Not only is Jonah Hill one of the funniest people on the planet with the most impeccable sense of comedic timing (and a damn fine dramatic screen presence when he wants to get serious), he can now be considered a smart and stylish filmmaker, as his writing/directing debut, Mid90s, is 85 minutes of pure awesomeness.
This is an often times painful -to-watch slice of life about a 13 year old boy learning the ropes of teendom, trying to figure how what’s “cool” and how to be “cool” around the older kids, while taking those first malty sips of a 40, ripping those sweet-sweet beginner tokes on a joint, and getting your first taste of sexual experience.
The constant streams of vulgarity that spew from the mouth’s of the characters are so well-informed and completely organic to the time and place that this movie exists in that it can’t help but bring you back 20 years to when people lovingly called their friends “faggot,” to say nothing of the sense of time-period production design and costumes which believably evoke that particular decade.
Christopher Blauvelt’s patient and selective cinematography is a joy to watch, from the fact that it was shot in Academy ratio 1.33:1 and marked-up in post with grain and dirt-flecks, and there’s one specific, viscerally-charged moment (which I won’t reveal here…) that REALLY sneaks up on you.
Sunny Suljic is very good in the contemplative lead role, and Lucas Hedges goes completely against what we’ve seen thus far from him as an actor, playing a total asshole who is hugely unsympathetic; Na-kel Smith makes a big impression as the pack leader, and Katherine Waterston continues to be one of the most expressive actresses, able to convey so much with so little, often times letting her eyes do the acting for her.
Hilarious, sad, and amazingly observant, this is yet another A24 release that’s high on artistic merit and strong directorial vision, and even if the canvas is small and intimate, it’s no less compelling than any of the “bigger” movies that are out there.
Review by Nick Clement
