Review of mid90s (2018) by Joshua S — 13 Nov 2018

(Refreshed sigh.) God. That felt good.

Mid 90's is a straightforward drama about a group of down-and-out skateboarding kids, struggling to live Los Angeles. They party, get into fights, smoke, drink, play video games, and get injured. A lot. It focuses on a 13-year-old boy (played with aplomb by Sunny Suljic) as he tries to overcome his introversion and is initiated into this older, cooler social circle away from his broken home and low social prospects at the school he attends. This is the directorial debut of Jonah Hill and his inaugural effort is relatively restrained. It appears shot on a low resolution, handheld camera of the era, but I suspect that this is merely a visual trick or a filter. It works. The small-scale microfocus narrative calls to mind Dazed and Confused, and much like that cult classic it does not idealize the era it is set in. (Unlike say, Stranger Things which treats the 80's with glossy-eyed nostalgia.) Reminiscence is not on Mid 90's mind - it's merely an interesting backdrop to an unflinchingly realistic coming-of-age story. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross provide the score and it's quite good as one would expect, but it is the eclectic soundtrack with its mix of multi-decade pop/rock and 90's era hip hop that steals the show. Like its characters Mid 90's keeps its ambitions limited, but attains them so effortlessly you might overlook the craft involved here. A24 has delivered the goods once again and I charge you with the task of honoring them.