Boy

M
2010
|
88 mins
Trailer
Poster for 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... More

Where to watch Boy

Boy is available to stream in New Zealand now on... More Netflix and Google Play and Apple TV Store and NZ Film On Demand and TVNZ+ and Academy On Demand and Beamafilm and AroVision.

Boy | Ratings & Reviews

"Apart 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."

VarietyVariety

"Unmissable."

TVNZTVNZ

"Further 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."

Time OutTime Out

"This 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."

The New York TimesThe New York Times

"'Boy' shows a community adrift in the present."

Roger EbertRoger Ebert

"The 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."

Otago Daily TimesOtago Daily Times

"Funny, heartbreaking, wonderful."

New Zealand HeraldNew Zealand Herald

"It feels like a while since I smiled this wide and felt this good watching any film, kiwi or otherwise. It was a great feeling"

NewshubNewshub

"Waititi never builds much momentum for his largely uneventful if sometimes inventive story."

Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times

"The result is alternately zany, sentimental, and remarkably insightful about the quirks of a child’s mind."

IndieWireIndieWire

"A 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."

Hollywood ReporterHollywood Reporter

"One 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."

A.V. ClubA.V. Club

Boy | Details

Award winner
Best Film, Director, Supporting Actor (Waititi), Screenplay, Cinematography and Editing at the NZ Film Awards 2010.
Rating
M, contains drug use and offensive language
Runtime
88
Genre
Comedy
Country of origin
New Zealand