Was teen Jonah Hill a thrasher? That’s something I cannot picture. Hill was born in Los Angeles in 1983, which means that by the Mid90s, he was somewhere in-between 10 and 14 years old, or the same age as his new-to-skateboarding protagonist, Stevie (Sunny Suljic). So Mid90s is at least partly autobiographical, right? How else could Hill describe such an intimate and layered portrait of skateboarding kids? I first saw Hill in Accepted (2006), when -while playing a nerdy college freshman dressed as a hot dog- he was about as far removed from a skate punk as one might imagine. A lot happens in ten years, I s’pose.
Stevie idolizes his older brother, Ian (Lucas Hedges). Ian is a dick. We are introduced to the pair with a shot in their hallway corridor. The much smaller Stevie is being thrown into the wall opposite Ian’s room. This is most probably for the sin of curiosity, which –like a housecat—Stevie exhibits again two scenes later specifically breaking Ian’s decree not to enter his room. Later, when Stevie presents Ian with a CD carefully selected to Ian’s tastes and gets little more than a nano-shrug in return, the lesson is clear: it’s time for new idols.
The skate punks grabbing attention across crowded La Cienega, Sepulveda, or Chupacabra Ave, whatever, catch Stevie’s eye. Look at their stunts! Look at their clothing! Look at how that old man chases them away with a broom! Clearly, these guys know what time it is. In a short order, Stevie discovers their hangout, a skateboard themed store without any customers. Now, this is Heaven. No wonder this city is named “Los Angeles.” But how does Stevie break in to the group? All it takes is trading his video game collection to Ian for a board no teen would be caught dead on, a willingness to kowtow to the group elders, and *poof* “Sunburn” is the pack’s new omega.
Writer/director Hill gave himself the unenviable task of giving a soul to teenage punks who spend their entire days riding skateboards, hanging out, and harassing employed adults … and damned if he didn’t pull it off. I can’t remember the last time I could name five kids in a film – or could differentiate among five who all shared the same passion. Dreadlocked Ray –the best of the bunch- (Na-kel Smith) is the leader; pretty boy Fuckshit (Olan Prenatt) –so named for his two word response to most any stimulus- is the fool; Fourth Grade (Ryder McLaughlin) is the group videographer (is this little Jonah?); Hispanic Ruben (Gio Galicia) is the former omega who lets Sunburn join on the spoken
promise to stop using the words “thank you” and “sorry” (They’re “gay”) … and the unspoken promise that Sunburn learn how to skateboard, but not well.
With such a diverse group, Jonah Hill subtly delivers a powerful message of unity: slackers and punks come from all walks of life.
Another fairly unique phenomenon is I cannot remember the last time a movie ended and I wanted more movie. Part of this is because the ending to Mid90s doesn’t resolve, but most of it is I grew to love the quintet. I didn’t see that coming. At all. I think of most relationships among teen boys as superficial at best and corrosive at worst. The fact that the quintet has dedicated itself to perfecting hedonistic thrills doesn’t exactly speak to an altruism or camaraderie that might abate my preconceived prejudice. But, darn it, I felt for Sunburn’s crappy home life; I wanted him to find a niche among his selected group of vandals and our patience is rewarded when we discover they aren’t vandals; they aren’t even punks; and while they’re not devoting their enormous amounts of free time to charity or living clean, the boys do have a certain unique-yet-generous perspective. In short, I’m not ready to hand an Oscar to Hill and co. quite yet, but I’ll go another 100 films easily before I find another where I need to see more when it’s done.
Punk kids out getting their kicks
On boards, they leap chairs and take pix
Whether cradle to rock
Or the dog to walk
Oh wait, those are both yo-yo tricks
Rated R, 85 Minutes
Director: Jonah Hill
Writer: Jonah Hill
Genre: Throw-away lives
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Skate punks
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: “You kids get off my lawn!”
