Movie Review - Boyhood

Boyhood (2014)

Starring Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Lorelei Linklater, Marco Perella, Brad Hawkins, and Zoe Graham

Directed by Richard Linklater

I appreciate the experiment of Boyhood, but the movie itself feels oddly unimportant given its cinematic uniqueness.  Then again, I that's the point, is it not?  Let's place a camera into the life of a boy and follow him through twelve years of his life -- whether that life be full of excitement or not.  A cinematic reality show, if you will, with a fake story to go along with it.  I say that and I ponder just how different this is from something like the Real Housewives franchise that has been going on for years and years.  That's an unfair comparison, however, as Boyhood at least feels steeped in reality unlike the hair pulling and cat calls of those overly privileged women.

Seeing it so late in the game, I'd already heard the critical lauds heaped upon Boyhood and I must admit that I was slightly disappointed as the film began.  That being said, as the film progressed across its nearly three hour length, I found myself becoming oddly more involved in the lives of Mason (Ellar Coltrane), his sister Sam (Lorelei Linklater), and his divorced mother and father Olivia and Mason, Sr (Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke).  There is something compelling about the simplicity of life and watching it unfold like a home movie onscreen.

As a younger child, Boyhood focuses on Mason's parents a bit more than the kids and while it's perfectly believable that Olivia would fall one alcoholic loser and maybe even two (which she does), these particular scenes that support the bulk of the first half of the film feel the most forced, obvious, and acted.  Perhaps it's because they stand in such stark contrast to the mundaneness of the rest of the film (which I say not with a sense of disdain, but with fondness).  However, as the film advances through Mason's life, Mason himself becomes more interesting as he discovers the person he wants to be.  Granted, I would never be friends with Mason and I'd quite frankly find his philosophical meanderings, drug usage, taste in music, and bleakness rather obnoxious, but it's admittedly interesting to watch a "real" person age through life and find himself.

Director Richard Linklater didn't quite know what he was getting when he cast Ellar Coltrane and his own daughter Lorelei at such a young age and the emotional results of those choices are a little suspect at times.  Though neither Coltrane nor the younger Linklater are disappointing, there are times during which these two are needed to "act" that feel admittedly forced.  Coltrane fares a little better, but then again it's his character's story so he probably should win out amongst the two younger stars.  The young man is particularly at his best during his scenes in eleventh and twelfth grade when he falls for the lovely Sheena (Zoe Graham) -- these moments rang most true and proved to be a nice capstone to Mason's story.

Patricia Arquette has been racking up awards left and right for this performance and while it certainly isn't bad in any way, shape, or form, I found the role oddly bland.  Yes, her Olivia makes questionable decisions when it comes to men, but beyond that her character isn't given a whole lot to do.  I wanted some touching scenes between her and her children, but I never got them.  Ethan Hawke, on the other hand, I found much more compelling as Mason's father.  Perhaps it was the "father-son" dynamic that Linklater wanted to explore a little more, but in the private moments in which Masons Jr. and Sr. talk to one another, Hawke exudes a sense of profound caring for his cinematic son, imbuing in him a sense of purpose, individuality, and identity.  I'm not quite sure Hawke was playing anyone but himself -- it kind of felt oddly similar to his character in the Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight series -- and I think his character has the least amount of emotional growth, but his work is really solid here and slightly under-appreciated.

It is true that what Richard Linklater has done here is create a compelling piece of art.  Its uniqueness, bravery, and ballsiness can't be understated.  Would I have liked a little more oomph?  Yes.  Would I have skipped over the seven to twelve-year-old years and maybe just crafted a two hour movie from a teenage perspective?  Perhaps.  However, the "epic" nature of Boyhood has to be commended in some ways.  None of Linklater's works blow me away in terms of his directorial flourishes or techniques, but as a writer and storyteller, he's intriguing in what he wants to bring to the cinematic medium.  For that, he must be commended.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - Before Midnight

Before Midnight (2013)

Starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy

Directed by Richard Linklater

There are two absolutely fantastic scenes the bookend Before Midnight, the third film in the Richard Linklater-directed series that periodically cheeks in on the lives of Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy), a couple who met and spent only one night together while touring Vienna in their early twenties (in the film Before Sunrise) and then rekindled their love nine years later in Paris (in the film Before Sunset).

The first of these scenes has Jesse and Celine -- who after the events of the last film are now a couple raising twin girls -- driving a car through Greece while on vacation talking about some of the more mundane aspects of their lives.  This long take immediately tells the audience that Jesse and Celine have become much more familiar with each other since the last film's conclusion, with their conversations shifting from the more esoteric as we saw during their courtship to more grounded, based in reality-type dialog ("Should I take this new job?  What about the kids?").

The second of these scenes occurs after a long day of meeting with friends and watching over their kids as Jesse and Celine have been treated to an evening at a posh hotel kid-free by their Greek comrades.  Upon their arrival, the two want nothing more than to forget about their kids and spend the night ravaging one another with lovemaking.  However, Jesse's fourteen year-old son who spent the summer with his father in France and then vacationing in Greece calls Celine to tell him that his plane home to the States landed in London.  Celine says something very casual at the end of the conversation that Jesse takes as derogatory toward his ex-wife and this somewhat innocent remark causes the night to spiral out of control with Jesse and Celine yelling about how they've given up so much for one another, feeling like they've left part of themselves behind ever since they finally took the plunge and got together nine years ago.

Both of these scenes epitomize all that is great with the Before... series of films -- crackling, real-life dialog that never once feels forced or out of place, coming from a natural place of real emotion and story.  Thanks to the performances of Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy and the fact that we've followed these same characters across a unique twenty year cinematic journey, we can't help but feel we're watching a real-life couple deal with the positives and negatives of a relationship.

Unfortunately, the problem with these two fantastic scenes is that they make the rest of the film pale in comparison.  Unlike the previous films in the Before... series, Before Midnight invites several other couples into the picture as Jesse and Celine vacation in Greece.  (On the surface, I get this -- Jesse and Celine are older now with kids and their lives aren't strictly revolving around one another like the previous two films.)  We get a particularly long scene at a dinner table in which these couples discuss the differences between men and women that pretty much boils everything down to the stereotypical "men think with their penises, women think with their hearts/brains" thing we've heard hundreds of times before.  This is actually a theme that runs throughout much of the film's scenes that aren't strictly Jesse/Celine moments and it really makes it seem as if we're watching two different films.  For a flick that contains this childish "been there-done that" base look at the Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus concept to also contain some of the most realistic and intimate looks at communication in a relationship seems oxymoronic.

Still, the final scene alone of Before Midnight is worth the price of admission alone and elevates the film (to a level it may not be worthy of being elevated) thanks to the stellar writing of director Linklater and stars Hawke and Delpy -- it's that fantastic.  Although Midnight couldn't quite match the ease and charm of Sunset, I look forward to checking in on Jesse and Celine again in nine years as this original cinematic series continues (at least I hope that's in the works).

The RyMickey Rating:  B+

Movie Review - Before Sunset

Before Sunset (2004)

Starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy

Directed by Richard Linklater

In preparation for one of my final movie viewings of 2013 films, I needed to catch up on the story of Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy), two thirtysomethings who met nine years ago on a train and spent a glorious night in Vienna talking about their life views, falling in love, and then having to go their separate ways.  The story of twentysomething Jesse and Celine was detailed in the 1995 film Before Sunrise and while I enjoyed that film even a second viewing had me facing the same issues -- Jesse and Celine were putting on too many aires to impress one another to make me care deeply for the characters.

After watching Before Sunset, I can't help but think that my "issues" with the characters in the first film were perhaps the point.  Jesse and Celine were fresh from college then and trying to impress each other with their recent "book" knowledge while also trying to show just how learned they were with real world issues.  Nine years later, these superficial attempts aren't as necessary as nearly a decade has shaped them into different people (Jesse is married with a kid!) who wouldn't necessarily be as impressed with their twentysomething selves.

Instead, Jesse and Celine reflect on lost love and "what could have been."  This nostalgic reminiscing was more appealing to me and I found myself enjoying the company of these characters more than I had previously.  Hawke and Delpy are charming with one another and Delpy almost takes center stage here as her Celine is given a bit more of an emotional arc to work with over the course of the film's quick eighty minute mini-travelogue of Paris.  And the final scene -- I couldn't help but smile from ear to ear.  I look forward to the third chapter of this unique film experience.

The RyMickey Rating:  A-

Movie Review - Bernie

Bernie (2012)

Starring Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, and Matthew McConaughey

Directed by Richard Linklater

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

Bernie Tiede is perhaps the nicest guy in the small town of Carthage, Texas.  Loved by all, as the assistant funeral director at the local mortuary Bernie is quiet, kind, gentle, and a seemingly genuinely sweet man.  Shortly after the chairman of the local bank dies, Bernie (played brilliantly by Jack Black in by far the best role of his career) pays a visit to his widow Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine) to check in to see how she's doing and a friendship is formed.  Despite Marjorie's reputation around town as being the bitchiest and meanest woman for miles, Bernie refuses to listen to the naysayers.  For Marjorie, the relationship gives her an emotional connection with someone since her attitude has turned many (including all her family members) away from her.  For Bernie, while he also enjoys the friendship (which is only vaguely, if at all, sexual), he finds himself able to live a bit beyond his means thanks to Marjorie's bank account.  However, rather than spending the money on himself, he often doles it out to needy townsfolk, endearing him to all those in Carthage.  Unfortunately, after several years, Marjorie becomes more and more possessive, creating a rift in her relationship with Bernie and forcing the town's saintly gentleman to go to extreme means to cut ties with her.

Bernie is rather surprisingly and unexpectedly one of the best films of 2012 thanks in huge part to Jack Black's great performance.  Admittedly, I've been avoiding watching this movie on Netflix simply because of Black's starring role, but this was certainly a different turn for the actor known for his comedic roles.  While certainly humorous, the character of Bernie so easily could've fallen into an SNL parody-type one-note role (reminiscent perhaps of the Al Franken Stuart Smalley character), but Black manages to create depth and layers in a type of character who often isn't given such opportunities.  That's likely due in part to the fact that Bernie is based on a true story -- so the title character is "real" as opposed to "created" -- but Black is certainly the conduit to bring the real person to believable life onscreen.

Director Richard Linklater has created an interesting film in Bernie.  Just as much as Bernie is a portrait of a flawed man, it's also a picture of small town Americana that someone could easily see as insulting, but I see as a tribute to that slowed-down, "old school" Bible-thumping lifestyle.  Linklater sets up much of the film as a faux-documentary using a mix of actors and real-life Carthage residents who knew Bernie Tiede first hand who comment on the much revered man.  Yes, I found myself laughing at the folks at times which is why I could see some taking this flick as a diatribe against this Southern culture, but I never found it condescending or demeaning in tone.

Still, Bernie is a film of many tones -- comedy, drama, courtroom saga -- all of which are nearly perfectly melded together into one of the most interesting and underseen films of 2012.

The RyMickey Rating:  A-

Movie Review - Before Sunrise

Before Sunrise (1995)

Starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy

Directed by Richard Linklater

At the request of a long-standing loyal RyMickey's Ramblings reader, I popped in the Before Sunrise dvd the other day.  For months, said reader has been on my case about needing to watch this movie.  It's one of his favorite movies of all time (maybe #2...definitely top 5?) and I simply had to check it out, I was told.  Granted, while I wasn't head over heels in love with it (it's tough to live up to that hype), it's a very good movie, a lovely romance, and has the ability to make anyone get sentimental, mushy, and long for the kind of romantic relationship we're witnessing onscreen.

The story of Before Sunrise is incredibly simple.  Two twenty-somethings, an American named Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and the French Celine (Julie Delpy) meet on a train traveling across Europe.  They get off in Vienna and decide to spend one romantic night together in the city before Jesse has to catch a plane back to America in the morning.

That's it.  Nothing more.  The general plot of the film can be condensed into less than fifty words.  However, what the film lacks in plot (and I don't mean that derogatively) it makes up for in charming dialog and an overall sense of romance.  As Jesse and Celine talk about everything from art to religion to a fear of flying to sex, they get to know each other better than most couples who have been dating for months.  As they talk, they both begin to realize that they're quickly falling in love -- something neither of them expected and something they're both hesitant to admit since this romance can be nothing but a whirlwind because of Jesse's impending departure to the States.

The amazing thing about the movie is how everything seemed so natural.  Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are both great, completely embodying these characters.  There's a simplicity to both their performances and neither grandstands or feels the need to be showy (this same exact statement could apply to the film as a whole itself).

That said, if there's one fault in the film, it's this.  I'm not a fan of college kids attempting to show that they're smarter than they really are by speaking eloquently about poetry or art -- I get that you know one poem or know a lot about one artist to try and act all impressive around the opposite sex, but let's be honest.  You only learn that stuff to try to pull off that you're smarter than you look.  It's just pretentious.  There were moments in Before Sunrise that were like this and I can't stand it when college kids act this way.

Beyond that, however, this is a solid film that has only grown in its appeal in the twenty-four hours since I watched it.  I imagine that with a repeated viewing or two, this one will likely rise up in the rankings.  And I'm looking forward to watching the sequel Before Sunset sometime in the near future.

The RyMickey Rating:  B
(Original Rating:  B+; rating revised 9/3/14 after a repeat viewing)