Boy

Watch Movies TV -***DISCLAIMER*** The following review is entirely my opinion. If you comment (which I encourage you to do) be respectful. If you don't agree with my opinion (or other commenters), that's fine. To each their own. These reviews are not meant to be statements of facts or endorsements, I am just sharing my opinions and my perspective when watching the film and is not meant to reflect how these films should be viewed. Finally, the reviews are given on a scale of 0-5. 0, of course, being unwatchable. 1, being terrible. 2, being not great. 3, being okay. 4, being great and 5, being epic! And if you enjoy these reviews feel free to share them and follow the blog or follow me on Twitter (@RevRonster) for links to my reviews and the occasional live-Tweet session of the movie I'm watching! I have nothing to put here except that I really love Taika Waititi.

Boy – 4 out of 5

My first exposure to Taika Waititi came from the film Eagle vs Shark.  I thought (and still think) the film is hysterical but, at the time, I wasn’t paying too much attention to the man’s career as a writer and director—instead, I was just getting into the comedy that was coming out of New Zealand.  My interest in him was solidified when I watched his majesty that is What We Do in the Shadows and when he was announced as the director of Thor:  Ragnarok, I was very, VERY excited.  My expectations were exceeded when I saw what he did for the MCU and I decided to go back and check out some of his other features that I missed along the way.  First up, it’s his 2010 film Boy.

What's amazing is this is set in the 80s and doesn't come off like toxic
nostalgia.

In 1984 in New Zealand, an 11 year old boy named Alamein (James Rolleston) is living with his grandmother, his younger brother Rocky (Te Aho Eketone) and several of his cousins.  He’s known as “Boy” to everyone and has a simple dream that he will one day be reunited with estranged father and together they will go to a Michael Jackson concert.  After his grandmother leaves him in charge while she leaves for a funeral, Boy’s father (Waititi) returns to his life, looking for a “treasure” he left behind before he was arrested years ago.

It's a tale as old as time.

Boy is a simple “coming of age” feature that focuses fantastically on the journey of truth for both Boy and his father.  Waititi does a tremendous job of delivering a film that is grounded but aloof enough that there’s some whimsy that arrives.  Having the events take place from an 11 year old’s perspective, we can see exactly how he goes from this optimistic idealist that believes his father is a mythical-like creature that can do no wrong, even when he’s clearly doing wrong, to a man who has his eyes open to how bad his father can be.  Early on moments of cartoonish imaginations become superimposed on the narrative and we see just how deep Boy’s admiration of his father goes and how he views him.  As Boy starts to learn the harsh truth that his dad isn’t that admirable of a person and is, essentially, a scum bag, we see his fantastic world start to turn and become more grounded.  This dynamic made for a feature that has a wide array of emotions as it is warm, tender, funny but also very dramatic, bittersweet and sad.

I had the same look on my face when I faced the truth about my father.
The truth that he was palming the quarters he said he was pulling out
from behind my ear.

Ultimately what made this film so engaging are how everything develops and unfolds and the dichotomy of it feeling whimsical while being grounded at the same time.  The journey of discovery for Boy is delivered exceptionally thanks to its pacing.  Watching him come to terms with who his father really is and not the fictionalized version he made up in his head feels natural and really helped bring in the right amount of drama, heart and humor.  Finally, the story is able to be a down-to-earth affair that is easy to sympathize with but is also able of presenting moments that are a little sillier without feeling out of place or like a sudden shift in tone.  This is a testament to Waititi as a director and a story teller.

Is there no end to his talents?!?

This special treat in the credits only added to
how great the movie was.

The performances in Boy are just as good as the smooth running story and plot.  Taika Waititi is great as the father and is able to create that balance of rotten and amusingly charming.  The supporting cast are all doing a fantastic job as well but the real deal in this film is the boys playing Rocky and Boy.  Te Aho Eketone as Rocky is a lot of fun because the character has this tragic backstory that is turned into this interesting running gag.  Basically, he believes he has superpowers and that is what caused his mother to die and seeing this play out is very funny.  Eketone is able to bring the perfect level of sincerity that only a child could convincingly do.  Finally, James Rolleston is astounding as Boy.  The level of realism he brings to the character is matched only by his overwhelming charm.  He clearly had a deep understanding of the character and made Boy very sympathetic and engaging to watch.

Seriously, this kid was awesome!

Like a lot of movies I watch, replay value does have an impact on the film’s score.  I can’t see myself watching Boy very often in my life as it is something I feel like I have to definitely be in a certain mood to view.  This is very much unlike other Waititi films that I’ve seen because items like Thor, What We Do in the Shadows and Eagle vs Shark (and another one that will have an upcoming review), I can just throw those on and watch pretty much any time.  However, this one drawback isn’t a total killer because the film is still a very sweet, tender and special feature with strong performances and a fantastic and emotional story.