Feb 15, 2019
Hi everyone!
Andrew’s back with another Fantastic Fest feature, this time from Jonah Hill, who in my opinion, was robbed of a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role as Donnie in “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot” (Episode #217). Don’t forget to check out Andrew’s other recent reviews, including “Terrified” (Episode #404), “Sleep Tight” (Episode #397), “Beautiful Boy” (Episode #395), and “In Order of Disappearance” (Episode #390), the United States remake of which, entitled “Cold Pursuit”, was just released in theaters. Got any suggestions? Reach out to Andrew over social media, or let us know at onemoviepunch.com.
Take it away, Andrew!
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Hello, Film Fans!
Andrew here, back this week with a film that is a bit of departure from the typical Fantastic Fest fare. I’ve been bringing you suspense, crime and horror tales that, more often than not, have come from outside the U.S. This week, I’ve got a singularly American film that may well have premiered at Sundance instead, had they premiered it in the Winter rather than early Fall. That said, this is a coming-of-age story of a young boy who falls in with a group of outsiders and misfits, something that I and other movie festival attendees can find relatable.
Today’s movie is “Mid90s” (2018), the comedy-drama directorial debut of writer Jonah Hill. The film made its U.S. premiere at the 2018 Fantastic Fest with Hill and the full cast of skateboarders-turned-actors in attendance. The film stars newcomer Sunny Suljic as 13-year-old Stevie, who lives in Los Angeles with his loving, but often absent single-mother Dabney (Katherine Waterston) and his troubled older brother Ian (Lucas Hedges). Early on in the story, Stevie befriends a diverse group of older boys that spend their days hanging out at a downtown skateshop or filming their skateboarding antics at various parks and schools. Stevie’s innocence, short stature and boyish looks make him appear much younger than his new companions as we watch him do a lifetime’s worth of growing up over a period of a few weeks.
2018 saw the release of three skateboarding films. We will find out in a week whether “Minding the Gap” (Episode #242) will take the Academy Award for Best Documentary. As a Midwestern youth, Bing Liu filmed his skate friends for years, interviewing them in between stunts. As an adult, Liu returns home, speaking with his old friends and their families and shining a light on a cycle of substance abuse, domestic violence and poverty. The parallels to “Mid90s” are even easier to draw with the third film set in skate-culture, Crystal Moselle’s “Skate Kitchen”. Another film that drew strong marks from critics, “Skate Kitchen” takes us to Long Island, where 18-year-old Camille is welcomed into a group of rebellious skater-girls and, I’m just guessing here because I haven’t seen it yet, comes of age? Maybe all three directors grew up watching Christian Slater’s “Gleaming the Cube” and were all subliminally implanted with the need to put out deeply personal skateboarding stories just ahead of its 30thanniversary? Maybe I should get back to talking about “Mid90s”?
When casting this film, director Jonah Hill decided against casting child actors in favor of casting young skateboarders and teaching them how to act. This fact is evidenced throughout the film, but what some of these kids lack in dramatic talent they make up for in authenticity. The lone standout here is actor Sonny Suljic who, unless I am mistaken, is in every scene in the film. Appearing with Hill in numerous interviews and making the late-night rounds, Suljic has a wit that belies his age and we may end up looking back on this film as the start of a promising career. The other teens in the film pull off serviceable performances and the story gives just enough of an arc to each of their characters to keep them from being fully one-sided.
“Mid90s” is a promising debut for Jonah Hill. He’s been steering his career away from comedy into more dramatic roles, albeit in films that retain a dark humor, such as 2010’s “Cyrus” or “The Wolf of Wall Street” the following year. Hill wisely refrains from putting himself in front of the camera in his debut and, as he has repeated in interview after interview, Hill has done a good job of applying what he’s learned from working with world class directors throughout his relatively young career. That list including: Scorcese, Tarantino, Apatow; Gus Van Sant and Todd Phillips; The Coen Brothers and the Duplass Brothers, among others. The directorial style of “Mid90s” doesn’t mimic any of his influencers. Instead it has more in common with the rough cuts and rounded edges of the low-budget skate films it tries to capture. And I can’t let it go unremarked upon that the score was composed by none other than Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who continue their amazing partnership and propel this film forward using a terrific period soundtrack.
“Mid90s” is a too-brief, imperfect film that enthralls the viewer. It is a bittersweet guilty pleasure; the kind of movie that, if anyone still watched cable television, would be impossible to pass up when flipping through channels. Fans of difficult tales of adolescence, such as Harmony Korine’s “Kids” (which coincidentally came out in the mid-90’s) or of the British television program “Skins” or its later American version, will enjoy this film.
Rotten Tomatoes: 76% (CERTIFIED FRESH)
Metacritic: 66
One Movie Punch: 7.8/10
“Mid90s” is rated R and is available for rental on VOD and through Netflix’s DVD service to both myself and the maybe one other household that still gets DVDs in the mail. Remember to follow us on Twitter @onemoviepunch and we’ll be the first to let you know when any of the films we review hit a major streaming platform.
Come back next week when I’ll be reviewing “Suspiria”, the horror remake that somehow manages to be a singular artistic vision. There will be plenty to say about this polarizing work, so I’ll meet you in Berlin circa the late 1970s.