Jonah Hill takes us to the Mid90s

This is a bit of an unexpected venture from Jonah, but he did a really good job with it. I was a 90s kid and I used to skate, so I see a lot of truth to this movie. Our protagonist is Stevie, a 13-year-old in Los Angeles who lives with his mom and his older, volatile brother Ian. And when I say volatile, I mean it. The movie begins with him beating the hell out of Stevie for going into his room, pinning him down and punching him in the face. This dude is a dick, but Stevie still aspires to get into that room and see what a real man's interests are.

Now this kid was wearing Ren & Stimpy shirts, but he chooses to abandon his childish interests in favor of the skater life he sees in a group of skate-shop hooligans. To Stevie, these guys are the coolest. They can do dope tricks, they smoke, they drink, and they've got this scene all figured out.

Stevie tries to learn how to skateboard, but these things take time. He tries to seem cooler in the eyes of his friends, and the rest of the movie deals with this journey, as well as his rebellious phase toward his family. He doesn't like his brother anymore because he's a loner asshole, and his mom sleeps around a lot.

That's where the influence is cemented. In one particular scene, none other than Harmony Korine walks out of Stevie's mom's room. This movie has Harmony's DNA all over it, reminiscent of "Kids" in the way of having our lead characters aimlessly wandering the city life skating, drinking 40s, and getting in trouble.


When I used to skate, I wasn't good enough to use ramps and gaps and grind. I was a flat-land kind of guy, but I saw the good skaters, and they'd mesmerize me. I was on the outside looking in. I was a square, always wishing my life would be more interesting like it was for the cool kids, but the grass is always greener on the other side, and this movie covers that. It ain't all fun and games, and one of our characters has to sit down with Stevie to put things into perspective for him.

Mid90s is a coming of age story that nails the 90s atmosphere, emulating the skate video look at times, with its full screen aspect ratio and round lens skate footage. It's relatable nostalgia for all those 'member-berries out there, and if Jonah Hill makes more movies like this, I'll be interested.