Boy
Acclaimed director Taika Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople) presents a creative coming-of-age comedy set in 1984, following an eleven-year-old Michael Jackson fanatic nicknamed "Boy" (James Rolleston). With his mother dead and father AWOL, Boy becomes the head of a household full of kids when his Nana leaves town for a funeral.
Out of nowhere, Boy's Dad (Waititi) rolls up in a vintage car with his "gang", and turns Boy's life upside down. There are treasure hunts, fistfights, and falling-outs, as Boy grapples to learn why his Dad left the family so long ago.
Waititi adopts a fanciful deadpan tone that's part Wes Anderson and part Flight of the Conchords, complete with child-like animations and hilarious re-enactments of Michael Jackson music videos. It's one of the most creative comedies you'll see all year.
Winner of Best Feature Film at the Berlin International Film Festival and nominated for the Grand Jury Prize: World Cinema - Dramatic at the Sundance Film Festival.
"BOY is a charmer, a funny and affecting coming-of-age story rendered with heart, and with nuttiness." - Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
Related videos
Comments (49)
Loved it. I cried. Excellent performances and very sincere. Taika Waititi is always on his game.
What a wondrous mix of charm, humor, heartbreak, heartfelt simplicity, and absurdist humor with a touch of ironic detachment. We are so fortunate to have this brilliant filmmaker! Touches of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. Be sure to watch the credits all the way to the end for an amazing bonus ...Read more
What a wondrous mix of charm, humor, heartbreak, heartfelt simplicity, and absurdist humor with a touch of ironic detachment. We are so fortunate to have this brilliant filmmaker! Touches of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. Be sure to watch the credits all the way to the end for an amazing bonus performance!
Read lessjust talk all the time. stop talking right now.
How lucky we are to have yet another fully realized escape into Taika Waititi's world. This is the sweetest movie about a volatile, dickhead, absentee, ex-con dad and a herd of kids (with no sign on protective services anywhere) going. 10 out of 10...or, as you'll say when you attempt a New ...Read more
How lucky we are to have yet another fully realized escape into Taika Waititi's world. This is the sweetest movie about a volatile, dickhead, absentee, ex-con dad and a herd of kids (with no sign on protective services anywhere) going. 10 out of 10...or, as you'll say when you attempt a New Zealand accent afterwards: "teen atta teen."
Read lessheartbreaking but loved it
thanks for your insights Seth.
I enjoyed this film. Sad and funny, good acting and a crazy plot. Beautiful scenery.
Very well done all the way around...the story, the acting and the photography, not to mention the director and all the people it takes to make such a creative film.
This is a well-written story and the child actors were phenomenal!
What a great story!
This movie is from A24. That means one thing. It's VERY FR*CKING GOOD. Trust me. I've seen almost all of their movies now (It's not my fault that I'm 'retired") And I have to say, this movie is probably VERY good. I can tell from the descriptionAcclaimed director Taika Waititi (Hunt for the ...Read more
This movie is from A24. That means one thing. It's VERY FR*CKING GOOD. Trust me. I've seen almost all of their movies now (It's not my fault that I'm 'retired") And I have to say, this movie is probably VERY good. I can tell from the descriptionAcclaimed director Taika Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople) presents a creative coming-of-age comedy set in 1984, following an eleven-year-old Michael Jackson fanatic nicknamed "Boy" (James Rolleston). With his mother dead and father AWOL, Boy becomes the head of a household full of kids when his Nana leaves town for a funeral.
Out of nowhere, Boy's Dad (Waititi) rolls up in a vintage car with his "gang", and turns Boy's life upside down. There are treasure hunts, fistfights, and falling-outs, as Boy grapples to learn why his Dad left the family so long ago.
Waititi adopts a fanciful deadpan tone that's part Wes Anderson and part Flight of the Conchords, complete with child-like animations and hilarious re-enactments of Michael Jackson music videos. It's one of the most creative comedies you'll see all year.
Winner of Best Feature Film at the Berlin International Film Festival and nominated for the Grand Jury Prize: World Cinema - Dramatic at the Sundance Film Festival.
"BOY is a charmer, a funny and affecting coming-of-age story rendered with heart, and with nuttiness." - Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer that it is very good. Also "Staff Picks" . If you read it all, you can see what the staff picks.
Read lessI enjoyed this film. Funny and sad at the same time.
resilience shines through this lovely and heartbreaking film.
sweet, sad and funny story of loss and dreams
How to put it... a brilliant and beautiful film about child abuse.
I really enjoyed this movie.
loved this precious story!
Watching this movie at .25x speed takes an upward of 4 hours to finish, I would recommend this movie at 1x or faster. Otherwise great content, although the plot felt slow.
Fabulous.
Great film, but sad reminder of what has been done to so many cultures by British colonialism.
well, I wouldn't just blame British colonialism. Know plenty Maori families that are raising responsible children-somehow this father missed the boat! thank goodness for Nana!
I think what Pamela is trying to get across is that the hardship presented in this movie is influenced by the generational trauma caused by colonization, including the immaturity of the father. I don't know any New Zealand history, but assuming they were colonized, that would have lasting ...Read more
I think what Pamela is trying to get across is that the hardship presented in this movie is influenced by the generational trauma caused by colonization, including the immaturity of the father. I don't know any New Zealand history, but assuming they were colonized, that would have lasting effects on the aboriginal families' generational lines. The consequences of colonizing a race are severe and the damage takes many generations to heal.
Read lesscute story but still IMO a 2 star film
you,ve missed the point. You cannot really appreciate the Maori culture unless you've been to New Zealand and met some Maori families.
"cute" is not an adjective that seems appropriate, but as you say-your opinion. Have you seen Whale Rider?
I enjoyed Whale Rider.
Excellent story, a real coming-of-age, but I feel like better than most. You really see how the main character Boy has grown, even though he maintains his own personality. He's seen his idol broken down and realized the responsibilities of family and the importance of family over cheap fame. ...Read more
Excellent story, a real coming-of-age, but I feel like better than most. You really see how the main character Boy has grown, even though he maintains his own personality. He's seen his idol broken down and realized the responsibilities of family and the importance of family over cheap fame. It was a great movie.
Read lessloved the Boy!! :)
Good
I love Kanopy for introducing me to Taika Waititi.
in search of the Wilderpeople, What we do at Night and Boy are all fantastic.
Saw this in NZ when it premiered. Forgot how wonderful it was. I laughed... I cried... I love BOY!
It's going to make you cry and laugh. At multiple times. Often simultaneously. Loved it.
Definitely not for kids due to the content. Loved this adorable film. Agree, so funny and so sad at the same time! I love the Maori version of Thriller at the end!
So, so, good. Funny, sad. Watch it.
One of those rare, unforgettable films in the vein of "The Gods Must Be Crazy". An unexpected delight.
Seriously funny.
Highly recommended but not to watch with younger kids. Even the sad parts were funny! Loved Rocky and his imagination - The end summarizes it all! Did you know that the father- Alamein/Shogun - is Taika Waititi? Good movie!
Is this a movie for children under 10?
definitely not for young children-the father was quite a con artist, but not a good role model. He hadn't learned from his incarceration. Thank goodness for Grandma! Of course Boy wanted to look up to his father and emulate him..Glad not more serious things happened while Boy was looking ...Read more
definitely not for young children-the father was quite a con artist, but not a good role model. He hadn't learned from his incarceration. Thank goodness for Grandma! Of course Boy wanted to look up to his father and emulate him..Glad not more serious things happened while Boy was looking after the littlies...
Read lessHe didn't learn from his incarceration but his sons seem to have made a dent by the end.
This film has not been rated by the MPAA or Common Sense Media. However, adult language, alcohol and drug use, and some violence is present in the film so we would caution against showing this film to a younger audience.
Thanks for the prompt reply.
Too sad for me...undercurrents got to me. Great children...acting was amazing...nuances of emotions wonderfully done.
Absolutely adored it <3
Boy oh boy, charming doesn't even begin to describe it. The sad parts are still funny and all the laughs come with an lining of sincerity and wonder. Waititi's imaginative writing and direction present Boy and his difficult situation without stripping him of the fantasies and folly that come ...Read more
Boy oh boy, charming doesn't even begin to describe it. The sad parts are still funny and all the laughs come with an lining of sincerity and wonder. Waititi's imaginative writing and direction present Boy and his difficult situation without stripping him of the fantasies and folly that come with growing up. An uplifting giggle-fest with substance!
Read lessVery enjoyable film.....and funny too.
This is a great film.
A charming and hilarious coming of age story from Taika Waititi.
I've seen all of Taika Waititi's feature-length films and I'm such a fan of his flair for storytelling and sense of humor. This film is smaller and less action-packed than his later films but it is a very sweet character study with a talented young actor (James Rolleston) in the lead role. ...Read more
I've seen all of Taika Waititi's feature-length films and I'm such a fan of his flair for storytelling and sense of humor. This film is smaller and less action-packed than his later films but it is a very sweet character study with a talented young actor (James Rolleston) in the lead role. When most people think of New Zealand they think of Lord of the Rings so it's really interesting to see the side of the country that Waitiki portrays here. Highly recommended, especially if you enjoyed Hunt for the Wilderpeople.
Read lessI would really hope that "most" people are not so ignorant as to think of Lord of the Rings in connection with NZ, which has sod all to do with the country other than it was shot there and Peter Jackson is a Kiwi. This movie is not in the same league as Jane Campion's movies , or "Once Were ...Read more
I would really hope that "most" people are not so ignorant as to think of Lord of the Rings in connection with NZ, which has sod all to do with the country other than it was shot there and Peter Jackson is a Kiwi. This movie is not in the same league as Jane Campion's movies , or "Once Were Warriors", a very old movie that introduced many people to NZ cinema, or, more recently, "Whale Rider" and "Eagle Vs. Shark", which was also by Taika Waititi. It feels more disjointed and a bit more superficial, but as there are so few movies from NZ available and even less that portray Maori life, I'll definitely be watching all his other movies here on Kanopy.
Read less