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

| Jul 21, 2023

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

| Sep 3, 2021

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.

| Original Score: 4/5 | May 18, 2021

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

| Original Score: 5/5 | Sep 12, 2019

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

| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 21, 2017

[A] breezy coming-of-age story.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 13, 2017

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

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 13, 2017

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.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Oct 12, 2017

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.

| Original Score: C | Jul 10, 2013

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

| Original Score: 5/5 | Feb 7, 2013

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.

| Original Score: B+ | Aug 24, 2012

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.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jul 13, 2012

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.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jul 12, 2012

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.

| Original Score: B | May 3, 2012

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

| Original Score: B+ | Apr 27, 2012

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

| Apr 26, 2012

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.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Apr 26, 2012

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Apr 7, 2012

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.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Apr 6, 2012

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

| Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 5, 2012