Writer-director Bo Burnham's coming-of-age story is the movie dreams are made of. That is, if your dreams often take you back to the the awkward and insecure time spent as a thirteen-year old eighth grader. Yeeks! What's my locker combination?
The film opens with the part charming, part annoying Kayla (Elsie Fisher) who has been awarded the dubious honor of "Most Quiet" at the end of middle school, and the audience is invited to follow her as she finds herself, loses herself, finds friends and makes a lot of YouTube videos in between.
I can't say that I ever wanted to return to eighth grade, especially in the honest and realistic way this film does, but it is worth it to see how Kayla deals with what life throws her way, including her relationship with her father. It's one of the most charming films of 2018.
In a nutshell: An awkward visit to middle school that earns an A+ for comedy.
Award potential: Eighth Grade is an unlikely Best Picture nominee unless the Academy shuns popular favorites such as Black Panther and Bohemian Rhapsody with some more original and elevated choices such as First Man, Cold War or this.
Elsie Fischer, who voiced young Agnes in the Despicable Me movies, is a breakout star however it's a top tier year in the Best Actress category with no room for an ingenue.
The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.
No comments:
Post a Comment