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.
I apologise, we feel bad, but there's no trailer available. ~Ed.
A movie that is distinctly kiwi, in all the good ways, Boy takes place in a beaten-down coastal village, a dead-end place where in the ‘80s one could only dream about the magnificence of Michael Jackson or the glamour of TV’s Dynasty.
It’s is a film with modest ambitions but a love for its subjects. Writer-director Taika Waititi takes from experience, using his ear for the musicality of the Maori accent to create a strong sense of place. Boy moves from comedic into more serious territory but, for once, we are not seeing onscreen Maori as hampered by domestic violence or mired in spiritual guff.
Excellent and honest debut performances from James Rolleston and Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu as his younger brother, Rocky, are hugely impressive. Next to them, Waititi himself comes off a little caricatured as their father, Alamein, who in his son’s eyes is imagined to be anything from a heroic soldier to a samurai warrior. The drama begins as Boy begins to see the real Alamein, a man not yet come to terms with his own adulthood and the responsibilities that ought to come with it.
Patchy pacing becomes an issue in the second half and some cartoonish moments create a distancing effect but this story about the gap between youthful potential and the puzzling mystery of adulthood is a feel-good, warm-hearted salute to the virtues of rural New Zealand. And it’s our best film in years.
By Andrew Hedley, Flicks.co.nz
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 hearted, funny and beautifully shot - "BOY" is sure to establish itself as a Kiwi classic before it matures. Don't be an egg - see it for yourself and enjoy.
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.
Good to see the eighties in a whole new light a funny and moving story
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 settings wanting the best things in life - a great film.
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!!
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.
The result is alternately zany, sentimental, and remarkably insightful about the quirks of a child’s mind.
Boy is a very funny and surprisingly thoughtful film of buried treasure, lost Mums, super-powers and Michael Jackson. It has one of the saddest scenes involving a goat to ever appear on screen, but still manages to be one of the funniest films in ages. Anybody who misses out on it is a total egg.
Funny, heartbreaking, wonderful.
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.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 25th Mar 2010.
Release date: March 25th 2010.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
