Nostalgia is a powerful tool. As a movie formula it works wonders: Stranger Things play the nostalgia card like its life depends on it, and even a Clueless remake is getting a shot at earning that sentimental dollar. Working with the indie-fave movie studio A24 (Moonlight, Eight Grade), Jonah Hill’s superb directorial debut Mid90s is an escape from the harrowing reality in which we find ourselves these days.
Mid90s is about a group of teens who spend their time skating, partying, and getting in trouble. The movie is an outstanding tribute to the wide-leg trouser era and a personal take on coping mechanisms at a time where saying thank you could get you in trouble for sounding “gay”. Subtleties in the movie like trading posters with your sibling and having to go outside to see what your friends are up to tug at the heart strings. Nostalgia.
Thirteen-year-old Stevie, played by the exceptionally good Sunny Suljic, desperately wants to make friends with the guys at his local skateboard store and spends a lot of time practicing skating tricks to impress them. Lucas Hedges (Boy Erased, Ladybird) delivers a sincere performance as Stevie’s older, conflicted brother Ian. With incredible performances from Olan Prenatt as Fuckshit, Na-kel Smith as Ray, Ryder McLaughlin as Fourth Grade, and Gio Galicia as Ruben – the Mid90s cast is as authentic and talented as they come. Hill’s script nails the nuances that give the characters depth and life – I’d watch these guys go get drive-through McDonalds for 90 minutes straight without getting bored.
The movie is crude but hilarious, and Hill plants seeds of frankness to challenge the same romanticising of the past that compelled him to make the movie in the first place. He found a way to expose the toxicity in masculine environments, something that is unfortunately fervently and deeply entrenched in our society to this day. In a poignant and emotionally-raw scene, Ray – the leader of the friend group – helps Stevie navigate the hardships of life by opening up about his own personal tribulations. “A lot of the time, we feel like our lives are the worst” Ray says, “but think if you looked at anybody else’s closet, you wouldn’t trade your sh*t for their sh*t.” This is a pivotal point for Stevie, and for us. Hill manages to portray the literal, yet complex way teenagers tend to interpret things, while allowing the actors to freely utilise their own vulnerability.
What elevates Mid90s from another nostalgia-hit is the soundtrack. The picks are outstanding – Nirvana, N.W.A., A Tribe Called Quest just to name a few – and resemble of what I think is Jonah Hill’s actual daily Spotify playlist. Talking to Pitchfork, Hill said: “a large ambition in making this film was to frame A Tribe Called Quest or Wu-Tang Clan in the same way that the Beatles were framed to our parents’ generation.” It’s a feat he accomplishes.
Jonah Hill’s filmmaking skills have been established through this infuriatingly good first try. But I can’t help but wonder if someone will make a movie called Mid-teens and glorify this dumpster fire of a decade years from now. I hope they will. We’ll probably need it.
Mid90s is in UK cinemas early 2019
Photo: thecrimson.com
