Believe the hype: 'Boyhood' is the definitive coming-of-age movie

There is no such thing as a universal adolescent experience. Socio-economic, cultural and gender factors play an enormous role in how our lives unfold. And on a micro level, the role your parents play in your upbringing, for better or worse, has a huge impact on who you are, at least initially.

That said, Richard Linklater's sprawling new film, Boyhood, comes closer than any film I've seen to capturing the nature of growing up -- especially in the last decade or so.

Remarkably, the movie accomplishes this without even once resorting to cliches or anything remotely resembling a "Hollywood moment." In fact, it's one of the least self-consciously cinematic films I've ever seen.

Not a single shot really calls attention to itself, the cinematography is straightforward and the performances, while uniformly excellent, don't feel the least bit broad or unconvincing. The film feels like your favorite Freaks and Geeks episodes (in my opinion the best portrayal of adolescence ever on television) condensed into a cohesive 2 hour and 40-some minute opus.

And I say all this after expecting to be disappointed. For weeks I've heard nothing but rapturous praise for Boyhood and I was convinced it could never live up to the hype. This is partly because we are so cynical about so-called "Oscar bait" films now. No matter how excellent a movie is you will always find detractors. There are people who take pot shots at 12 Years a Slave for example. And I figure if The Godfather were released today there would be whole Internet memes about how Marlon Brando mumbled too much.

Such is life in the new social media age -- which actually dovetails nicely into the film, which brilliantly captures how communication and how we relate to each other has evolved and continues to both isolate us and connect us in interesting new ways. But I digress -- there's a lot of film to cover here.

For the uninitiated, I will explain the film as best I can. It is actually sort of plot-less, which may alienate some traditional filmgoers, but it invigorated me. Basically you get to know a young boy named Mason (and his extended family and friends) from age 6 to 18. This is largely a snapshot of a life, with moments both profound and passing, which add up to a pretty compelling portrait of a teen who's life is about to really begin.

I'm of the mindset that you don't really become the person you are until college and the movie pretty much affirms that concept. Although it also shows how early life experiences can inform the perspective you carry with you once you make the first move to live on your own.

Since there is so much to unpack about the film I will focus on broad strokes:

The movie is so incredibly unassuming. Every moment feels real and incidental. The story just "happens."

The performances are all very believable and honest, particularly Patricia Arquette who should be a shoo-in for a best supporting actress nomination for her incredibly sympathetic portrayal of Mason's exasperated mother.

Ellar Coltrane and Ethan Hawke in Boyhood

The film does a wonderful job of making passing references to the time period without clobbering you over the head with them. We are reminded of 9/11, the Iraq War, Obama's election and much more in ways that are both funny and telling, without the movie getting overwhelmed by them. The theme of this movie is that you don't seize the moment, moments seize you. The same thing is true when it comes to these milestone events.

Characters pass through this film much in the same way people pass through our lives. We have moments with someone, sometimes memorably, often casually, but when they show up later, perhaps at an opportune time, only then do we realize how much they meant to us. There is a scene late in Boyhood that I won't spoil, but which I think some more cynical viewers will call out as maudlin and manipulative. In my opinion it could have been but Linklater underplays it so beautifully, it really is truly touching.

Speaking of Linklater, I was never an obsessive fan. I enjoyed Dazed and Confused, loved School of Rock and appreciated a lot of his other work like the existential Waking Life and the quirky biopic Bernie. But I was never a diehard acolyte. But I binge watched the Before trilogy prior to Boyhood (the largely two-person series of romantic films starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy as the same lovers over the course of 9-year intervals). Those films, teeming with life, while largely plotless and structure-less, prepared me for Boyhood's unorthodox rhythms and ambling pace. These are definitely not films for everyone, and could easily be dismissed as indulgent, and yet they spoke several truths to me that still reverberate.

And while I'm on the topic of Ethan Hawke movies, let me also praise his dynamic performance here. His scenes alongside Ellar Coltrane, the remarkable young man who plays Mason over a 12-year-span, are some of the most poignant depictions of a father-son relationship I've ever seen. Hawke has certainly starred in his fair share of stinkers, but he can be wildly entertaining and likable when he wants to be. And here he never hits a false note.

The same can largely be said for Coltrane, who gives such a naturalistic performance it can be easily overlooked. One of the great joys of Boyhood is watching him evolve from a somewhat introverted, shy kid into a very witty, self-aware and perceptive man. In later scenes Coltrane comes alive and shows an attractive charisma which suggests he could be a major star.

Patricia Arquette and a young Ellar Coltrane in Boyhood

The movie's title spells it out, it's a movie largely centered on a boy, so it may not be something that everyone relates to. Certainly for me, the scenes of male bonding and bullying really rang true. But the portrayals of the main character's sister (played terrifically by the director's real life daughter Lorelei Linklater) and girlfriends over the years are fully realized in the film too. Linklater seems to really appreciate giving women their due in his films, which shouldn't be so extraordinary, but unfortunately it is.

Is Boyhood a masterpiece? I think so. I find myself having spirited discussions about it for days afterwords, which is almost always a good sign. Is it flawless? Of course not, no movie is. It's probably a little too long and some moments arguably are a little redundant. Still, it's a movie that feels true. Many films promise to be a look at real life in America, 1999's wildly overrated American Beauty comes to mind, but they're actually very conventional, corporate suits/test-audience-influenced pablum.

Boyhood lived up to the overwhelming critical praise it's received. It was hilarious, humane and definitely thought provoking. I am sure it will go down as one of the great films of the year.