Movie Reviews: Mid90s (2018)
Mid90s is a coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Jonah Hill in his directorial debut. It stars Sunny Suljic, Lucas Hedges and Katherine Waterston. I don't know who any of these people are, but I kept mistaking Waterston for Carey Mulligan. It was released on October 26, 2018 and runs 84 minutes.
The film tells the story of 13-year old Stevie (Sunny Suljic) who grows up in a low income neighborhood in mid-1990's Los Angeles. Frustrated by his youth and low position on the social totem pole, Stevie befriends a group of 90s skater punks who introduce him to drugs, alcohol, bitches, 90s slang, and of course, skateboarding.
Stevie's single mother, who bares a striking resemblance to Carey Mulligan, is a neat and tidy young woman we learn had Stevie's older brother when but a teenager. Stevie's disgruntled older brother looks very much like Eminem.
The Lowdown
The film felt very 90's, but at first I worried it would be nothing but 90's references. The film opens up with young Steve playing F-Zero on the SNES and wearing 90's shirts. After his brother leaves the day announcing "stay out of my room, you twerp," or something like that, Stevie dives into the older brother's room and we get a whole load of 90's rap references. Chubb Rock. Schoolie D. A wall decorated with baseball caps.
BAM! Nostalgia gun aimed right at my head. My older brother dug rap, though he could never afford more than a couple of CD's. My whole appreciation for the genre came from him. We also couldn't afford an SNES, either. Or that size of house. I guess the cost of living is different in Los Angeles. Anyhow, I used to sneak into his room as a kid. But that was to get at the porno's he hid in a shoe box under his bed.
Anyhow, we later see Stevie riding a bike as kids play out front with super-soakers. Then we face another nostalgia gun as Stevie enters a skateboard shop with skate videos played on a not-LCD television and a group of 'cool' kids sitting around on beat-up couches watching the video while punking each other.
Thankfully, Jonah Hill stops with the references here and starts using them in service of the story as Stevie gets the goal in his head: become friends with the skate punks.
Stevie at a point in the film gets the nickname 'Sunburn.' I don't know if it's because he hit his head or from the wipe-outs he has during the film. He has a crew consisting of Ray, the oldest and most talented skater; Fuckshit, who always says fuck and shit in his common parlance; Fourth Grade, who dreams of making movies but suffers from some sort of mental deficiency; and Ruben, the one who introduces him into the group and serves as the first rung on the ladder.
The theme of the story has something to deal with hierarchy and abuse. Stevie is a weak and naive 13-year-old boy who looks more like 10. He's terrorized by a mean, older brother who beats or manipulates Stevie. The skater kids, however, shrug off authority and do whatever they like. It's pretty clear: there is no path up the ladder at home but there is with the skater kids.
As Stevie earns respect he gains prestige, and even some jealousy. However, the life of a skate punk also involves injuries, alcohol, cigarettes, pills, and an aimless outlook on life. Just skate. Maybe get paid to skate like the people in the videos. But that appears to be the only options they consider. There was no path at home, but there turns out to be no path among his friends, either.
But at least among his friends he's not at the bottom of the totem pole anymore.
It's not exactly a genre film. At least, not in the traditional sense. There is story structure, the character makes meaningful, organic decisions that move the film forward. But even among the 'independent' genre of films it doesn't exactly fit in. I felt some subtle Napoleon Dynamite vibes. Other times felt like Lords of Dogtown. But it's its own thing. Which is nice. How did Jonah Hill get away with this?
Interesting Tidbits
The main actor of the film, Sunny Suljic, also provided both the voice and motion capture for Atreus, the son of Kratos, from the award-winning 2018 video game, God of War. I'm guessing the kid may be one of those young talents, like Macaulay Culkin or Dakota Fanning. Might be someone to pay attention to. Let's just hope they don't throw him into the Hollywood shredder before he's an adult.
This is also actor Jonah Hill's debut feature film. He even wrote the spec script himself! Is it just me, or does his name sound like the name of some boy band?
The Final Verdict
I didn't realize how early I saw the film, two days beforehand at the local theater. They even gave me some special handout from A24 productions. Was I supposed to be allowed into seeing this? There aren't even a whole lot of reviews out there to share with you. Critics seem to have a hard-on for the film, though, despite not exactly being a Millennial film. The Mid-1990's was in between the Millennial and Generation X. But audiences with their first impressions are giving it the good-ole 7.5/10.
I'd have to give it slightly higher at 4.0/5.0 stars. It was a different experience than what I'm used to seeing at the theater, and I appreciated some honest nods to how it was back in the 1990's. Not being bombarded by references, but instead seeing how those things played into life during the time sold the film for me.