Eighth Grade (2018) Reviews

• Cringe-worthy, Honest and Deeply Empathetic

  Jared_Andrews2018-08-07

  'Eighth Grade' is a movie you'll be talking about for a long time. Bo Burnham, one of the O.G.'s of teen YouTube stardom, has given us an agonizingly rich and authentic look at what life is like for Kayla (Elsie Fisher), a shy 13-year-old girl in today's social media obsessed world. Burnham, directing his first feature, doesn't spare any detail and doesn't alter any truth. This film is exceedingly honest. It doesn't depict Kayla's experiences the way we might think they should be for an eighth grader or the way we might want them to be-they're simply presented as they are. Pool parties are a source of unbearable discomfort. First sexual encounters are not always pleasant. Kids with exploding hormones and little impulse control randomly shout unfunny phrases at assemblies in the hopes of earning a laugh. The storytelling has the feel of a nature documentary. We can almost hear the narrator describing Kayla's attempts to navigate her fascinating and frightening terrain. Playing the vulnerable character who's far from the top of the food chain, she's just trying to survive. Kayla, like so many kids her age, is a shy girl pretending to be confident. She posts advice videos to YouTube on how to be yourself, something with which she still very much struggles. As she records one video, she slowly rolls her chair farther away from the camera, indicating a declining level of self-assurance. This mirrors her real-world peer interactions, in which she stammers and laughs halfway through sentences as she begins to doubt herself and shrink with embarrassment, not that the self-absorbed "listener" bothers to notice. All the kids stare at their phones constantly. These modern mean girls barely bother to muster up the energy put others down with a passive-aggressive remark because that would involve speaking to another person. Instead, they inflict harm by neglecting to acknowledge an uncool kid's mere existence. As cruel as that sounds, these popular kids aren't presented as villains. This is simply their way of handling their own insecurities. There are no villains in eighth grade-they're all just kids trying to figure out their lives and trying to figure out themselves. And the adults don't know how to handle any of this. Kayla's dad wants to connect with her, but is met with constant rejection. He smartly gives her space and only requests her attention to remind her how much he loves her. In one scene, Kayla asks if she makes him sad, and he fervently reassures her that she makes him profoundly happy. Like Kayla, he can't always find the right words, but he successfully expresses the feeling. That scene is a microcosm of the entire film. Its dialogue isn't readily quotable or particularly memorable, and that's okay. What is actually said isn't as important as the meaning behind it. Parents can keep this in mind when they have conversations with their own kids, possibly directly after watching this film. Many kids and parents will likely watch it together since it carries an "R" rating (it's ironic that a film that accurately reflects the lives of eighth graders is deemed too adult for them to watch on their own). And parents should watch this with their kids, so they can both understand each other a little bit better. They'll both be better for doing so.

• I'm a 60 year old man...but now I remember

  shawlawoff2018-10-23

  I was introduced to Bo Burnham by my adult children who found his stand-up specials funny. I watched and found him extremely talented with an underlying sadness. I expected this movie to be uproarious with an undercurrent of teenage angst. Instead, it was incredibly poignant and moving. In fact, it was so painful atbpkints I found it difficult to watch. In the scene where she drops her cell phone due to excitement of being invited to the mall by an older friend, my eyes began to well up with tears. It is one of the most realistic movies regarding youth that I have ever seen. A painful watch but well worth it. Burnham has a big future ahead of him.

• Awful Waste of Time

  holly-4ever2019-01-20

  The premise of this film sounded somewhat interesting, but the reality of it is awful. (*spoilers*) This child is allowed to treat her dad like crap and he's the one apologizing to her? And the script is so bare bones, as if a sixth grader wrote the script. They threw in everything that they think is edgy and "now," but not only is it one of the most boring things I've wasted time watching, but it infuriates one to see how permissive parents can create horrible future generations. If you want to waste your time watching a ridiculous child looking at instagram, twitter, and make lame YouTube videos, watch this. No, the ending is not deep, it's scrambling to make something out of an awkward nothing. Can't believe this junk was nominated for anything. Doesn't even deserve a Razzie.

• Cringeworthy Film

  Minerva_Meybridge2018-10-12

  I do not know where to begin. Boring. Poorly written. Trite. Cringworthy. Like some grewsome horror film where someone's eyes are gouged out, I found myself wanting to turn my head away. The tale is about a truly awkward girl trying to fit in and doing a really bad job of it. Is it a spooler to say that a good part (and I hate to use the word "good" in describing any part of this filmstrocity) of it has to do with her learning how to perform a blowjob on the boy she has a crush on? Why not just make a movie aobut how 14-year-olds use the toilet? This is the level fimmaking has apparently sunken to. But then, I could not sit through Little Miss Sunshiine or Twilight either, so perhaps I am out of step with the rest of the world. Mind you, I'm not at odds with coming of age films. John Hughes knew what he was doing with Pretty in Pink, the Breakfast Club., Sixteen Caneles and Some KInd odf Wonderful, and I loved Claire Danes and Jared Leto in My So-Called Life. But a 14-year-old girl basically learning how to suck a hotdog, doesn't in my opinion, cut the mustard. And, yet, this is what the Hollywood liberal left craves. And they wonder about Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein? Gimme a break!

• WORST coming-of-age movie I have ever seen, and ever will see.

  ExPresidents2019-03-12

  I'd rather get thrown to wolves than ever watch this garbage piece of garbage trash movie ever again. I honestly want my money back, and I saw it for free.