Eighth Grade
Composite Score: 84.63
Starring: Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, Emily Robinson, Jake Ryan, Daniel Zolghadri, Fred Hechinger, Imani Lewis, Luke Prael, and Catherine Oliviere
Director: Bo Burnham
Writer: Bo Burnham
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Coming of Age
MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexual material
Box Office: $14.35 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Eighth Grade is Bo Burnham’s 2018 coming-of-age dramedy about a girl in the last weeks of eighth grade and her attempts to overcome the stigma of being voted Most Quiet in her class as she also prepares to jump into high school. The film stars Elsie Fisher as its leading lady Kayla Day alongside the likes of Jake Ryan as the awkward but kind Gabe, Josh Hamilton as Kayla’s father Mark, Emily Robinson as Kayla’s new high school friend Olivia, and Luke Prael as the “cute guy” Aiden. The film’s authentic representation of its era’s middle schoolers, resonant themes of adolescence and growing up, and combination of humor and heart in its storytelling have made it an indie darling and instant classic, even earning Fisher a Golden Globe nomination for her performance.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
Eighth Grade is an intentional cringe-fest, designed by writer/director Bo Burnham to make the audience recall the worst parts of their middle school experiences – the awkward pool parties, ill-advised crushes, friendship drama, dreams of becoming famous/going viral on whatever the latest multimedia sensation happens to be, etc. Unfortunately, he and his actors have done such a good job capturing the hilarity, awkwardness, discomfort, and occasional anxiety of middle school so well that some viewers might have a legitimately difficult time sitting through the whole film. Even if certain of the film’s heavier (and necessary I will add) moments aren’t necessarily triggering, there’s enough repressed memories contained in the rest of this film’s runtime to leave even the most popular middle school alum a bit scarred. I think the film’s authenticity makes it one of the best school movies ever made, but I can also understand how some of its scenes/characters/themes might make some viewers more uncomfortable than they’d like to be while partaking of a film.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Burnham’s screenplay is an amazing blend of comedy and drama, delivering some of the funniest moments I’ve personally ever experienced while watching a film and some of the most harrowing – and all of it very true to life in a way that makes the coming-of-age tale universally relatable even when its references are aggressively late-2010s. From the nameless kid saying “Lebron James” off-screen to the “hot” guy dressed all in Adidas (complete with a Steph Curry jersey) to the “Gucci” sign-off at the end of Kayla’s vlogs, the humor all feels incredibly authentic and very reminiscent of the middle school experience. At the same time, the drama of Kayla’s struggle to make a place for herself among her classmates, uninvited sexual advances from various guys in her life, and the impossible task of actually talking about what’s going on inside her head with an adult also feel so incredibly real and relatable that you can’t deny the reality of growing up – the fun and not so fun – that Burnham wants his audience to see and experience/re-experience.
All of it is only elevated by a star-making performance from Elsie Fisher who perfectly embodies the awkwardness of those early teen years. The costume choices and makeup design also go a long way in selling her as the everygirl that the script calls for, but her acting could stand on its own. From the opening monologue to her final message of optimism, Fisher takes the audience on the journey that is gaining some sense of self at the end of middle school. Her “um” and “like” filled sentences that eventually start to give way to more complete thoughts and a more confident presentation always feel like the words of a middle schooler – but, you know, in a good way for the film.
A welcome blend of authentic humor and drama suffuse Burnham’s script that then receives an even bigger boost from the performance of Elsie Fisher, taking the whole film to a place of all-time greatness. Its cringier elements, realistic though they may be, might be too much for some viewers and take them out of the story entirely, but the film is an enjoyable watch, on the whole. It is currently streaming on Max for anyone looking to give it a watch in the near future.
