Eighth Grade 2018
This movie got really good reviews when it came out, but I never got around to see it. I was suspicious it might be too much like About a Boy, but would have tried it anyway. Now the Blu-ray is out and Best Buy had it for a good price. Since I am trying to finish up my Top 10 of 2018 list, I wanted to see this one (got Crazy Rich Asians at the same time). Despite the strong reviews, the Oscar nominations released this week didn’t recognize it (or Crazy Rich Asians) for any categories, but by then I had already started watching it at home. I tend to stop movies a lot when I am at home which doesn’t work really well for this movie. The first half at least shows this very awkward eighth grade girl (played by an actress who had just graduated eighth grade) with limited social skills and few friends “put herself out there.” It is horrifying and cringe-inducing, but I was glad she wasn’t really bullied so much as mostly ignored. Stopping during a cringe, only to come back to another awkward scene really just prolonged the agony. Eventually the movie moves beyond the cringey stuff. I didn’t know where it would end up and feared the worst, but it isn’t that bad, thank goodness. The movie centers around this girl who puts videos of her giving personal tips on YouTube (another opportunity for bullying that doesn’t materialize). The movie is made by a guy I’ve never heard of who is famous on YouTube, Bo Burnham. Ultimately, there really isn’t that much to this movie except the awkward scenes and a look at the life of a young person today with a lot of social anxieties. Most people would have at least a few friends, but no doubt some people are as isolated as Kayla is in this movie. And everyone can relate to that awkwardness and anxiety even if it isn’t that severe for them. While I was afraid that it would get really dark, the move errs in the opposite direction. It is still a neat movie, with great realism and up on its internet trends, but for me didn’t really pay off entirely satisfactorily and seems more manipulative than it needed to be.
Written: 23 Jan 2019
Owned on: Blu-ray, Digital