Years of John Hughes movies prepared me to believe that high school was going to be a den of vipers for my life: that if I survived high school, I could survive anything. Looking back into the past, high school had some difficult moments, but it was mostly pretty ok. Junior high was the viper den, due to puberty and social norms not being properly established. Never has the wild early teen jungle been brought so vividly to life than in Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade, a remarkable look into just how awkward, confusing, and emotional those times can be.
During senior superlatives, we see Kayla (an amazing Elsie Fisher) devastated that she receives “Most Quiet.” Out of school, Kayla vlogs these self-help videos that she hopes reaches her whole class, but only a few people have seen. Trying to shake the quiet moniker before high school starts, Kayla starts really putting herself out there the last week of 8th grade. With the encouragement of her father Mark (Josh Hamilton), Kayla starts her journey with a pool birthday party, but also includes a field trip to high school, the mall, and yes, more vlogging. Gucci (that’s her signoff phrase)!
Like Tully earlier this year, Bo Burnham’s movie is beautifully perceptive about just how much of a minefield 8th grade can be to a normal but shy/awkward teen. First of all, bravo Ms. Fisher for agreeing to shoot up close and personal with acne on your face. Only the Hollywood kids don’t have acne, so that choice instantly made it clear that this movie would be grounded in reality. The use of technology also helps make Eighth Grade’s minefield feel especially scary: Kayla’s videos are almost a plea to herself to try new things, and also show Kayla constantly how unpopular her posts are compared to her friends. That pool party scene is almost shot like a horror movie: Kayla staring in fear at all these “cool” and “pretty” kids enjoying themselves while she is terrified of being ostracized because she doesn’t consider herself one of them, ashamed of her current self. When she gets a gift for the uber-popular birthday girl, the gift is scowled at and not reposted to Instagram, and instantly forgotten: it’s not outwardly mean, its just self-absorbed and callous. As an adult now, I would just shrug that off, but for 13 year old me? That would have been DEVASTATING. The movie has lots of low moments for sure (the lowest of which is as scary as any scene in a horror movie this year), but Eighth Grade also highlights just how euphoric the highs can be too. When the trip to high school leads to a phone call invitation to the mall, you can read just how exciting and happy that makes our hero who desperately just needed someone nice to be nice back to her. When Kayla records her final vlog to herself, she reminds herself that simply surviving the coaster is a win, and by the end of Eighth Grade, every audience member was equally happy that Kayla not only survived but came out as amazing as she was when she went in.
Equally impressive is how the relationship between junior high kids and their parents changes during this time period. That roller coaster of emotions is on fully display at home as it is in school. The last time I awkwardly laughed at a tense dinner, Will Ferrell was driving a Dodge Stratus. The dialogue there is cruel, but not unforgivable, as Mark tries to figure out if he’s the problem, or if something else is bothering Kayla. As a dad, Mark seems like mostly a great father: he checks in daily in his daughter and tries to talk to her, discerning what he can from one word answers and prodding questions until he gets sniped at, then he backs off. Occasionally, when he gets too intrusive, he instantly apologizes and gives his daughter space to figure things out. Most importantly, Mark is patient and perceptive enough to wait for Kayla to reach out to him. There’s a scene around a campfire that will probably be the most emotionally beautiful scene I will watch this year, with a heart wrenching and heart warming moment within minutes of each other, both completely earned and totally believable. That moment brought me back to my angst ridden days, where I was being a dick on a family trip and my dad told me to lighten up, and look around at the cool roller coasters (and the circle is complete!) I was riding. Parents are always more woke than teenagers want to admit, and Eighth Grade gives us one of the great movie dads in recent history (spectacular work by character actor Josh Hamilton).
Eighth Grade is for all those regular 13 year olds who have YouTube clips with 4 views, acne, a little body fat, wear sweat pants, play Magic the Gathering. You might be weird now, but you’re not always going to be. At some point, your parents, your friends, or a significant other will make you feel special, and remind you you’re not alone, someone’s there with you. Elsie Fisher and Bo Burnham, thanks for making this time easier for everyone by documenting it in such a subtle, honest way. Gucci!