Mid90s | 2 ½ out of 4 Stars |Rated R
By Kyle Osborne
It’s hard not to feel affection for actor Jonah Hill’s directorial debut, even though Mid90s is scruffy, rough around the edges, and feels more like a draft than a finished film. It’s not for everybody, but if you were a skater in the 90s, you’ll appreciate the authenticity of, and Hill’s fondness for, a specific time and place.
It’s essentially a coming-of-age story with young actor Sunny Suljic at the core of the story. He plays 13-year-old Stevie, who comes from a broken home and endures the fists and fury of his older brother, Ian (Lucas Hedges). He walks into the local skateboard shop in his Los Angeles neighborhood and encounters a group of misfits who will become his running buddies. He’s the youngest dude and a rookie skater, but he’s got balls and spirit. We root for him to gain acceptance, and he does!
My guess is that the cast are mainly non-actors who are believably good skaters. The performances are so naturalistic as to almost be, well, not performances at all. Hill is also credited as the writer, but a lot of this slice-of-life story feels like improvised conversations. But whether scripted or not, there isn’t a whole lot of narrative going on—it’s more episodic, meandering. Dudes hanging out, skating, partying. That’s pretty much it.
Hill grew up on Hip-Hop and has lovingly populated the soundtrack with the music of his youth, interspersed with an original score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It’s another strong element within the film.
So many strong points, and yet you can’t really say it’s a Four Star film. If this were a music recording, you’d call it a Demo—something that shows the potential for what could be. You can’t really say that there is a point to it all—not from just what’s here. As it stands, it’s a nice little drop-in visit with some cool kids who aren’t doing much. As if Hill had made a film of these guys being themselves in the same way that they (and all skaters of the era) brought along a camera to record each other’s triumphs and face-splatting wipeouts.
And then, less than 90 minutes later, it ends.
Jonah Hill was underestimated as an actor 11 years ago in Superbad, but then came Academy Award nominations for Moneyball in 2011 and for The Wolf of Wall Street in 2013. Everyone recognizes the depths of his talent as an actor now. You get the feeling he might just end up surprising people as a director someday, too. Mid90s is a solid first try.
Kyle Osborne