Jonah Hill Provides A Snapshot Of Hip-Hop And Skate Culture In 'Mid90s'

Image from The Daily Beast

By Darian Scalamoni

            It was back in early 2017 when Jonah Hill announced Mid90s as his directorial debut and when the details emerged that the movie would be in the same vein as films such as Kids, Lords of Dogtown and Dazed and Confused, I was excited to see what he could bring to the screen. Luckily, I wasn’t disappointed.

            Mid90s follows a 13-year old named Stevie, who is played magnificently by Sunny Suljic, wanting to fit into the Los Angeles skateboarding scene. He has an admiration for the lifestyle of skateboarders that are years older than him. These skaters in particular are named Ray, Fuckshit, Ruben and Fourth Grade. These teenage skateboarders are actually played by skaters in the film. They all hold their own with their acting but the one who shows the most chops is Ray, who is played by Na-Kel Smith. In particular, a scene in which Ray has a conversation with the much younger Stevie about life and what to aspire to, he truly stands out.

            Hill has said in interviews for the film that he tried to paint a picture of what his life was like growing up in L.A. in the 90s with the hip-hop culture serving as a backdrop for ultimately the bigger influence, skateboarding. Hill’s direction was confident in a first project, pouring personal experiences and being hyper specific about how he wanted the film’s tone to feel and look to be perceived. This is on true display within minutes as Stevie sneaks into his brother, Ian’s room. Stevie is observing with great detail all the clothes in the closet, posters on the wall, shoes on the shoe rack and CD’s on the shelf.

            Ian is played by Oscar-nominee, Lucas Hedges with a ferocity that we’ve yet to see him show before but does it with such an intense nature that you instantly hate his character. Bullying his younger brother, physically abusing him and describing how life was before he came into the world for him and their mother, Dabney, played by Katherine Waterston. The film deals with Stevie navigating his way through his troubled home life with Ian and Dabney as well as trying to fit in with his new clique.

            Though Smith and Hedges impress, Suljic is clearly the standout in Mid90s. He handles the lead role with grace and a maturity that is beyond his years. Suljic’s Stevie is a true enigma, given the nickname Sunburn early on by the crew and being known for taking the hardest bumps out of all of them. He’s the engine for the story and constantly impresses you with his prowess amongst his respective actors.

            Other standouts for the film are the composers, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross providing the film with life and a score that makes you feel every pulse that Stevie feels. That along with the soundtrack which features top artists of the 90s such as Nirvana, A Tribe Called Quest, Big L and even Morrissey as well as the cinematography from Christopher Blauvelt help lend themselves to a big nostalgic part of the overall film.

            While Hill focuses heavily on how important skateboarding is to these characters, there’s also an underlying analysis on the anti-ethic of the sport. This is evident in a scene in which Dabney brings Stevie to the skate shop to tell his friends that they need to stop hanging around her son as she points out to Stevie that they look like “gang members.” While also examining the negative imagery that some may have had for skating and those who skate back in the 90s, it’s clear that Hill demonstrates a clear sense of community throughout the film.

            Hill evokes a lot to the audience with showing more than saying as the script is pretty bare bones, however, he does so with heart and gives a proper snapshot of skateboarding culture and how it affected tons of children and young adults at the height of the 90s in Los Angeles.

8.4