Boy
Taika Waititi's second feature film (after Eagle vs. Shark and episodes of TV's Flight of the Conchords), is a coming-of-age comedy set in the '80s, East Coast, New Zealand.
Boy (James Rolleston) is obsessed with Michael Jackson - in particular, his dance moves - and his little brother Rocky (Te Aho Eketone-Whitu) possibly possesses 'powers'. The pair are trying to find their potential (and the meaning of the word "potential") while living in the shadow of their larger-than-life dad, Alamein (Waititi).
In Boy's eyes, his dad is a hero: a deep-sea diver, war veteran, rugby captain and close relation of Michael Jackson. But in reality Alamein is doing seven years in jail and is a member of the three-man Crazy Horses gang. Now out of the can, Dad returns home and Boy is confronted with the man he thought he remembered.
- Director:
- Taika Waititi ('Eagle Vs Shark', TV's 'Flight of the Conchords')
- Writer:
- Taika Waititi
- Cast:
- James RollestonTe Aho Eketone-WhituTaika Waititi
Reviews & comments
Variety
pressApart from the local vistas and mostly Maori cast, Waititi has scrubbed away all culturally specific traits from his growing-up-Kiwi comedy, concentrating instead on the same things that might infatuate any other 1984-era moppet: a schoolyard crush, a missing dad and, above all, Michael Jackson.
Time Out
pressFurther proof that Wes Anderson has overtaken Quentin Tarantino as the world's most mimicked indie auteur, this Kiwi coming-of-age story employs enough quirky costuming, symmetrical framing and sub-Mothersbaugh-scored slo-mo sequences to make Max Fischer blush.
The New York Times
pressThis unpretentious comic tale of a youngster’s growing relationship with a long-absent father has a surprising rhythmic genius: joy juxtaposed with humiliation, silliness with sadness, fantasy with reality, and none of it formulaic. The editing feels fresh, as does the film.
Otago Daily Times
pressThe thing with Taika Waititi's wildly successful short film, Two Cars, One Night, was that it lasted only 11 minutes. Just long enough to generate a smile, and take a whole lot of us back to pub car parks in the '70s.
Newshub
pressIt feels like a while since I smiled this wide and felt this good watching any film, kiwi or otherwise. It was a great feeling
Los Angeles Times
pressWaititi never builds much momentum for his largely uneventful if sometimes inventive story.
IndieWire
pressThe result is alternately zany, sentimental, and remarkably insightful about the quirks of a child’s mind.
Hollywood Reporter
pressA cross between "The 400 Blows" and "Slumdog Millionaire" (though not quite in their class)... James Rolleston's sweet, winning performance in the title role as a kid with a lot of potential and a vivid imagination, largely overcomes the leisurely storytelling. It's a crowd-pleasing film that could find a modest theatrical audience.
A.V. Club
pressOne of the unexpected triumphs of Boy, an enormously likeable coming-of-age comedy, lies in its ability to recapture the vulnerability and optimism of childhood without becoming twee or maudlin in the process.
I really liked this film but it seemed like it was missing another thirty minutes. It should have been longer with a more developed story.
Taika Waititi's short OSCAR winning "Two Cars, One Night" was fabulous - so his first full length feature, "Eagle vs. Shark" was a bit of a let down. For a comedy it just wasn't that funny and it retrod ground that "Napoleon Dynamite" had already trod - to far funnier results. But in "BOY," Waititi hits the mark. Warm...
It would be nice if a Kiwi film could rise above bad acting and cartoonish caricatures. Painfully slow movie that relies on mawkish nostalgia. I find nothing lovable or charming in a 'comedy' about the awful things adults do to children.
As a Pom I had difficulty relating to this film initially, but when I watched it again, it appealed to me in a variety of ways as it shows a boy, his dysfunctional dad and a wish to escape his humdrum life into Michael Jackson land. Kids are the same - you could have transposed this to anywhere in the world and met the same type of characters in similar...
Absolutely nothing wrong with this film but yes you probably did need to grow up in NZ in the 80s to fully appreciate it. Loved it, kids love it, brought the dvd, watched it many times & see different things in it everytime but the star of the show is most definitely ROCKY!!
It cracks me up how people reckon that this portrays māori in a negative way. Funny how no one mentions that Taika's other movie Eagle vs. Shark portrays pakeha as awkward. That's just his style. We laugh at our failures, mistakes and humanity. That's what we all share. Anyone who has never seen that side of New Zealand, might not get it, but there is truth...
So sad to see a small percentage of the reviews are filled with unhappy small minded people(EGGS) that just dont get growing up as a Maori or even a part Maori as they have never & will never experience that. So they put the race down & think it is always portrayed as poor. Many Maori & part Maori have grown up & had experiences like whats in the Boy movie...
Variety
pressApart from the local vistas and mostly Maori cast, Waititi has scrubbed away all culturally specific traits from his growing-up-Kiwi comedy, concentrating instead on the same things that might infatuate any other 1984-era moppet: a schoolyard crush, a missing dad and, above all, Michael Jackson.
Time Out
pressFurther proof that Wes Anderson has overtaken Quentin Tarantino as the world's most mimicked indie auteur, this Kiwi coming-of-age story employs enough quirky costuming, symmetrical framing and sub-Mothersbaugh-scored slo-mo sequences to make Max Fischer blush.
The New York Times
pressThis unpretentious comic tale of a youngster’s growing relationship with a long-absent father has a surprising rhythmic genius: joy juxtaposed with humiliation, silliness with sadness, fantasy with reality, and none of it formulaic. The editing feels fresh, as does the film.
Otago Daily Times
pressThe thing with Taika Waititi's wildly successful short film, Two Cars, One Night, was that it lasted only 11 minutes. Just long enough to generate a smile, and take a whole lot of us back to pub car parks in the '70s.
Newshub
pressIt feels like a while since I smiled this wide and felt this good watching any film, kiwi or otherwise. It was a great feeling
Los Angeles Times
pressWaititi never builds much momentum for his largely uneventful if sometimes inventive story.
IndieWire
pressThe result is alternately zany, sentimental, and remarkably insightful about the quirks of a child’s mind.
Hollywood Reporter
pressA cross between "The 400 Blows" and "Slumdog Millionaire" (though not quite in their class)... James Rolleston's sweet, winning performance in the title role as a kid with a lot of potential and a vivid imagination, largely overcomes the leisurely storytelling. It's a crowd-pleasing film that could find a modest theatrical audience.
A.V. Club
pressOne of the unexpected triumphs of Boy, an enormously likeable coming-of-age comedy, lies in its ability to recapture the vulnerability and optimism of childhood without becoming twee or maudlin in the process.
I really liked this film but it seemed like it was missing another thirty minutes. It should have been longer with a more developed story.
Taika Waititi's short OSCAR winning "Two Cars, One Night" was fabulous - so his first full length feature, "Eagle vs. Shark" was a bit of a let down. For a comedy it just wasn't that funny and it retrod ground that "Napoleon Dynamite" had already trod - to far funnier results. But in "BOY," Waititi hits the mark....
It would be nice if a Kiwi film could rise above bad acting and cartoonish caricatures. Painfully slow movie that relies on mawkish nostalgia. I find nothing lovable or charming in a 'comedy' about the awful things adults do to children.
As a Pom I had difficulty relating to this film initially, but when I watched it again, it appealed to me in a variety of ways as it shows a boy, his dysfunctional dad and a wish to escape his humdrum life into Michael Jackson land. Kids are the same - you could have transposed this to anywhere in the world and met the same type of characters in similar...
Absolutely nothing wrong with this film but yes you probably did need to grow up in NZ in the 80s to fully appreciate it. Loved it, kids love it, brought the dvd, watched it many times & see different things in it everytime but the star of the show is most definitely ROCKY!!
It cracks me up how people reckon that this portrays māori in a negative way. Funny how no one mentions that Taika's other movie Eagle vs. Shark portrays pakeha as awkward. That's just his style. We laugh at our failures, mistakes and humanity. That's what we all share. Anyone who has never seen that side of New Zealand, might not get it, but there is...
So sad to see a small percentage of the reviews are filled with unhappy small minded people(EGGS) that just dont get growing up as a Maori or even a part Maori as they have never & will never experience that. So they put the race down & think it is always portrayed as poor. Many Maori & part Maori have grown up & had experiences like whats in the Boy...
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