Paul Kanieski KSQD Community Radio Jul 21, 2023

Waititi’s deft acting and comedy skills straddle the line between ironically funny and lovably pathetic.

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Graeme Tuckett The Post NZ Sep 3, 2021

As with all great comedy, there's some sadness and grit at its core that grounds the laughs in a relatable drama.

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Danny Brogan Common Sense Media May 18, 2021 4/5

A beautiful, heart-warming film that will be relatable to teens and will remind anyone older of a time when they too were trying to make sense of the world.

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Kate Rodger Newshub (NZ) Sep 12, 2019 5/5

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

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Stephen Carty Radio Times Dec 21, 2017 3/5

The film may be slight, but there's plenty of charm and wit to engage and amuse.

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Allan Hunter Daily Express (UK) Oct 13, 2017 4/5

[A] breezy coming-of-age story.

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Cath Clarke Guardian Oct 13, 2017 4/5

It's a disarmingly lovely, big-hearted film, and hilarious in places.

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Jennie Kermode Eye for Film Oct 12, 2017 4.5/5

It's relentlessly funny but depends in equal part on the charm of its characters and on Boy's sense of wonder at the world.

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Cory Everett The Playlist Jul 10, 2013 C

The momentum from the opening dissipates early and without a real engine pushing the movie foward, it begins to drag...the film is 87 minutes and feels like it's 2 hours.

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Amber Wilkinson Eye for Film Feb 7, 2013 5/5

This is an upbeat, often hilarious, but never mawkish, celebration of love.

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Erick Weber NECN Aug 24, 2012 B+

It's one of those flicks that has more resonance than you may at first realize and a level of charm that few films contain.

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John Barber Globe and Mail Jul 13, 2012 3/4

Even the inevitable flaws of the low-budget production are winning, showcasing as they do the narrative artistry that makes Boy so distinctive amid current factory-written studio productions.

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Linda Barnard Toronto Star Jul 12, 2012 2.5/4

A simple story of coming of age and the bitter failings of hero worship that succeeds thanks to the impressive skills of its young star.

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Sam Adams Philadelphia City Paper May 3, 2012 B

Rolleston's winning presence doubtless has much to do with the fact that Boy is a record-breaking hit in its home country, but there's some salt mixed in with the film's sugar.

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Tom Long Detroit News Apr 27, 2012 B+

"Boy" finds hope, and love, in the oddest corners.

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J. R. Jones Chicago Reader Apr 26, 2012

Waititi has reached into his past for a story that belongs to him alone.

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Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Apr 26, 2012 3.5/4

A film like this would have little chance without the right casting, and James Rolleston is so right as Boy, it's difficult to imagine anyone else.

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Marjorie Baumgarten Austin Chronicle Apr 6, 2012 3.5/5

A performer and comedian before becoming a filmmaker, Waititi uses his comic sensibilities to keep Boy from becoming mawkish or clichd. He has created a coming-of-age tale that is truly original.

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Steven Rea Philadelphia Inquirer Apr 5, 2012 3/4

Boy is a charmer, a funny and affecting coming-of-age story rendered with heart, and with nuttiness.

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Mike Russell Oregonian Apr 5, 2012 B

Waititi does a nice tonal juggling act, balancing eccentric characters, a 1980s setting, child-drawn animation and Maori-inflected restagings of Michael Jackson videos with the painful consequences of parental neglect.

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