Movie Review: "Boyhood"

I'll admit, I was a little late to the party on Richard Linklater's trilogy of Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight, but when I finally saw all three I couldn't believe I had missed them all these years. So needless to say, I didn't want to let another Linklater movie pass me by. And after seeing Boyhood, I can honestly say I am so glad I saw it.

Boyhood is the story about a young boy named Mason (Ellar Coltrane) growing up in Texas. When the movie begins in 2002 he's a mischievous, easily distracted six-year-old, mostly behaving the way typical six-year-olds do: taking every risk imaginable, simultaneously being terrorized by and terrorizing his older sister (Lorelai Linklater), ogling the lingerie section of a store catalogue with a friend.

Mason is also a sensitive dreamer, one who does all of his homework but doesn't turn it in because the teacher doesn't explicitly ask for it. He and his sister live with their mother (Patricia Arquette), who is tired of struggling to make ends meet for her family and wants to go back to school so she can make something of her life. When they move to Houston, the kids get a visit from their less-than-present father (Ethan Hawke), a man-child who desperately wants to be a part of his children's lives but he isn't so sure he's ready for the responsibility.

The movie follows Mason as he grows up, but in case you weren't aware, Linklater did something absolutely fascinating in making this film: instead of using other actors to play Mason and his sister as they grew, Linklater filmed this over the course of 12 years, gathering his actors together once a year or so to mark progress and see where the year has taken the characters. It's an absolutely mesmerizing tactic that gets you more invested in the characters and the story than perhaps any other movie, because you're actually watching them grow and change, essentially in front of your eyes.

Although I watched Boyhood with a bit of trepidation, waiting for the moment that everything would fall apart for the characters (and there are a few times I felt sure it would), this is a movie that for the most part doesn't lay on the drama but instead revels in the conversations of Mason's life—with his father talking about the future of the Star Wars franchise while on a camping trip; with one of his high school teachers, desperate to light a fire under him; with a girlfriend, espousing his philosophies of life; and with his mother as he prepares to leave for college. The dialogue and the situations ring true, and the fact that we've seen these actors grow makes them all the more real.

With a running time of two hours and forty-two minutes, you're probably wondering if a movie that's a snapshot of a "real" life could hold your attention. It absolutely does, mainly because the performances are so riveting. Coltrane is truly a find; I can only wonder if Richard Linklater truly realized early on just what an old soul Coltrane was as a child, and how that quality would bring such weight to his performance as a teenager. Linklater's daughter Lorelai transforms into so much more than the bratty, overly dramatic older sister, and I only wished for the opportunity to see more of her. Arquette has a meatier role than Hawke, but both bring toughness and vulnerability to their performances as they navigate life's ups and downs.

I can't recommend this movie enough—although I'll pay it forward, much as my friends did, and warn you to hit the restroom before the movie begins. Much like an excellent short story or novel, I'm left wondering what happened to Mason and his family once the camera stopped rolling. And that, for me, is the mark of excellence—to care enough about the characters you can't stop thinking about them.

Dear me...

For ESPN The Magazine's recent Kids in Sports Issue, 12 professional athletes were asked to write letters to their younger athletic selves.

There's reigning U.S. Open champion and Gold Medalist Andy Murray, who at 26 years old, reminisced about being thrown out of the finals of the Scottish junior championships because of his temper. He told his 12-year-old self, "Even if I could stop you, I wouldn't. You need to see that racket fly through the air in Craiglockhart — fly for what seems like forever, until it lands by the umpire's chair and slides under the fence, out of reach. You need to feel sick about getting thrown out of a Scottish junior championship that you should've won."

He continues by saying, "There will be this thing called YouTube, Andy. And when you're my age, you'll use it to look back on your first pro appearance at Wimbledon. It will take you another six years, but when you get there, you'll be skipping around the court wearing such a big smile that your face almost cracks. That's when you'll realize you love this game too much to let something as childish as anger get in your way. You'll start breathing evenly and keeping your head clear on court changes. You'll learn to put tactics over temper. And you'll have so many memorable matches, it will make your 12-year-old head spin."

Athletes included in this series include Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas, star soccer player Abby Wambach, NBA star Dwight Howard, NASCAR star Jeff Gordon, and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos.

But my favorite letter is from LA Galaxy midfielder Robbie Rogers, who came out of the closet a few months ago and retired briefly before returning to the game he so loves. He told his 14-year-old self:

"You're walking around with a cramp in your stomach. You feel trapped within yourself. The pressure of being a high school freshman and playing for the U16 national team is stressful enough. But on top of that you're worried that you're different from everyone, especially your teammates. And you think that if they figure out who you are, you won't be able to play the sport you love, or your family won't agree with it. Sometimes you pray and think: I don't wanna live through this. Why can't I be like my brothers and sisters?"

He continues, "I know I said I wouldn't tell you what your future holds, but I will tell you that everything's going to be fine -- one day you'll be happier than you ever thought possible. And while you can't envision sharing your secret now, the world is changing. People are becoming more accepting. And when the time is right, the day might come when you're ready to face the world as the beautiful person you truly are."

The whole feature is tremendously moving, in some cases humorous, and truly insightful. You can read all of the letters at http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/9418365/notes-younger-self.

Slim (fit) pickings...

For me, clothes shopping is a frustrating and depressing experience.

Sometimes I feel like a cranky old man (which I am not), because every pair of shorts I try on are too long for my super-short legs. Cargo shorts look like cargo pants on me. And don't get me started on capris for men.

It doesn't matter if I'm feeling good about how I look or not, once I find myself in a clothing store, I often can't find clothes that I like that fit the way they should.

And it's not all my fault—the fashion industry's continuing obsession with all things slim fit (despite there being a serious obesity crisis in America) befuddles me.

Sure, I'm not as thin as I'd like to be, but what I'm working on is trying to find a balance between a healthy weight and one that is realistic to manage. (I've been super thin before, and if I'm willing to eat air and work out 12 times a week, I can get there again, but I'd like to have a life, too.) The fact is, though, that I'm a pretty big guy, even when my weight is down. I'm built kind of like a football player, albeit one without the coordination to actually play football.

See the pictures at the top of this post? That is what the majority of clothing designers are designing for these days. I am not one of those people, nor will I ever be. And I'm fine with that, except for the fact that more and more clothing is being designed in this way.

I completely understand that clothing geared toward younger people can and should trend toward a slimmer fit. That's fine. I have no need for low-rise skinny jeans, and don't need to throw on scarves anyway, except when it's cold. But I don't need to shop in the big and tall store, and I'm not ready to visit the old men's section just yet.

When a person who always wears the same size shirt suddenly can't fit in that size and their body hasn't changed, something's got to give. If an XL shirt fits a person who normally wears a medium, what does someone who normally wears an XXL need, a tent? And what is the need for a slim fit XXL shirt anyway? Is every clothing company suddenly outfitting only football players?

Shouldn't being able to find clothes you like in your size be an unalienable right? I know I'm not the only one who feels this way.

Questions. I Got Questions.

So here are some things that have been confusing or perturbing me lately. Thought they merited a mention:

• Why does Joe Lieberman still caucus with the Democrats? The man endorsed the Republican candidate for President and creates headaches weekly for the Democrats. Here's the latest example.



• Shouldn't schools be more worried about gang violence, pregnancy, dropouts, even the quality of children's education rather than a haircut?



• So Sarah Palin thinks Katie Couric was condescending, biased and "badgering." Oh, and Palin thinks Katie knows nothing about energy issues. Why is news coverage biased when the person doesn't agree with you?



• Why is Carrie Prejean still considered newsworthy? In case you don't know who she is, here is a roundup of all things Prejean.



• What was Bruce Springsteen smoking when he wrote "Blinded by the Light"? "And Go-Cart Mozart was checking out the weather chart to see if it was safe outside..." (Thanks to Kelly for pointing me towards the answer from the Boss himself.)

See? I warned you my mind was a scary place...