10 Films That Should Have Ended Ten Minutes Earlier

7. Boyhood

Richard Linklater's Boyhood is likely the finest film of 2014. Built around the central idea of filming a young actor at various points as he grows up, the film spans twelve years, seeing Mason (played all the way through by Ellar Coltrane) grow from little six year old to a fully grown adult leaving home.

While having the cast grow through the movie is a brilliant (if utterly crazy) idea, it's far from the best thing about the film. Linklater's pacing is exemplar, showing us not a parade Mason's major life events, but the things a person would actually remember about their childhood.

The initial focus is on the big stuff - his Mum an abusive, alcoholic step-Dad - but slowly it becomes more personal - a camping trip with his Dad, the aftermath of a break-up (but not the split itself) - giving us a proper idea of who Mason really is. The film doesn't bungle it at the end, but there is an argument that it should have ended before its final scene.

The ending as is sees Mason go on a trek with some new friends on his first day of college, which admittedly boasts some nice teenage philosophy with actual relevance to the movie. But given how integral his relationship with his mother (played by Patricia Arquette) has been, it'd have been interesting to see it end with their parting just before.