Mid90s

The reason I wanted to check this film out was because of Jonah Hill. It's interesting to see actors give a shot at directing, writing or even both and for a first feature, Hill doesn't disappoint.

Mid90s follows Stevie, a young kid with a troubled family life, and finds a group of friends at a skate shop during the... mid 90s obviously.

If there is one thing that's executed extremely well, then it's the authentic feeling of the 90s when you watch it. The film has 4:3 aspect ratio and revolves around skateboarding, teenagers, drugs and many more aspects which attribute to the 90s feeling. This film is clearly very personal to Jonah Hill because of how realistic it looks. I really liked the music choices since it amplified the 90s atmosphere even more. It's blatantly targeted towards people from that time period and I'm sure that group of people will find this movie extremely nostalgic. Hill's script is very enjoyable and quite humourous at times. The characters were really fun to watch and what made them believable were the performances by the actors.

Sunny Suljic did an incredible job especially as a child performer. He had a lot of range in his acting and played the role to the best of his ability. Na-kel Smith, Olan Prenatt, Gio Galicia and Ryder McLaughlin all gave terrific performances especially considering that fact that all of them haven't acted much before this. Even Lucas Hedges did well as I thought he suited the role.

Whilst watching the movie, it reminded me a lot of Larry Clark's KIDS and I'm sure that film was a huge inspiration to Jonah Hill but it kind of made Mid90s lose some of its originality. Also towards the end, the editing became messy. There was a scene that included somewhat of a jumpscare that I didn't like at all.

Mid90s is nowhere near flawless but I respect the amount of work Jonah Hill put into his directorial debut. It's a fun, nostalgic and personal trip coming from someone who's lived through that time and wants to share his love for that period to everyone.

Aside from a couple minor issues I had with this film, I loved it. It just felt incredibly real. I didn't feel like I was watching actors. I felt like I was watching the lives of these kids unfold, and that those lives would just continue unfolding even when the camera wasn't rolling.

Just incredible mixed feelings after watching: sadness for time passing by, melancholia for those ages and of course, joy for being part of them...Well done Jonah!

First off, the soundtrack is amazing. Second, the acting is superb. So good in fact, it actually feels like a documentary.

I grew up with the skater kids, and it was an honest portrayal. Often misfits and somewhat broken, but usually loyal and just searching for a place where they can fit in and escape from some of their problems in life. Very few writers and directors can portray human psychology accurately. Usually characters are just portrayed as good or evil, rather than a product of complex genetic and environmental conditioning with both a good side and a dark side. People are not born and raised on the same playing field in terms of health, love, wealth, support, intelligence, attractiveness and opportunities. Most try their best but often fail or make mistakes. As a result, judgement of others is absurd. This movie captures all of that beautifully.

Sunny Suljic is going to be a superstar. At age 13, he exudes both genuine kindness and humbleness, as well as being able to simultaneously convey an edgy darkside. He has already surpassed many actors 30 years his senior.

When I first saw the trailer for this movie months back it was hard to not see some similarities from Larry Clark's teenage slice of life movies from the late 90s and early 2000s. Once I saw the movie I was pleased to see while some parts may be influenced by Clark, the Mid 90s stands on its own as true winner.

Much like Clark did, Hill has brought in some kids who have no acting experience here to play Stevie's crew. They all really knock it out of the park and add to the sense of realism. The film is short and sweet setting up the main points quickly and then taking some great turns, some of which are a bit dark. I was a big fan of Lucas Hedge's character and how the dynamic of him and Stevie plays out. The soundtrack also is really quite amazing and adds a lot to the film in some scenes. Also Mid 90's may have the best jump scare of the year!

Some people may complain that while the film does have good characters, setting and so on, it lacks a standard plot. While this is true I'd argue that it sets out to tell the story of Stevie in a realistic fashion and gets the job done. While Mid 90s does have some shortcomings like some cliches and some heavy predictability, I didn't feel like they hindered the film much. A strong 8/10.