User reviews

Boy is a simple but emotionally powerful story about growing up, relationships, following your head over your heart and drawing the line between right and wrong. It's easily one of the best New Zealand films ever made. It's Rich characters and humorous dialogue, entailed by the occasional light-hearted hand drawn animations delivered a hugely entertaining blend of culture, comedy and drama.

The story started on a perfect note with Boy played by James Rolleston giving his show and tell speech in the classroom. It introduced the character, his background and set the atmosphere, mood and setting all in one go without being a dull lead up. Taika Waititi (who also plays the dead beat father) did an amazing job in setting out each detailed scene with the occasional Michael Jackson tributes giving the film an even disperse of light-hearted laughs at the same time appropriately moving the plot along.

The film gave a heart aching recount on every boy's natural instinct to worship their father, whether they deserve it or not. The growth and resilience of each character portrayed superbly by every single actor from the child stars to the minor adult characters was a pleasure to watch. It still brings a smile to my face today. Pure brilliance...

http://musingsandmorsels.weebly.com/film.html

This New Zealand made movie had me laughing and entertained right from the outset. In fact, within the first five minutes, there were more laughs than some comedy movies manage to achieve in their entirety.

The movie 'Boy' is proof that a good script, decent characters and plenty of laughs produces a better result than big budget movies with no originality and plenty of marketing.

Go and see this -- but only if you like decent movies, 1980 references, laughing and characters you'll care about; a blend of serious under-currents wrapped up in quirky NZ humor.

For New Zealand viewers, some of the scenes will seem so familiar; something you'll be able to relate to...but anyone can watch this.

I had been told how funny this movie was, and there are quite a few chuckles in the first 20 minutes or so, and then it buckles down to show us the real story of pre-pubescence in a rural community and the father-son thing. It was explored in depth and very well too, and never gets nasty as some NZ movies can do, but still wrings your heart out. The end-piece was stunning, utilising the obsession with a teenage Michael Jackson and humour as only the NZ Maori do. I left the theatre with mixed feelings but since then I have felt buoyed up (sorry) and am remembering it fondly. Will definitely see it again and may add it to my small collection of NZ films. Others have mentioned Eagle and Shark and Secondhand Wedding, but this is more historical and captures the era perfectly. Well done all - especially to all the actors under 20, we know the adults can act, but these fellas will be worth watching out for in the future.

Set on the east coast of New Zealand in 1984, Boy, an 11-year-old kid and devout Michael Jackson fan, gets a chance to know his father, who has returned to find a bag of money he buried years ago.

This is the rise of Taika Waititi in all his glory. Whole "Eagle vs Shark" is a fun, offbeat, quirky romance, and is often compared (both favorably and unfavorably) to "Napoleon Dynamite", it falls short just a bit. It is with "Boy" that we see the greatness Waititi is capable of and would continue with such films as "What We Do in the Shadows" and "Hunt for the Wilderpeople".

Exactly how they got away with so much Michael Jackson is beyond me. But I suppose if you don't use the music and just focus on the imagery, you can pass it off as a loving homage or satire. Heck, if I was Jackson, i would have been flattered.

Introspective narrative can work profound change, and this is a good example.

The story is simple enough: New Zealand native village; extreme poverty; passel of young kids establishing the world of the narrative.

One of these is our narrator, the Boy, about ten. His primary concern is how he appears to his mates and the local girls. Various comic devices set the tone before his father arrives back from prison. We then see some endearing shared fantasies, before Boy gets the truth about his Dad as selfishly irresponsible. The shape is generally called "coming of age." Thousands of these have been made. They have a built in minimal appeal, and great constraints on the ability to say anything new.

But this does have something new, thanks to the apparently limitless gateway of self- reference. We watch the movie that includes an inner movie of the boy's life, composed of fragments of other movies. We've had this since "Breathless," of course. The fragments have to do with roles associated with the father, mostly war movies, and about Boy, mostly Michael Jackson videos.

Here's something new: after we get all that settled, there is a second inner movie fold that appears, the Dad and his cohorts. He brings his own inner movie, different than Boy's. It is one of a rebel gang: James Dean, Marlon Brando. Boy tries to adapt his inner movie to his dad's and in the process breaks both.

Along the way, there is a spectrum of what we see: the narrator in the film, his ordinary life, his fantasies as he sees them. His fantasies as we see them. His dad's fantasies as he, we and Boy sees them.

Taika Cohen wrote, directed and stars as the dad. It is good, very good.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Beautiful, funny at times, never maudlin, coming of age for the children and adults in the film. Shot in a small town that is genuinely the town that the author/actor (father) actually grew up in. He spoke after our screening, and it was a 30 kid school house, which it still is. Actually the film is a huge success in NZ and the little community gets a small percentage of the gross, so the community is benefiting from this film.

The film captures a time and place in history and culture. It is slow and yet the story develops and covers a lot of ground. What I especially loved is that the camera doesn't jump around like Hollywood movies, changing every 5 seconds. It stays with the character.

Put on your list!

When his father returns from prison, an adolescent has to wrestle with the possibility that his dad is less interested in him and more in a fortune stashed away in this comedy-drama blend from New Zealand. The film gets off to a delightfully quirky start with humorous cutaways as the title character introduces us to his brother with "special powers", his pet goat and close friends. There is also a lot to like in the responsibility he takes for his brother and his keen interest in Michael Jackson music with the 1980s setting. The magic is not quite the same though when his father enters the picture. Director Taika Waititi is decent enough as the long-absent patriarch who feels so far removed from his son that he asks the boy to refer to him by a different name. There is also a telling scene in which he tells him "we are like bros, you and me", highlighting just how little interest he has in being a father. Solid drama though this provides as the protagonist has to contend with disillusionment, the laughs are not really there and the film never once recaptures its initial zaniness. Of course, this could be argued as a deliberate change of genre to coincide with growing up, but what Waititi does best is quirkiness with some heart and as such this mostly just feels like a stepping stone before 'What We Do in the Shadows' and 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople', the latter of which has laughs from start to finish.

This is simply one of the best New Zealand movies made in any century. The story is a richly charactered, well researched, emotionally powerful, and hugely entertaining blend of culture, comedy, music, and drama. I absolutely take my hat off(not that I usually wear one) to Taika Cohen and his crew, they have delivered one of the best films of this year, and that being from all countries. The story is well documented by other users so I won't bore you with the details of that, but for me the main talking point of this film is the exquisite performances of the two lead children. While James Rolleston as Boy has a very vocal part in the film his delivery, range of emotions, and expressions are so important to the film's success, and he pulls this off with such ease, and is such a joy to watch. His fragile brother Rocky, played by Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu, turns in to be what I consider one of the best and most emotionally powerful performances from a child in any film I have seen. His role is largely speechless(though he certainly has a share of words to deliver) yet he is able to convey what his character is thinking and feeling through facial expressions, and almost in a sense through his eyes. I cannot recommend this film enough, we went to see it two days ago and I am still smiling from the memory of this great film. The incorporation of Michael Jackson tributes into the film could have been hard to pull off in some movies, yet here Cohen blends these in to the mix with great effect, in particular the final scene which simply has to seen to be fully appreciated. The comedy elements have universal appeal, and are well dispersed throughout the film.

Just go see it when you are able, as simple as that. Brilliant...........

Another solid outing from Taika. Watched it with my 18 year kids, and for them I think some of the heaviness of the film weighed it down as it made its way to the conclusion. Still there's plenty of silliness, and even serious silliness to be had along the way.

I enjoyed it more than the lads, but sure there's some bittersweet which suits my palate better. "Boy" doesn't find its footing as well as the "Wilderpeople" which is a must-watch by all of our family sub-standards. That film gets its pain out of the way earlier, and the risks become more or less laughable, in "Boy" the risks start to stack up and cannot chuckled or Hakka'd away.

One question I had afterwards : Is there a precariousness of precociousness? Watiti surely loves the wisdom of youth, especially outcast youth. In this film it feels like the Dad (really an overgrown child) is overshadowed by Boy, and to me Boy in turn was overshadowed by Rocky.

Maybe Watiti is just fed up with adults, unless they are the undead? Curious to see a film from him without kids.... It was also interesting to see the accompanying black and white short ("two cars, one night" I think it was called) that had precocious kids but also all kinds of film school moves to it.

I realise that most have rated this movie more highly, but personally I found is unsatisfying, somewhat pretentious, and ultimately boring. There were flashes of humour, but I found the story insufficient to sustain a full-length movie, and the the tone of the movie variable. Perhaps it requires a particular view of rural 1980s New Zealand life - and a subculture of that - to appreciate this trifle of a film.

There are very few movies coming out of NZ that are memorable at all, and stumbling upon such a gem is quite a rarity!

I rarely take time to write reviews, but I felt that this movies deserves one:)

There is hardly any fault in this movie from direction and acting perspective, although I have to reckon I have never heard of anyone from the main movie credits... Combining unknown actors with a very simple script is a recipe for disaster, in general,BUT not in this film. I think the charm of the movie comes from kids that are playing their roles just perfect:innocent but responsible when need it.

The last scene of the movie makes you feel that you've just experienced something unique that comes on the screen once in 10 years!

If you manage to get the DVD, invite some friends over and have an '80 night at the movies: all of them they'll feel happy at the end!

I'll start, unfairly perhaps for any new movie, by comparing it with thoughts that other NZ movies have left me with - only to explain how it left me feeling. I am smiling as I recall the movie and type this. A good sign! So, Eagle v Shark's quirkiness. Whale Rider's pathos & culture. Bro Town's language skills (who'd have thought "Egg" would be so eloquent a derogatory remark!) Second Hand Wedding's humanity, commentary on relationships & our overall resilience. Good things will happen. Every Boy's natural instinct to worship their father - irrespective of whether he's earned it or not - is shown against the halcyon backdrop of an east coast life in Godzone. I laughed out loud at Rockys apology for abuse of his special powers to knock an old fella over. I ached when Boy's Dad returned and the interactions between them - the hero worship meeting with reality; a coming of age. Taika's now customary expansion of characters was excellent - flawed, bravado filled fragile wee worlds we all build up. I have not served Boy adequately in this random review - its an amazing film. 9/10. Made me feel happy & glad to be alive and living in NZ.

I want to like Waititi's movies more. I like them a good bit, but I just can't help but find myself somewhat bored sometimes.

This movie is pretty cute, funny, and sad. It's lighthearted apart from a couple scenes which end short of any real dramatic tension. And that's not a bad thing. The movie shouldn't be bogged down. It's supposed to be a cute comedy movie, not a tear-jerker.

The performances are all great, especially considering it's mostly kids. Waititi himself is fun to watch, and possesses many of the elements that would make a fantastic father, and also many of the elements that make a terrible one.

It's it hilarious? No, but it'll make you smile. Is it depressing? No, but it might just bring a tear to your eye. That's how I feel about this movie I guess. Definitely we'll-made and worth the watch if you're considering it.

I came across this movie purely by chance whilst following links across the internet & boy am I glad I did! (If you'll excuse the pun). I've never been to NZ but have worked & socialised with plenty of Kiwis over the years & a bit of basic awareness of NZ culture (Long live the Dog!) is certainly an advantage in getting the most out of this film. However, do not despair ye of limited knowledge for there is a veritable cornucopia of every human emotion served up for your delectation that will appeal to all regardless of class, creed, health, wealth or beauty. And when the latest blockbuster rom-com/superhero/zombie/action-or- whatever flick has faded to a bland, slightly recalled, insignificance 'Boy' will still be with you. A line of dialogue, a cheeky face, a child's drawing, something will surface at the most unexpected moment that will induce a warm cosiness, a feeling of everything is going to be OK & a slightly stupid grin will probably slip onto your face. But there's the rub folks, because your chances of seeing it in your local multiplex are non-existent. TV can re-run 40 year old James Bond movies ad infinitum whilst neglecting gems like this & you will probably only be reading this review if you've already seen the film & are checking out previous work by those involved. So in the end we all lose, such a shame as, now more than ever, we need movies like these that rise above our petty daily grievances and give us all a feeling of wanting to belong to a more generous, carefree & happy society.

Crafted with sincerity, told with affection & exuding an honesty in its emotions, Boy makes for a light & resonant coming-of-age drama and follows an 11-year old Maori kid growing up in a small Kiwi town with his family during the 1980s whose fanciful version of his absentee father gets a reality check when his old man shows up on their doorstep out of the blue one day.

Written & directed by Taika Waititi, there is a childlike simplicity in its narration with warmth & sweetness perforating through the images as we get acquainted with our protagonist. Waititi juggles drama with comedy & heart with humour in his own unique, quirky & stirring ways and the authenticity shines through, for the characters are believable & their arcs exhibit welcome depth.

The story is as much about the small-town community as it is about the father-son dynamic, all portrayed from our protagonist's perspective. And while it touches on few serious themes, Waititi makes sure the film never loses its adolescent, offbeat touch. The imagery has a raw, unrefined feel to it and the pacing is also slower than necessary but James Rolleston's input still keeps us invested till the end.

Overall, Boy is a warm, whimsical & wonderful indie with a beating heart that's brought to life with care & intimacy and promises an experience that's amusing, heartfelt & bittersweet. It is achingly human in its approach, packs an emotional wallop and even ends on an apt note yet for some reason, Taika Waititi's breakthrough feature didn't leave me as dazzled or delighted as all his subsequent films effortlessly managed to. Worth a shot anyway.

Recently, New Zealand native Waititi has made a splash with What We Do in the Shadows, his mockumentary about the private lives of vampires, and has even been tabbed by Marvel Studios to direct the next Thor blockbuster, but his earlier film Boy is what first got him noticed.

His look at native life in rural New Zealand during the mid- eighties captures the fleeting innocence of childhood. Boy (Rolleston), a scrawny twelve-year-old with an affinity for Michael Jackson, is tasked with watching his younger brother Rocky and a slew of cousins while his grandmother is away, but things get wild when Boy's estranged, criminal father (Waititi) reappears.

Waititi shows the lives of average natives in New Zealand, instead of the war paint wearing behemoths we have come to associate with the Mauri people here in America. In fact, Boy depicts native New Zealander life very similarly to what we see on reservations in America.

It's very interesting to see Boy and his family and friends interact on a daily basis. They run free across the town, where everybody know everybody, without a care. But as the film continues, you see that all of them are only a few years away from joining their fathers in jail or activities that could send them to jail.

Boy manages to remain an upbeat and energetic film, even while dealing with tough issues like broken families, drug use and death. Waititi's creative take on Boy and his father's rough relationship is both light and poignant, making the film an entertaining watch for anyone who is a fan of Waititi… or Michael Jackson.

How do I this film justice without explicitly explaining the nuanced hilariousness of it all? OK, so there is this underlying sadness at the children's' misfortune, this subtle pity for their future, and this unease as the "father" turns up all "cool" with his two inept mates. But then there are so many points I had to not burst out laughing really REALLY loudly - didn't help I was watching it late in bed.

There's not much sentimentality, but you're kind of wanting their to be. So when at the end its poised to potentially provide some... well, I cried more than I have for any film in very long time.

But then I was in stitches - almost instantly. Terrific juxtaposition of emotions! Totally what I look for in a film - as well as a little escapism.

There's something inherently nice about Taika Waititi's vision of the world; even when he's dealing with superheroes and world-ending calamities as he did in "Thor: Ragnarok", he's more interested in friendship and hope than about villainy. In fact, Waititi's on-screen villainy always seems to have some jocular edge poking out somewhere.

In this wonderful examination of boyhood, the villain, if there is one at all, ends up being simply a flawed, silly man, while the protagonist, Boy, earns our affection slowly and steadily as he discovers those flaws.

This film is a classic coming-of-age film: a boy on the cusp of adolescence learns about love, dreams and disappointment, all while keeping his spirit intact. On the other hand, it's also a film about not coming-of-age, and how that can happen to some of us, without it being a tragedy.

The tone is playful, the performances are great and the world that's created is absolutely believable, if perhaps just a little too nice. But then again, it's Waititi's world, so what should we expect?

According to Hollywood, childhood is either a magical, shiny age of oblivious joy and discovery, or full of terrible people and generally sh*t. Thankfully, there's Boy, the brainchild of weirdo genius Taika Waititi, here to wallop us with a knuckle sandwich of truth, then share a melting popsicle with us, staring off at a hazy sunset through a black eye. It's a film ruled by a tyrannical bullsh*t radar, seething with raw emotion but flayed of any obnoxious coddling moralizing or contrivance. It knows that the happiest memories are often witnessed through tears, and that the most profound epiphanies usually come waist-deep in mud and manure... then turn out to be 100% wrong.

It knows that your idols matter, truly matter, even as you watch them disintegrate before your eyes. It's a film that knows that lying can sometimes be okay when the truth sucks too much. It's a film that knows that childhood means riding a dolphin brandishing a machine gun as much as it means having heart-to-hearts with your goat. It's a film with absolutely nothing to prove about people with altogether too much to prove.

It's a film that knows that buried treasure really is buried treasure, even if it's something altogether scummier. It's a film that understands exactly how beautiful and lonely New Zealand is. It's a film that knows that the Incredible Hulk is a hero, but that there's a reason people outgrow their childhood heroes. It's a film that knows that a beatdown is really a dance-off. It's a film that understands colour and music in a way that other films only dream they could.

It's a film that knows that children can withstand anything, and I mean anything, but that they shouldn't have to. It's a film that understands just how hard it is to miss someone, especially when they're right in front of you. It's a film that knows that not everyone is going to be all right, but some people will be, and that's all right.

It's a film that knows that sometimes you cast that weird kid from the background as your lead, because you just have a good feeling about him, and he turns out to act the pants off all the professionals because he just gets it. It's a film that knows that sometimes you cast the director as the kid's dad, because he's just too adorable and f*cked up not to.

It's a film that gets that sometimes you need to switch to cartoons to show the real truth, because live action film is too old-fashioned to believe in telekinesis.

And if you told Boy that it just might be one of the most wildly wonderful films of the past who-knows-how-long, it would probably sucker-punch you, then moonwalk away, flipping you off. But then it would crack a secret, fiercely proud smile when it was sure you weren't looking anymore. Promise you'll never tell.

Hee-hoo.

-10/10

"Boy" is a comedy with a dramatic undertone and a touch of magical realism, which can please almost anyone who sees it for its festive tone and endearing characters.

Boy (Rolleston) is a 10-year-old boy with Maori roots who lives with his paternal grandmother on a farm, along with his little brother Rocky (Eketone-Whitu) and 5 little cousins. When the grandmother is absent to attend a funeral rite that takes several days, Boy's widowed father Alamein (Waititi), an irresponsible antisocial (and dreamer in the worst sense) who has escaped from jail, arrives at the farm. He has brought along two other fugitives, and his goal is to dig up the loot of stolen money that he hid in a field at grandma's farm. The problem is that Alamein does not remember the exact location.

The plot is that simple, but there are many elements that enrich the vision of the film: Boy's pet is a goat named Leaf, Boy is a fan of Michael Jackson and imitates his dance steps very badly, his little friends from the community are called Dynasty, Dallas and Falcon Crest; his girlfriend for a day Chardonnay makes fun of him, Alamein's two friends are really a pair of very dumb guys, Rocky follows the village fool named Weird, who claims he killed his mother, and things go on that do not seem to add up, but do add up very well into a set of events that make the viewing enjoyable.

The only problem (for me) is Waititi, the director of the film who decided to play the father. It is not that he is a bad actor, but his way of interpreting Alamein reminded me of the characterizations by people like Gaspar Henaine (Capulina), Mike Myers, Lando Buzzanca, Roberto Gómez Bolaños (Chapulín Colorado) or John Candy, so it is a personal choice if you like their kind of humor, which does not help much when the father mistreats his son and the other children in the village. But «Boy» is lively enough not to be boring and very moving from the human side, from the parent-child relationship, that it deserves a look.

This is not a comedy. The subject matter is somewhat dark; what it's like t grow up with a father who prefers a life of crime to his own children.

Are we grading movies from New Zealand on a curve? Almost every internationally distributed movie from New Zealand is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Only it isn't. What I have noticed is that they tend to have a dark streak to them, a sense of menace. Isn't this supposed to be a pretty benevolent place, free health care, a generous social welfare system, etc. The filmmaker spoke at the showing I went to. He was saying that in the eighties, they had ads on New Zealand television telling people not to leave their keys in their cars. I guess they save the darkness for their movies. The events in this movie did not happen to the filmmaker, who said he gets on just fine with his father.

This is a professionally produced movie. The acting is very good which is surprising because apparently none of the children were professional actors. The filmmaker played the role of the father, and he was very good. The filmmaker did a good job of portraying neglected children and their broken father. But it tends to get monotonous. Similar things happen over and over. The plot is layers of monotony and darkness.

The film changes genres three times. You get the feeling that was more lazy than anything, just throwing anything in there. At first it seems like a comedy, like a lighter, less creepy Wes Anderson and you are delighted. Very shortly it gets dark and monotonous but with touches of comedy. In the end there is a dance scene over the credits.

I didn't walk out of this movie but I would possibly not see it again if I knew what it was like. The filmmaker is pretty funny if you get the chance to hear him speak. This movie did not hold the attention of the pre-school children that were there and they were very disruptive. Had they been able to pay attention to it the subject matter would have been too dark for them. Leave the pre-school kids at home. I'm guessing 8 or 10 is the youngest age for this movie.