A beautifully and tragically real depiction of anxiety in the early teens. Bo Burnham has created a movie worth watching and worth discussing with children and adults.
Wow, Bo Burnham has made something pretty special here. With major help from Elsie Fisher as Kayla, a wonderfully drawn and relatable character, my favorite performance so far of 2018.
Eighth Grade is a touching and raw portrait of what it is to be an unpopular 13-year-old, with Elsie Fisher grabbing us right from the opening scene where she manages to visibly become embarrassed and blush while making a video for YouTube and powering through it. That's Kayla in a nutshell. A brave front cracking under the pressure of social ostracisation. Director Bo Burnham has teens play teens, which is of value unto itself, but writes them - if he writes them at all - the way teenagers actually sound. The expressionism, he keeps for time lapses where Kayla falls into her online universe, or for the adults who are all irredeemably uncool and awkward, the way 8th-graders would see them. I felt most for her dad, an understated but committed performance by Josh Hamilton, genuine in his inability to feel offended by the embarrassment he causes Kayla. We play witness to a transition point, as Middle School ends and High School is on the horizon, and I think Kayla's arc works even in the short week and change presented, because there are believable events that help shape her world view. A beautiful slice of life, that makes you want to ask Burnham if he'd consider reuniting with Fisher for Twelfth Grade in four years.
is cemented in my mind. It is one of the very best scenes of the year. I was anxious beyond my wildest expectations. The film is honest and real, and I could relate to it a lot more than others despite them saying it’s relatable. I laughed out loud at several scenes, and as much as it has to do with Burnham, it is also the incredible actors. It takes guts to direct mostly children for your first feature, but Burnham did just fine with the help of the wonderful Elsie Fisher, who turns in one of 2018’s best performances. It goes directions one would not expect and mostly abandons tropes and cliches. All this said, it left me a bit empty in terms of what it all meant. Maybe this is just me coming from the sledgehammer that was BlacKkKlansman, but Eighth Grade didn’t seem to be too much to leave you with. One takeaway I had was that it displays a sharply critical view of social media culture, a viewpoint I am a strong advocate of.
A very honest and real portrayal of growing up with social anxiety, but also how that social anxiety is fueled in part by social media. Interesting and something that should be shown in middle schools everywhere.
Genuine and heartfelt. It's amazing how well the teenage experience is captured in this film. It eschews the self-aware wittiness typical of the teen movie genre, and replaces it with an honest look at the insecurity, fumbling awkwardness, and sheer emotion of the teenage experience. Highly recommended.
As someone who recently graduated from school and has siblings in middle/high school, good lord they nailed virtually every detail.
I mean really every single little detail that even an 8th grader wouldn't think of they managed to get. There's a scene where they talk about how old they were when they got their first snapchat or instagram, and just about everyone under the age of 27 has had that conversation.
But even ignoring that, wonderful acting, and writing, and directing. Really well done overall. Use of color and especially music was great throughout. Good job guys.
I feel while this isn't a fully original story and I've seen many films with a very similar plot, this film more than any other captures the reality of the story. Kayla is a realistic, human character that really comes to life thanks to Elsie Fisher. The film is very true to life and doesn't pull punches in that regard. Great film. Loved it.
Why was this even made? Nothing happens in this film. The heroine is a very unlikable character. Why should I care about her 'struggle'? Every person goes through adolescence, nothing new here. Those videos she is recording are too long and boring. The overuse of the word 'like' is an atrocity. Ok, point made. Kids overuse the word 'like'. Now what? Point made. And I don't understand who is the target audience for this film. Children? Why should I care about this film? Don't waste your time watching this, unless you're a teenage girl. And even if you're a teenage girl, this is not going to give you answers to any of your questions, just going to make you cringe.
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Comments 1 - 15 of 18
Kalkultabelo
A beautifully and tragically real depiction of anxiety in the early teens. Bo Burnham has created a movie worth watching and worth discussing with children and adults.GruesomeTwosome
Wow, Bo Burnham has made something pretty special here. With major help from Elsie Fisher as Kayla, a wonderfully drawn and relatable character, my favorite performance so far of 2018.Siskoid
Eighth Grade is a touching and raw portrait of what it is to be an unpopular 13-year-old, with Elsie Fisher grabbing us right from the opening scene where she manages to visibly become embarrassed and blush while making a video for YouTube and powering through it. That's Kayla in a nutshell. A brave front cracking under the pressure of social ostracisation. Director Bo Burnham has teens play teens, which is of value unto itself, but writes them - if he writes them at all - the way teenagers actually sound. The expressionism, he keeps for time lapses where Kayla falls into her online universe, or for the adults who are all irredeemably uncool and awkward, the way 8th-graders would see them. I felt most for her dad, an understated but committed performance by Josh Hamilton, genuine in his inability to feel offended by the embarrassment he causes Kayla. We play witness to a transition point, as Middle School ends and High School is on the horizon, and I think Kayla's arc works even in the short week and change presented, because there are believable events that help shape her world view. A beautiful slice of life, that makes you want to ask Burnham if he'd consider reuniting with Fisher for Twelfth Grade in four years.nowhereman136
This movie should be shown in every middle school. It is funny how painfully real it is.ntan
Thefrankqb
A very honest and real portrayal of growing up with social anxiety, but also how that social anxiety is fueled in part by social media. Interesting and something that should be shown in middle schools everywhere.3.5 stars out of 4
Panunzio
Genuine and heartfelt. It's amazing how well the teenage experience is captured in this film. It eschews the self-aware wittiness typical of the teen movie genre, and replaces it with an honest look at the insecurity, fumbling awkwardness, and sheer emotion of the teenage experience. Highly recommended.audiopile
Kudos for keeping it real throughout the entire movie.And while I can't relate to a girl in 8th grade, the message itself is for anyone who struggles with the social aspect of life. Well done.
gobberpooper
As someone who recently graduated from school and has siblings in middle/high school, good lord they nailed virtually every detail.I mean really every single little detail that even an 8th grader wouldn't think of they managed to get. There's a scene where they talk about how old they were when they got their first snapchat or instagram, and just about everyone under the age of 27 has had that conversation.
But even ignoring that, wonderful acting, and writing, and directing. Really well done overall. Use of color and especially music was great throughout. Good job guys.
boulderman
Great writing, directing, acting. Bo! 8/10Typically Thomas
I feel while this isn't a fully original story and I've seen many films with a very similar plot, this film more than any other captures the reality of the story. Kayla is a realistic, human character that really comes to life thanks to Elsie Fisher. The film is very true to life and doesn't pull punches in that regard. Great film. Loved it.Warrison
I really struggled to get through this movie. It was so super cringey i had to pause and watch some more later.Also no quite sure who the target audience for this was meant to be? It for sure is not me.
Nilsmedskills
She's not very likeable.essaywhu
This movie hit too close to home for me. It was so painful that I had to watch it over three days because I kept having to turn it off.alexthekid
Why was this even made? Nothing happens in this film. The heroine is a very unlikable character. Why should I care about her 'struggle'? Every person goes through adolescence, nothing new here. Those videos she is recording are too long and boring. The overuse of the word 'like' is an atrocity. Ok, point made. Kids overuse the word 'like'. Now what? Point made. And I don't understand who is the target audience for this film. Children? Why should I care about this film? Don't waste your time watching this, unless you're a teenage girl. And even if you're a teenage girl, this is not going to give you answers to any of your questions, just going to make you cringe.Showing items 1 – 15 of 18