mraculeated
The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.
Murphy Howard
I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.
loganholley
I don't really know what to say about this one - I watched it because I loved Hunt for the Wilderpeople and wanted to see what other films it's director had done. What I found was a more with a far more serious tone, but also a fairly intriguing plot. Don't get me wrong, this film is very flawed in some regards, but the sum of all its pieces is a decent Comedy/Drama that leans a little more on the latter than other films by this director.I think I should start with the positives. First of all, like I said, the plot is very unique. For the sake of spoilers, I won't tell you that much about it, but it's one of the most interesting I've seen in a while. Then, there are the performances. All of the actors, even in minor roles, played their parts to near perfection. This especially counts towards the main character, Boy (played by James Jolleston), and his dad, played by the director himself, Taika Waititi. Best of all here, as with other films by this director, is the cinematography. There were some shots here that left my jaw dropped because of how beautiful they were. Also, as to be expected by Waititi, the dialog here is really snappy and well written - each of the characters felt somewhat real in a sense.Now, this isn't to say this movie is without flaws. I found that this film has tonal inconsistencies at moments, especially later in the film. Something sad will happen, then will be proceeded with joyful, happy music and a scene that doesn't carry the same dramatic weight as the previous one. Also, the ending. Again, I won't be spoiling anything here, but this has one of the most lackluster, confusing, and downright unfitting endings I've ever seen in a film. Another thing that might get on some people's nerves, although didn't bother me, is that this film isn't as funny as the director's other works. It's a very dramatic piece, so go into it with that mindset.All in all, Boy is a decent dramedy. If you like happy movies and cheery endings, this obviously isn't for you - or, you won't like it a whole lot. It's a short film, but in it's running time, it impresses with a unique plot, great performances, excellent cinematography, and witty dialog that brings characters to life. I'm not going to say it's the best film I've ever seen, or my favorite of all the director's work so far, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. One last thing: if you're somewhat afraid about the 'Not Rated' status this film has... yeah, there's definitely some cursing, sexual references, and a bit of violence in this one. It's not too extreme, but I thought I should point that out for some people.
ematerso
WE watched this movie tonight on Netflix and both liked it very much. We are old and live in Maine USA which is about as far away as you can get from the setting of this movie, but the themes are universal. Poverty, neglect, crime, stupidity, charm, delight, love, The main problem we had was in not always understanding the dialogue, but actually that didn't really matter and with a roku you can back space and catch up. Both the brother actors were wonderful. All the actors were very good. I could not understand what nationality the characters were. My husband said Polynesisan. But that didn't matter. I would definitely recommend this to a sensitive, understanding viewer.
AsifZamir
Boy is fun movie that takes place in New Zealand. Directed by Taika Waititi, who also wrote the script. The movie is about a young boy everyone simply calls Boy. Boy lives with his grandmother and his brother Rocky and many of his cousins on a poor-farm in New Zealand in the Bay of Plenty area, and is a huge Michael Jackson fan. This is a movie about a boy that meets his real father and realization hits that his father is not as great as he had hoped. The movie brings in the hard facts that Boy's father is a criminal who returns to dig up a bag of money and has very little care for the boy. It is a coming of age movie and depicts real life drug and money issues, but the main issue is absentee fathers.This movie started out with the title Choice and then The Volcano before acquiring its current catchy title. The New Zealand hit won 9 awards and received 8 nominations. Awards included Taika Waititi winning AFI Fest 2010 Audience Award Best International Feature Film and for the Sydney Film Festival 2010 Waititi also won Best Feature Film Audience Award.I think most people will understand and enjoy this movie thanks to a drastic decline in bad fathers in the world.
SnoopyStyle
This movie takes place in a New Zealand poverty-stricken tribal community in 1984. Alamein "Boy" lives with his younger siblings and grandmother. His hero is Michael Jackson. He has friends. He has a nemesis. He has a crush. While his grandmother is away for a funeral, his absentee father returns. The father is a druggie ex-con, and a horrible influence on Boy. Boy places his hopes and dreams on running away with his father. The start is brilliantly humorous. The relationship is heart breaking. The father is frustratingly childish. The life that they lead is engrossing. There are a couple of great performances from these unknown actors.
