Once the weather has cooled (a little), the cream usually begins to rise to the top at the box office. Not to say there weren’t a bunch of worthwhile movies this summer, but now is the time of year when all the awards season contenders begin their journeys towards consideration. With summer vacation officially over, there’s no better way to celebrate back-to-school than with Eighth Grade.
Kayla is a popular YouTube personality with tons of great life advice, or so she would have you think. In reality she’s an awkward, unpopular girl just trying to survive her last days of middle school before getting a chance to reinvent herself in high school…a familiar, relatable and genuine story that’s easy to get behind.
Bo Burnham displayed a great deal of intimacy and a sharp sense of humor while beautifully capturing the angsty, insecurities of adolescence in his directorial debut. His experience as a YouTube standout who went on to have success as a stand-up performer gives his comedy a vibrant sense of hyper-realism…almost like an incredibly vivid, but completely believable dream. In writing the screenplay for this film, there are clearly elements of himself overlayed onto the character but it’s the finer comedic brush strokes that help to give the movie depth. Although technology plays a large role in how the characters (and the world) interact, the universal commonalities are so well forged it would be at home with coming-of-age films from any era. It’s one thing to be current and timely, but it’s another thing to be timeless and Burnham managed to seamlessly do both. He’s got to be one of the frontrunners for Best Director at this point in time…hopefully he’ll get the credit he deserves considering the film’s success and extended theater run as an indie film distributed by A24.
For as well put together as the story is, it still took a strong lead to bring it to life and Elsie Fisher did all that and more in the lead as Kayla. She’s awkward and unpopular at school, but keeps a YouTube diary cataloging her hopes and dreams. It’s very funny but also incredibly sad at times, highlighting the inherent dichotomy in adolescence…especially for young girls. Fisher isn’t a big screen rookie, but this was definitely her biggest moment and she rose to the occasion. This was a sink or swim moment for the young actress who was basically out in front of this project all by herself. Josh Hamilton had a good rapport with the young actress, playing her father, but there is no question she’s the star. At only 15-years-old, it’s difficult to tell if she understands the nuanced satire she’s responsible for but, she has her first starring role in a film that has garnered a significant amount of buzz and that’ll certainly do a lot to further her acting career. 
There is no one production element that jumps off the screen at you but, as a whole, there is no shortage of quality. Sam Lisenco had to bring middle school to the big screen and, while not every scene happens on campus, there was a great deal of emphasis placed on authenticity which played out well. Henriette Vittadini probably had a good deal of fun bringing Kayla’s personal world to life. Most notably, the bedroom design had to serve a dual function as part studio and part living space which Vittadini portrayed well. Mitchell Travers was the final part of the three-headed design monster as costume designer. How we dress is a reflection of who we are to a certain extent, and cultivating the right aesthetic for Kayla had to be natural. On one hand, she’s a young girl whose exposed to modern fashion but, on the other hand, she’s still too young to really make her own wardrobe purchases so finding the character in the clothes was a crucial piece of the puzzle. Cinematographer Andrew Wehde brought all those elements together beautifully with strong establishing shots, especially interior framing, and key closeups that force the audience to pay attention.
Some films just kind of get you. This was one that I put off seeing in favor of some things more aligned directly with my interests, but it was on my radar and hanging around in theaters much longer than expected. In hindsight, the reason for the film’s longevity it obvious. It’s a real life story with exceptional writing and a strong lead performance. Even though I’m relatively far removed from middle school, there’s quite a lot that hasn’t changed…that’s the feeling that is giving this film legs. It’s easy to relate to and does an excellent job bridging the gap between kids and their parents. I’m really curious to see where this one ends up at the end of the year because the storytelling quality is certainly top-tier.
Recommendation: This is a very accessible movie for all kinds of people. If you like coming of age stories, then this is a must see but parents should definitely take their kids of middle school age to see this as well. The R-rating is appropriate, but life isn’t PG…not even in middle school.