History YMMV / Boyhood

* HypeBacklash: As is expected for something with unanimous acclaim, this movie has attracted some very vocal detractors (most notably [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lampOM4AhAk Red Letter Media]]), claiming it to be boring, suggesting that Ellar Coltrane is not a good actor (and quite a few of the child stars for that matter), and most of all, that the movie wouldn't have been as acclaimed if it were not for the central device in which it was filmed (that is, over the course of twelve years so that the characters literally grow up in front of our eyes, rather than being played by TimeShiftedActors).

** No amount of critical praise could keep this film from losing to ''Film/{{Birdman}}'', its main, equally acclaimed opponent for Best Picture in 2014.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: The scene with the UsefulNotes/JohnMcCain supporter is PlayedForLaughs for how cartoony he is for being anti-UsefulNotes/BarackObama. Fast forward to 2016 and many real life figures proved themselves to be just as outspoken.

* HypeBacklash: As is expected for something with unanimous acclaim, this movie has attracted some very vocal detractors (most notably [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lampOM4AhAk Red Letter Media]]), claiming it to be boring, suggesting that Ellar Coltrane is not a good actor (and quite a few of the child stars for that matter), and most of all, that if the movie wouldn't have been as acclaimed if it were not for the central device in which it was filmed (that is, over the course of twelve years so that the characters literally grow up in front of our eyes, rather than being played by TimeShiftedActors).

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Mason is a somewhat divisive protagonist. Some find him interesting and likable, others believes he's a dull jerk.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: The scene with the [=McCain=] supporter is PlayedForLaughs for how cartoony he is for being anti-Obama. Fast forward to 2016 and many real life figures proved themselves to be just as outspoken.

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: The movie seems to carry the sad but true message that if you spend all your time making others happy, you yourself may become unhappy.

* {{Narm}}:
** Most of the acting in the film is so natural it almost feels like a documentary. That is, until the scene where Samantha breaks down and screams at her mother about being dropped off at a new school wearing "dirty clothes", with over-the-top acting and typical teenage whining when the family has access to a washing machine, albeit no clothes of their own to change into.
** Some of the scenes of Austin nightlife before Mason goes to college, when he and his girlfriend are hanging out come painfully close to looking like they could be commercials by the city's tourist board.
** The scene with the anti-Obama guy is pretty cartoony. [[StrawManPolitical They beat you over the head]] that he is not a supporter of Obama, what with the Confederate Flag behind him and the fact that he refers to Obama by his full name.
** "I HATE SQUASH!" is either this or {{Narm Charm}}.

* VanillaProtagonist: Several viewers have claimed that the main character isn't all that interesting and believe his parents stole the show from him.

* {{Narm}}: Most of the acting in the film is so natural it almost feels like a documentary. That is, until the scene where Samantha breaks down and screams at her mother about being dropped off at a new school wearing "dirty clothes", with over-the-top acting and typical teenage whining when the family has access to a washing machine, albeit no clothes of their own to change into.

' SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: The movie seems to carry the sad but true message that if you spend all your time making others happy, you yourself may become unhappy.

* HardTruthAesop: Living your life for others instead of devoting it to yourself, may leave you unsatisfied and unhappy. Depending on your views, this might be SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped.

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop: Living your life for others instead of devoting it to yourself, may leave you unsatisfied and unhappy. Depending on your views, this might be SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped.

* {{Padding}}: Being a ComingOfAge film simply documenting a child's life into young adulthood, this can mostly be forgiven, though there a some scenes that seem to either go on for to long or don't amount to anything.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: In one scene, the kids' father had them out ringing doorbells for [[UsefulNotes/BarackObama Obama]], who was still a candidate at the time, but was later elected president. The lone [[UsefulNotes/JohnMcCain McCain]] supporter they encounter comes off as a possibly racist jerk, which has been taken as political swipe. On the other hand, the lone Obama supporter they encounter comes off as a bit of an airhead, and their dad, who's driving this trip, is a flake who thinks nothing of stealing McCain yard signs. So it can really be taken either way.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: One scene might be interpreted as a plug for President Obama, who was just a candidate when the scene was filmed but of course later became President. This is shown by the lone [=McCain=] supporter being a bull-headed, possibly racist malcontent. However, the only two Obama supporters shown are a hopeless aging hippie who (at the time, anyway) had trouble holding down a job and maliciously steals the [=McCain=] sign from the malcontent's yard, and a blonde airhead whose admiration of Obama seems to be more akin to Hollywood hero-worship than any political leaning. The scene was likely not meant to be political in nature at all, and more just one of the film's many signs of the times.

* AwardSnub:
** No amount of critical praise could keep this film from losing to ''Film/{{Birdman}}'', its main, equally acclaimed opponent for Best Picture in 2014.
** Despite all of the press and praise for Richard Linklater's work, he ended up losing all three categories that he was up for.

* HypeBacklash: As is expected for something with unanimous acclaim, this movie has attracted some very vocal detractors (most notably [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lampOM4AhAk Red Letter Media]]), claiming it to be boring, suggesting that Ellar Coltrane is not a good actor (and quite a few of the child stars for that matter), and most of all, that if the movie wouldn't have been as acclaimed if it were not for the central device in which it was filmed (that is, over the course of twelve years so that the characters literally grow up in front of our eyes, rather than being played by TimeShiftedActors).

* HilariousInHindsight: Mason's conversation with his Dad about the possibility of another ''Franchise/StarWars'' movie (filmed sometime around 2007-2008), saying that in the unlikely event of another movie, it couldn't be set after ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''. The year before the film finished shooting, ''[[Film/TheForceAwakens Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens]]'' was announced, and news that it would be set decades after ''Return Of The Jedi'' followed. Even more amusing is that Disney/Lucasfilm ''do'' want to make spin-off movies that take place before the Original Trilogy and Prequel Trilogy.

* UnfortunateImplications: [[http://www.avclub.com/article/most-problematic-scene-boyhood-215961 Some]] [[http://www.latinorebels.com/2015/02/09/racism-in-boyhood-is-the-worst-kind/ viewers]] interpret the two scenes with Ernesto, one of very few non-white characters in the film, as reeking of WhiteMansBurden.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: One scene might be interpreted as a plug for President Obama, who was just a candidate when the scene was filmed but of course is now President. This is shown by the lone [=McCain=] supporter being a bull-headed, possibly racist malcontent. However, the only two Obama supporters shown are a hopeless aging hippie who (at the time, anyway) had trouble holding down a job and maliciously steals the [=McCain=] sign from the malcontent's yard, and a blonde airhead whose admiration of Obama seems to be more akin to Hollywood hero-worship than any political leaning. The scene was likely not meant to be political in nature at all, and more just one of the film's many signs of the times.

* HilariousInHindsight: Mason's conversation with his Dad about the possibility of another ''Franchise/StarWars'' movie (filmed sometime around 2007-2008), saying that in the unlikely event of another movie, it couldn't be set after ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''. The year before the film finished shooting, ''[[Film/TheForceAwakens Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens]]'' was announced, and news that it would be set decades after ''Return Of The JEdi'' followed. Even more amusing is that Disney/Lucasfilm ''do'' want to make spin-off movies that take place before the Original Trilogy and Prequel Trilogy.

* EndingFatigue: A common complaint of the film is that it takes '''forever''' to end. As soon as Mason converses with his mother (one ending), he drives off to start a new life (another possible ending), meets people in college, and doesn't end until he sits down and talks with his new friend. That's THREE possible endings padding out the film an extra twenty minutes.

** "I HATE SQUASH!" is either this or {{NarmCharm}}

* HilariousInHindsight: Mason's conversation with his Dad about the possibility of another Star Wars movie (filmed sometime around 2007-2008), saying that in the unlikely event of another movie, it couldn't be set after ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''. The year before the film finished shooting, ''[[Film/TheForceAwakens Star Wars Episode VII]]'' was announced, and news that it would be set decades after ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' followed. Even more amusing is that Disney/Lucasfilm ''do'' want to make spin-off movies that take place before the Original Trilogy and Prequel Trilogy.