Is Jonah Hill's Directorial Debut 'Mid90s' Good? Here's What The Reviews Are Saying
Jonah Hill has gotten story credits before, and wrote a few episodes of his short-lived animated show "Allen Gregory," but "Mid90s" is the actor's first foray into directing. The movie focuses on a quiet kid who yearns to hang with a group of cool skaters. Is it a nostalgic Linklater derivative, or does Hill find his own voice with these foulmouthed teens? Here's what the reviews are saying:
We Follow Stevie, A Kid Escaping His Home Life By Sliding His Way Into A Group Of Skateboarding Teens
Thirteen-year-old Stevie (Sunny Suljic) is eager to escape his troubled home, where older brother Ian (a criminally underused Lucas Hedges) brutally beats him and mother Dabney (Katherine Waterston) overshares details about her rocky love life. Finding his place among the rabble-rousers who frequent the Motor Avenue skate shop, impressionable Stevie navigates the usual milestones of bad boy adolescence, building his identity on what he thinks everyone else wants from him.
Stevie finds his crew with local skater boys he has been observing from afar: Ray (Na-kel Smith), the cool leader of the pack; the goofy Fuckshit (Olan Prenatt), nicknamed for his trademark line "fuck, shit, that was dope"; the tight-lipped documentarian called Fourth Grade (Ryder McLaughlin) to match his intelligence level; and Ruben (Gio Galicia), who is about Stevie's age but likes to act older and cooler ("I smoke, I skate, I fuck bitches," he declares). Stevie eventually earns the nickname "Sunburn," and the more he's accepted within the group, the more jealous Ruben becomes.
Hill Brings Layered Performances Out Of The Skate Kids, None Of Whom Acted For Film Before
"Mid90s" is the kind of movie so familiar it's practically over before it begins[…] However, the first feature from writer-director Jonah Hill shows some of the best qualities of veteran actors who step behind the camera, with nuanced performances so real the characters practically fall off the screen.
These characters feel alive, and while Hill certainly shows he knows how to tell a story visually, performances — especially from non-professionals — are a vital aspect of directing that some people just don't have the skill for. Hill's got it.
[Collider]
Suljic Sells Stevie's Transformation From Quiet Kid To Part Of The Gang
Sunny Suljic gives a performance of the purest boyhood, one that's by turns wary, ebullient, circumspect, and cocky. He shows you just what it is that Stevie is drawn to. It's the shock of the new, which lets him grow up.
[Variety]
Suljic conveys that intense need beautifully, even as he lurks on the outskirts of this new community for the first act of the film, finding his way in slowly.
Suljit, his wavy hair framing a series of muted expressions, provides a powerful centerpiece to every scene. Channeling Antoine Doinel in "The 400 Blows," he grounds the movie's by-the-numbers trajectory with an authenticity that elevates it.
Some Darker Themes Are Left Hanging, Which In Turn Limits Lucas Hedges' Powerful Performance
The film goes to some dark places, and I found myself wanting a little bit more on Hedges' character to better understand where he was coming from (and in a surprise to no one, Hedges once again proves himself a phenomenally talented chameleon here).
[Collider]
Hill opens up other troubling storylines but fails to address them further: the older brother's cruelty (the source of his anger is briefly hinted at when Ian tells Stevie about their mother's dating history); and also Stevie's masochistic tendencies (he self-asphyxiates, literally washes his mouth with soap and furiously brushes his leg as punishment).
The Reznor/Ross Score And The Needle Drop Soundtrack Picks Do Wonders For The Film
This is like nothing they've done before — it's wonderfully diverse in nature, with a piano-driven main theme but also a few delightful detours into other styles. It's very different from their work with David Fincher, but suggests an eagerness to play around with various styles while still providing exactly what this specific film needs. It's fun, haunting, and moving in equal measure.
[Collider]
A score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross beautifully complements Stevie's youthful yearning to belong, the main theme a lulling piano melody that reappears at pivotal moments to pull at the strings of your heart. Of course, the nineties atmosphere wouldn't be complete without needle drops from the likes of The Pixies, Morrissey, and Nirvana. Every song takes you back to a time you wouldn't want to relive, but that you'll never be able to forget.
The soundtrack is full of canon favorites (Hill clearly had an enormous music budget), and while one can expect tracks from many obvious, great artists of the era, I appreciated that Hill employed a Bad Brains track that felt somewhat out of place from everything else.
By Awkwardly Imposing Structure, Hill Second-Guesses The Parts Of His Film That Work Just Fine
"Mid90s's" plotlessness is a bit of a ruse: There's a pretty standard coming-of-age structure at work here. Stevie gets to know the gang of skaters, starts to hang out with them, and then gets into some fun scrapes, such as a confrontation with a rent-a-cop (Jerrod Carmichael). The boy sustains a nasty head wound attempting a difficult trick, which only earns him more respect; he later starts drinking, smoking, and partying.
Hill wants to evoke the laidback style of Larry Clark's "Kids," as tied with the contained formalism of early Scorsese, but it often comes across as a belabored attempt to capture the meandering, aimless nature of hanging out. When "Mid90s" eventually tries to tie up the loose ends previously designed to remain loose, you can see the clumsy attempts to conceal the seams that keep Hill's film together.
Again and again, "Mid90s" falls into routine: the arguments arrive right on cue, as do the resolutions, and a tidy climax puts a bow on the entire ordeal.
TL;DR
The best thing I can say about "Mid90s" is that Hill gets what it means to want to be cool. It's ironic that this is his debut's greatest liability.
Watch The Trailer