Academy Award nominee and comedy superstar Jonah Hill’s directorial debut, “Mid90s,” is a testament to the awkward phase of life that is early adolescence. The movie is centered around Stevie (Sunny Suljic), a 13-year-old boy growing up in Los Angeles with his single mother Dabney (Katherine Waterston) and his older brother Ian (Lucas Hedges), who always seems to carry an air of hostility with him. From the very beginning of the film, it is clear Stevie admires and looks up to his older brother. Stevie constantly sneaks up to Ian’s room, listens to his hip-hop CDs and admires his belongings in an attempt to get closer to his brother. When Ian does not reciprocate the love Stevie shows him, Stevie rides around LA to try and find his own group of friends to fit in with. Eventually, Stevie finds the Motor Avenue Skateshop and befriends the group of boys inside.
The four boys inside the shop — Ray (Na-kel Smith), Fuckshit (Olan Prenatt), Fourth Grade (Ryder McLaughlin) and Reuben (Gio Galicia) — instantly take Stevie under their wings, teach him how to skateboard and get into a fair amount of trouble around Los Angeles. From there, the rest of the film is a journey of maturation, as dynamics within the group change and Stevie’s life begins to spin out of control. After a few climactic events, the movie comes to a heartwarming conclusion and the ending scene — set to the classic The Pharcyde track “Passin’ Me By” — is guaranteed to bring a smile to anyone’s face.
The acting in “Mid90s” is downright incredible. Sunny Suljic nails the innocence and naïveté of Stevie in what may be one of the best child performances of recent years. Pro skater turned actor Na-kel Smith steals the show as Ray, the oldest and most talented skater in Stevie’s friend group. Ray is the most mature out of all the kids and serves as a de-facto older brother to Stevie throughout the film. He protects Stevie from a few of the bad things the group does and teaches him to enjoy life, respect other people and understand the different backgrounds which people come from. Smith’s performance is borderline Oscar-worthy, and his monologue to Stevie after a traumatic home event towards the back half of the film could bring even the most cold-hearted viewer close to tears.
In terms of filmmaking, writer-director Jonah Hill does a fantastic job in his first outing. Hill clearly understands the type of film he wants to make and executes his vision almost flawlessly. In interviews prior to “Mid90s’’’ release, he emphasized that he wanted the movie to be a celebration of the things he loved during his childhood, namely skateboarding and rap music. Hill portrays both of these topics with the utmost reverence, depicting them as heavenly escapes from the woes of real life. Skateboarding in “Mid90s” is a cathartic experience in which everyone is equal in their pursuit to get better and pull off the next trick. This feeling of freedom and purpose is what unites the characters in the film even after they begin to clash with one another.
The soundtrack is also a highlight. Besides the great original score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Hill fills “Mid90s” to the brim with some of his favorite hip-hop songs from childhood. Tracks from classic hip-hop artists like A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang Clan, GZA and Souls of Mischief soundtrack the daily life of Stevie and his friends and add to the youthful aura of the film. Hill explained in interviews that these songs were quintessential to his growing up, and they were chosen to enhance the authenticity of the film’s depiction of hip-hop and skateboarding culture in California. This personal touch is felt throughout the movie, as a palpable wave of nostalgia proceeds to wash through the viewer every time another classic hip-hop track starts playing.
Even though “Mid90s” has a few cliche events — mostly towards the end of the movie — the film’s themes of friendship and growing up still manage to strike a chord with the audience. The incredible performances from the entire cast — especially Smith and Suljic — elevate the film and make it more enjoyable than it had any right to be. With “Mid90s,” Jonah Hill has shown that he is a competent director with a very bright future outside of acting. “Mid90s” may not be the greatest or most groundbreaking coming-of-age film ever made, but the great storytelling and outstanding characters are enough to endear any viewer.
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