same experiences in my own life of being different from the status quo, the actor did a fabulous job and I will be keeping him on my radar of films to watch.

See more

Noah B

@RT50051826 Mar 30

I only watched this movie for a psych class and I hated it. It was boring and had no plot and a boring and annoying main character. Mason had so much potential to be interesting and have character development but he had none, he's still a whiny little 6 year old but now instead of complaining about bumpers he's complaining about his dad selling his car instead of giving it to him and society being confirmative but not actually doing anything to help. His dad had more character development than him and had less than half the screen time. I've watched more realistic fantasy movies that lasted for longer that had an actual plot and like able characters. My favorite character should not have been Aunt Jen who had max 4 lines and I liked her because she was funny. It's interesting but not worth it, 0/10 would never recommend.

See more

Declan D.

@filmbuffkid Mar 24

That… was peak cinema. This movie… is a man’s movie. It perfectly captures what boyhood is in real life. and the actress who plays the mom was so good. LONG LIVE BOYHOOD!!!!!! 9.8/10

See more

MariofanAlex445 T

@RT47678067 Feb 1

A modern classic. Filmed over 12 years, it’s probably one of the few movies in existence that capture the heart of the human experience. At least when it comes to boyhood.

See more

steve s

@stsch Jan 25

this was spectacular. the writing was dead on, the dialogue and situations all seemed so real. this very long movie seemed to fly by in a flash

See more

Sahil K

@Sahilk171 Jan 16

Too long, boring, no point, yes you connect to the characters but u just can't wait for it to end, 6/10

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Richard Linklater

Director

Ellar Coltrane

Mason

Patricia Arquette

Olivia

Ethan Hawke

Mason Sr.

Lorelei Linklater

Samantha

Tamara Jolaine

Tammy

View more videos

Fruitvale Station

94%

87%

Fruitvale Station

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Fruitvale Station

Men, Women & Children

33%

44%

Men, Women & Children

Watchlist

Look

60%

56%

Look

Watchlist

American Pastoral

24%

32%

American Pastoral

Watchlist

TRAILER

for American Pastoral

Anesthesia

27%

51%

Anesthesia

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Anesthesia

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

George Miller’s Five Favorite Films

Gilmore Girls, Boyhood, and More Available to Stream on Netflix

On DVD This Week: Ghostbusters, The Legend of Tarzan, and More

Boyhood: Trailer 1

1:45

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

The joys and pitfalls of growing up are seen through the eyes of a child named Mason (Ellar Coltrane), his parents (Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke) and his sister (Lorelei Linklater). Vignettes, filmed with the same cast over the course of 12 years, capture family meals, road trips, birthday parties, graduations and other important milestones. Songs from Coldplay, Arcade Fire and other artists capture the time period. Directed by Richard Linklater.

Director: Richard Linklater
Producer: Richard Linklater, Cathleen Sutherland, Jonathan Sehring, John Sloss
Screenwriter: Richard Linklater
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: Detour Filmproduction
Rating: R (Sexual References|Language|Teen Drug and Alcohol Use)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 18, 2014, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 7, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $25.4M
Runtime: 2h 45m

Most Popular at Home Now