MID90s
****
Director: Jonah Hill
Screenwriter: Jonah Hill
Principal cast:
Sunny Suljic
Katherine Waterston
Lucas Hedges
Na-Kel Smith
Olan Prenatt
Gio Galicia
Country: USA
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 85 mins.
Australian release date: 4 April 2019
Previewed at: Roadshow Theatrette, Sydney, on 2 April 2019.
As an actor, Jonah Hill is well-known for comedic roles in movies like 21 Jump Street and its sequel, Get Him To The Greek and This Is The End, and his more dramatic parts often seem to contain a certain humorous element, too. Films like Moneyball, The Wolf Of Wall Street, War Dogs and Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot. Hence, it’s a bit of a surprise that his first film as director and writer, mid90s, is so serious - which is not to say that it doesn’t have a light touch. It’s more a ‘coming of adolescence’ story than a ‘coming of age’ one, because the chief protagonist is a 13-year-old boy who becomes enamoured with a group of skateboarders who are only three or so years older than he is and still kids themselves. It’s a fascinating debut and, while not strictly historical, it does draw on Hill’s own background growing up in Los Angeles. When asked just how intimate it is, he says, “… it’s not autobiographical. It’s a story I wrote that I wanted to tell. A lot of the feelings of growing up are personal. And maybe some things happened to friends of mine. But, ultimately, it’s complex characters I wanted to write, in a story that I really wanted to tell, you know?”
Stevie (Sunny Suljic, who was just 11 during filming) lives with his single mum, Dabney (Katherine Waterston) and troubled brother Ian (Lucas Hedges) in an impoverished part of LA. After eyeballing a bunch of young guys fooling around in front of a skateboard shop one day, he does a deal with Ian and returns to the shop the next day with his very own board. Gradually, he insinuates himself into their company until he becomes one of the gang. The two leaders are also the best skaters, African-American Ray (Na-Kel Smith) and flaxen-haired ‘Fuckshit’ (Olan Prenatt), the not-too-bright ‘Fourth Grade’ (Ryder McLaughlin) and Ruben (Gio Galicia), the youngest until Stevie came along. They’re pretty harmless kids but always pushing the limits, as boys that age are wont to do, which includes drinking, smoking dope and trying to hook up with girls. When Stevie comes home drunk one night and has a violent argument with Ian, Dabney forbids him from seeing his mates any more but Stevie’s found his ‘homies’ and he’s not going to give them up, not even for his mum. It’s a decision that will have consequences but, of course, the boy is unaware of this fact (and probably wouldn’t care if he was).
Hill has made some 60 films with many great directors and freely acknowledges that his filmmaking knowledge has come from them. He says, “I learned so much from Bennett Miller, and then I went on to Tarantino, and then Scorsese. And Coen Brothers, and Gus Van Sant, and Harmony Korine... I don’t ever want it to end.” He’s been helped by the amazing group of young actors he found for mid90s who, with the exception of Suljic, were all acting virgins. The kids in the gang are exceptional, totally raw and totally believable. Maybe that’s because they do really come from a skateboarding background but it’s also patently clear that they’ve made every effort to nail their characters, that they’re not just playing versions of themselves. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from Nine Inch Nails wrote the excellent ambient score during their 2018 European tour and it’s been released as a soundtrack, even though it’s only 13 minutes long. Don’t worry though, the film itself features a lot of ‘90s rock and hip-hop, too, including tracks by artists like Morrissey, Herbie Hancock, The Pixies, the Mamas and the Papas and Nirvana.
Mid90s is an impressive first film and it augurs well for future writing/directing efforts from Jonah Hill. Yes, it’s a ‘particular’ film that won’t light up the box office at your local multiplex, but it’s well worth 85 minutes of your time. Although it sometimes feels like a collection of vignettes stitched together, it has real charm and emotion and authentically conveys memories of that ‘fish out of water’ feeling that is so much a part of growing up, and how important it is to find your own tribe.
Screenwriter: Jonah Hill
Principal cast:
Sunny Suljic
Katherine Waterston
Lucas Hedges
Na-Kel Smith
Olan Prenatt
Gio Galicia
Country: USA
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 85 mins.
Australian release date: 4 April 2019
Previewed at: Roadshow Theatrette, Sydney, on 2 April 2019.
As an actor, Jonah Hill is well-known for comedic roles in movies like 21 Jump Street and its sequel, Get Him To The Greek and This Is The End, and his more dramatic parts often seem to contain a certain humorous element, too. Films like Moneyball, The Wolf Of Wall Street, War Dogs and Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot. Hence, it’s a bit of a surprise that his first film as director and writer, mid90s, is so serious - which is not to say that it doesn’t have a light touch. It’s more a ‘coming of adolescence’ story than a ‘coming of age’ one, because the chief protagonist is a 13-year-old boy who becomes enamoured with a group of skateboarders who are only three or so years older than he is and still kids themselves. It’s a fascinating debut and, while not strictly historical, it does draw on Hill’s own background growing up in Los Angeles. When asked just how intimate it is, he says, “… it’s not autobiographical. It’s a story I wrote that I wanted to tell. A lot of the feelings of growing up are personal. And maybe some things happened to friends of mine. But, ultimately, it’s complex characters I wanted to write, in a story that I really wanted to tell, you know?”
Stevie (Sunny Suljic, who was just 11 during filming) lives with his single mum, Dabney (Katherine Waterston) and troubled brother Ian (Lucas Hedges) in an impoverished part of LA. After eyeballing a bunch of young guys fooling around in front of a skateboard shop one day, he does a deal with Ian and returns to the shop the next day with his very own board. Gradually, he insinuates himself into their company until he becomes one of the gang. The two leaders are also the best skaters, African-American Ray (Na-Kel Smith) and flaxen-haired ‘Fuckshit’ (Olan Prenatt), the not-too-bright ‘Fourth Grade’ (Ryder McLaughlin) and Ruben (Gio Galicia), the youngest until Stevie came along. They’re pretty harmless kids but always pushing the limits, as boys that age are wont to do, which includes drinking, smoking dope and trying to hook up with girls. When Stevie comes home drunk one night and has a violent argument with Ian, Dabney forbids him from seeing his mates any more but Stevie’s found his ‘homies’ and he’s not going to give them up, not even for his mum. It’s a decision that will have consequences but, of course, the boy is unaware of this fact (and probably wouldn’t care if he was).
Hill has made some 60 films with many great directors and freely acknowledges that his filmmaking knowledge has come from them. He says, “I learned so much from Bennett Miller, and then I went on to Tarantino, and then Scorsese. And Coen Brothers, and Gus Van Sant, and Harmony Korine... I don’t ever want it to end.” He’s been helped by the amazing group of young actors he found for mid90s who, with the exception of Suljic, were all acting virgins. The kids in the gang are exceptional, totally raw and totally believable. Maybe that’s because they do really come from a skateboarding background but it’s also patently clear that they’ve made every effort to nail their characters, that they’re not just playing versions of themselves. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from Nine Inch Nails wrote the excellent ambient score during their 2018 European tour and it’s been released as a soundtrack, even though it’s only 13 minutes long. Don’t worry though, the film itself features a lot of ‘90s rock and hip-hop, too, including tracks by artists like Morrissey, Herbie Hancock, The Pixies, the Mamas and the Papas and Nirvana.
Mid90s is an impressive first film and it augurs well for future writing/directing efforts from Jonah Hill. Yes, it’s a ‘particular’ film that won’t light up the box office at your local multiplex, but it’s well worth 85 minutes of your time. Although it sometimes feels like a collection of vignettes stitched together, it has real charm and emotion and authentically conveys memories of that ‘fish out of water’ feeling that is so much a part of growing up, and how important it is to find your own tribe.
