Movie Review: Mid90s, A Great Directorial Debut For Jonah Hill

Jeff D Lowe 10/5/2018 12:53 PM

We had the pleasure of seeing a screening for ‘Mid90s’, a coming-of-age movie by Jonah Hill, in his writer-director debut, revolving around Los Angeles skateboarding culture in the 1990s. It was an awesome and enjoyable movie that we were excited to talk about.

JeffDLowe (92/100): Jonah Hill’s writer-director debut is raw, gritty and comes with a story that packs more realism than most coming-of-age movies. ‘Mid90s’ may not be overly complex, and that’s okay because it continues a run of subtle slice-of-life scripts that perfectly captures what it is like to be a kid. A simple and nostalgic trip, Jonah Hill and A24’s ‘Mid90s’ is a must-see in a year dominated by formulaic big-budget blockbusters.

Whether it be disconnected dialogue or miscastings, so many coming-of-age movies don’t really nail the time periods their stories are set in. Having grown up in the 1990’s, it’s clear that Jonah Hill carefully replicated every bit of the culture and lifestyle for kids back in that era. The dialogue and attitudes of all the young characters will be incredibly relatable for any kid or parent who experienced that time period first hand.

Hill’s script is helped out by some great performances, especially in the lead role by 13-year-old Sunny Suljic. The job he does to portray a kid just trying to be cool and fit in feels like it is ripped right off the pages of someone’s real life. His character also gets the living shit beat out of him in various ways in one of the more physical roles I have ever seen in this genre. It’s quite the impressive job from a young kid who seems to have a promising career. Two of his friends in the movie are played by professional skateboarders Na-kel Smith and Olan Prenatt. You would never know that these two aren’t actors, because they slip into their roles with finesse and ease. All of the acting jobs ares solid, including Katherine Waterston, but I need to touch on Lucas Hedges for a second. Does this guy have the best agent in Hollywood? Some of Hedges’ acting credits include ‘Moonrise Kingdom’, ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’, ‘Manchester By the Sea’, ‘Lady Bird’ and ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri’. Hedges is basically averaging starring in one or more Oscar-nominated movies every year.

There are some movies that I sometimes can’t suggest for everyone, but ‘Mid90s’ has something for just about any moviegoer. Even if you didn’t grow up in the 1990’s, Jonah Hill does a fantastic job at laying out a slice of what it is like to be a kid with the obstacles of growing up. I can’t say enough good things about Hill’s debut behind the camera and this movie is a must-see.

KenJac (89/100): The past year and change have been outstanding for coming-of-age movies with films like ‘Lady Bird’, ‘Eighth Grade’, ‘Love, Simon’, ‘Blockers’ and ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ and more. Well, add ‘Mid90s’ to that revival, because this movie was a perfect raw look at what life can be like for kids who struggle to find their place. Also, it’s further proof of director Jonah Hill’s godship.

Sunny Suljic plays Stevie, a kid who is bullied at home by his asshole brother Ian (Lucas Hedges) and placated by his mother (Katherine Waterston). Suljic does an outstanding job in a role that required a ton of physical acting. I think he takes at least one body blow per line spoken. As somebody who grew up with brothers, I found Hedges performance perfectly indicative of that love/competitive relationship that develops over time. He doesn’t have a ton of screen time, but he really makes his presence felt when he’s there. The biggest load emotionally fell on Na-Kel Smith, who played Ray. Both him and Olan Prenatt are professional skaters that were recruited for this movie, but you would never be able to tell based on how great their performances were. It might have been because it was a familiar setting for them, but they felt so incredibly real and believable. None of their conversations felt manufactured or offbeat.

The pacing was great for an hour and 28-minute-long movie. It felt longer than it was somehow which was impressive considering how it seems 2 hours is the normal length for movies now. The set pieces were great and felt very authentic, and I’m sure it had callbacks people who grew up in Los Angeles would recognize better than I ever could. There are some scenes that will definitely make you uncomfortable by design, including some sexual and some semi-related to depression. You’ll be laughing one second, then sucking in your teeth the next.

This was a great opening project for Jonah Hill which hopefully can springboard his ascendancy with more directing roles. This was also just more proof that A24 literally can’t miss.

—
We won’t have a score for this movie for a while, but when it is out we will update with the audience score and Trillballins’ score, as well as have Jonah Hill’s best friends from Failing Upwards on to discuss the movie. Make sure to subscribe to Lights, Camera, Barstool and rate all 2018 movies below.