Well, first of all I need to start this by saying that I had good expectations about the movie, the brilliant idea that someone made a movie over so many years was new and exiting and the perfect answer of a common complain that the use of different actors for the same character is not good to keep the flow of a movie. That's what Harry Potter is all about, but it doesn't count really in this format.
I knew about this movie for about some time, how can I not hear about it when the idea is so good, then came the Oscars and I finally got my hands on a copy, well then this is what happened, it was one hour into the movie and I realized it was going to be long, like Lord of the Rings long, then halfway into the movie I was wondering about what I needed to do the next day (never a good sign), by the time the movie ended I was "oh...that's it?" what I mean by this is that if you make a movie over 12 years you should make a deep intertwine flowing story, the fascination of watching them grow old fades away rather quickly over the fact that they don't do much, is like watching the mediocrity and boring side of a family, I just didn't get it.
Anyways, the movie follows Olivia the mother of Mason and Samantha and how they live for over 12 years, the idea is brilliant, they often say that movies lose their magic when you get distracted and in most cases it happen by the use of different actors playing different stages of life, but in this case the magic in constant and I repeat myself, such a brilliant idea that I don't get why aren't more movies like this out there, my problem is that there should have been a deeper story, in the end you just saw flashes of different moments that don't really connect, where is the psychological damage? if you put in an abusive father, that has got to leave some sort of trauma, right? there is too much conformism to be something with value at the end.
There should have been more stories that intertwine with the past and the future, with and opportunity like this I guess that I'm angry that it wasn't fully exploit to it maximum momentum.
The real problem for me is the lack of flashbacks, why didn't the use this option? it would have been perfect, but then maybe and like the movie the script was written in over 12 years, with some more planning it would of been truly a fascinating experience.
Also on the topics of drugs, sex and alcohol, to me it seemed too stereotypical nothing much to say or do about it, it was like watching any other troubled teenage movie, it was a bit too general.
Having said that I think my favorite part was the Latin guy who got his studies in order thanks to the advice of Olivia, it was a beautiful scene and there should have been more of those in the movie, it was almost 3 hours long they totally could've done it. And yes the Oscar to Patricia Arquette was totally well deserved her character was the true connecting line.
I just hope that now that the idea is there someone would rise to the challenge to make a better one.
