MID90s (2018) Review

If we were told in 2007 that the star of Superbad was going to write and direct a movie in 2018, I think we would all be able to guess exactly what kind of movie that would be. That movie is Mid90s, a tale of skating, friendship, and acceptance for a 13-year-old boy who has no idea who the f*ck he is. While the movie holds no bars against its aggression and blatancy, it claims an aesthetic (and aspect ratio) that screams nostalgia and youth. However, it seems in parts to only put on a pretty picture, and the climax finds itself suffering under the weight of the rushed and panicked plot.

With his bully of a brother (Lucas Hedges) and over-sharing mom (Katherine Waterston), Stevie (Sunny Suljic) feels suffocated in his home life, and searches for a place to belong. He finds this in the skating crew at the Motor Skate shop, and starts an adventurous whirlwind with his new band of brothers. Stevie learns and experiences the aspects of growing up, while trying to maintain friendships, be cool, and manage life at home.

The biggest issue with the film is its cohesiveness. In a slice of life film, events are meant to melt and fold together, with a plot intertwined seamlessly – the audience shouldn’t have to be forced to weigh the film’s events against one another. This is what Mid90s feels like. Stevie is put into every situation individually. There are many factors at stake in Stevie’s life, from his family, to his skating friends, to his well-being. Every major situation feels like a decision made considering one of these factors – they don’t cohesively affect him like they would in real life. Any scene with Lucas Hedges connects only with Stevie’s family, any scene with the skating crew connects only with Stevie’s feelings about the skating crew. Even when scenes include both sides intersectionally, it feels separated So, when the plot is rushed with severity and urgency about the balance of life, it doesn’t feel natural.

Where MID90s succeeds visually, it takes a hit in its narrative. It is very clear that Hill wants to maintain a certain aesthetic, one of grainy close-ups and medium still-shots, that he was willing to sacrifice the pace of his own written narrative. I appreciate the aesthetic and its great when a director can express himself visually, but only impressive when it is accompanied by a compelling and consistent narrative. I get the feeling that this movie was made for those who only appreciate aesthetic, when it comes to nostalgia. Much of the plot is lost, almost feared, and the result is a rushed and shallow conclusion with no real message. This was frustrating, since the beginning of the film set up for the adventures of a lost boy, while the end turned quite cautionary as a result of many uncomfortable sequences meant to enhance the plot at the last possible second.

Even though events are superficial and only scratch the surface of the depth they should be taking, Suljic and Smith handle the material respectfully and deliver the best performance of the film through their skateboarding and their unspoken chemistry. Yet, despite their relationship and dynamic not digging at all as deep as I would’ve liked, they still portrayed what was given to them very amicably, and I left the theatre caring about them, and knowing they cared about each other. The skateboarding parts of this movie were fantastic, and the end montage was a beautiful cap.

For a movie about skate culture and growing up, neither was seen in excess as it should’ve been. The skateboarding montages said more about the boys’ bond than did any of the dialogue. While Hill tried to portray Stevie’s young and troubled life through an artistically pleasing slice of life in his directorial debut, all MID90s amounted to was a visually enjoyable nostalgia with a series of decision-making and loose connections trying to build a narrative.

Score: 5.6/10

Jade