Genuine and endearing, uncomfortably awkward, humorous, and honest. Expertly acted. And while I was never a teenage girl, there are parts that are so very universally relatable Quite easily the best coming-of-age slice of life film I've seen in a good decade or two. Furthermore Whomever it is that acquires the films for that A24 chooses to release deserve a raise. I wouldn't be surprised if, nay when, this wins an Oscar or two
About the last week of middle school for a very socially awkward little girl (Kayla). Her relationship with her dad also plays a big role. Having two girls right around this age this hit really close to home, whoo boy this was a tough, but good, movie. So many "oh god, I can't watch" cringe moments... And yes, I cried (just a little).
I found myself really rooting for Kayla. She's the kind of character you can see bits and pieces of lots of kids in. Despite all her social awkwardness, you know she means well. And I loved her relationship with her dad. I thought it was portrayed incredibly and believably, with all it's own little awkward idiosyncrasies. Teenager daughters are their own brand of parenting fun...
And damn did Elsie Fisher do a good job as Kayla. I really hope to see more from her as she killed in this movie.
Being such a huge part of so many teens' lives now, "screens" are a major plot device and get a ton of focus. I thought the commentary on screen usage among teens was done well. Blatant at times, but there were a few really subtle touches I appreciated.
This isn't a "kids" movie, but for anyone wanting to watch this with their kid I'd note that there is one scene that might be pretty uncomfortable, even more so than the general uneasiness of the rest of the movie. Nothing super bad, just be warned, here's a very minor spoiler: she hears about "blowjobs" so she turns to the internet to do some research and gets predictable (hilarious) results. We watch a video with her.
This movie seriously resonated with me, I related to Kayla so much and I'm sure many young girls and women will feel the same way.
Your school years can be the hardest, loneliest times of your life - but no one ever tells you that.
It always feels like everyone else is having the time of their life and you're on the outside looking in. Kayla's social anxiety and desire to fit in was so real and the way they incorporated the role of social media was super important. There are increasing pressures for young girls in our society. It is so difficult being a young girl who feels like she doesn't look right, doesn't act right, doesn't have many friends... i'm so appreciative of this movie for shining a light on this experience.
Easily one of the best coming of age movies I've ever seen, blows the likes of Ladybird right out of the water. Please let it get as much recognition!
The best character in this movie is the dad.
Crazy how I watched this 5 months ago for the first time and how I couldn't remember it even one bit before rewatching it now. That's not a bad thing per se.. I think I just completely repressed it because how close it hit to home. This has to be the most relatable and realistic teen movie I've ever seen.
There’s not too much plot to this movie, but I really enjoyed it because its a painfully accurate look at how awkward the middle school years are. It felt nostalgic in that way, because you cringe so hard for her knowing that you either were or know people just like this.
I don't know why I thought I wouldn't cry watching this for the second time :sob::ok_hand:
Best coming of age film I've ever seen. Actually never would have watched this based on a trailer or description, but a buddy was telling me about Bo Burnham and said we should watch it. I've seen it about 4 times now. The story feels real and was acted perfectly... the soundtrack also keeps the tempo, making it an all around great film, imo.
possibly my only nitpicks is the fire pit discussion - I realize it was a moment that needed buildup, but ever since my first watch, the dialogue and tempo of that scene has felt off. Burning the time capsule (and the dad opening up about his divorce) were still very important moments.
One of my favorite scenes was when Kayla opens the door to the backyard at the pool party - the music has a huge buildup to convey the anxiety, and it set to a montage of kids doing silly / playful things that are clearly overwhelming to Kayla. Anyone who can relate will appreciate how well they nailed that feeling!
I knew this would be an overrated movie because Bo Burnahm has like written, produced and directed it. But damn, is this some kind of a clichéd movie that I'm suddenly too old to understand?!
I couldn't finish it. Just so boring and monotone.
"Growing up can be a little bit scary and weird."
'Eighth Grade' is an honest and relatable look on growing up. Almost hard to watch at times, but dose an excellent job of making you feel for the protagonist. Embracing it's cringe that many people, including myself are familiar with.
Bo Burnham perfectly captures the teenage phase with awkward close-ups and the camera focused on Kayla which shows her isolation. Who would've predict a comedian now acclaimed director.
Elsie Fisher (the coolest girl in the world) is so incredible that I completely forgot she's acting. Before she was unknown, but now consider herself known after this. Also Josh Hamilton is fantastic as Kayla's lovable dad. There is not a single performance I did not buy in this movie.
By the end, despite the misery and the unfortunate, there is light in the most difficult times.
Perfectly attuned to those of us who struggled to fit in at school, this is one of the best coming of age films in recent years.
Jesus, they made a film about me on Twitter.
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When I make a video for my future self to discover, I'll be sure to remind myself to watch Eighth Grade again because every moment is pure truth thanks to an Oscar worthy performance by Elsie Fisher.
The funny thing about that, of course, is I won't need to remind myself because I'll be watching it regularly far into the future.
1 / 2 directing & technical aspect
1 / 1 story
1 / 1 act I
1 / 1 act II
1 / 1 act III
1 / 1 acting
1 / 1 writing
0 / 1 originality
0 / 1 stays with you
0 / 1 misc
7 out of 10
Did I just watch a movie about a socially awkward eighth-grader or an attempt to be the movie where the word "cool" was said the most?
I felt such a complicated array of feelings while watching this. I was wracked with guilt about my relationship with my parents. I was ashamed of times I didn’t stand up for myself growing up. I was embarrassed with her and for her and for myself. This movie is a true achievement in capturing the mood of being that age, I related to it completely to my core. I was instantly transported back 20 years and it felt so much like my experience regardless of the cultural touchstones and how new the Internet was when I was in 8th grade. It should be required viewing for every parent of a tween.
How did Bo Burnham make this movie? He was never a teenage girl. I was never a teenage girl either but it feels so real and relatable. Everything that happened to Kayla I felt like that was something that could of happened in eighth grade. It was so awkward, like real life. Elsie Fisher is great and she has a bright future. Josh Hamilton is really good at playing the annoying and loving dad. The cinematography is fantastic. Really focusing on characters faces and emotions brings us closer to Kayla. The music is amazing. Really great soundtrack and the way it is mixed throughout the movie is cool. I enjoyed this movie a lot and look forward to see what Bo Burnham directs next.
Such a relatable movie for introverts.
Thanks, I hate it.
It was a good movie, if you're okay with the fact that you will want to tear your skin off the entire time you watch it.
Also, if your middle school life resembled this movie (and I say this as someone who was not one of the cool kids), I feel so very sorry for you, because even an hour and a half of that made me die a little inside.
And yet, I recommend the movie! There are some nice messages in there, and it's makes for a good example of so many things you should never do.
The good: The film has heart. Tons of heart. The movie is at different turns heartbreaking and touching. The awkward scenes of youth and trying to figure it all out are some of the best that I've seen in coming-of-age films. The video interludes acted as a nice way to show the mind of the lead character.
The bad: there really isn't anything bad about the film. It just isn't in my upper-echelon in the genre. In the last third of the film I found myself looking around the room.
Lovely and extremely relatable. Great performance by Elsie Fisher. Killer soundtrack.
The bildungsroman/coming-of-age movie of the year.
I have loved everything I've seen Bo Burnham in ever since I've discovered his stand-up comedy and Zach Stone. So, I went to watch Eighth Grade with a total trust in whatever was going to happen but I sure did not expect the movie to be like this.
It's different from his previous work, but at the same time you can find the same endearing honesty. This movie touches on subjects like anxiety, social media, social expectations, teenage awkwardness, and more, with incredible accuracy.
I never realised how much I don't miss these years of my life until I watched Eighth Grade. The pool party was particularly funny because of how much I could relate to the horror.
The movie made me remember my own social awkwardness, my own difficulties to make friends, my uneasiness in front of the popular girls, my own hopes for the future, my refusal to communicate with my parents because "they just don't understand"...etc it really took me back and I was amazed that a movie could do that so well. It really is, for me, the best movie about adolescence and I would definitely recommend it.
Cinematography is beautiful and the soundtrack was surprising but in the best way. I've heard Anna Meredith's work again recently in Living With Yourself on Netflix and that made me happy.
This movie is difficult to watch at times, only because it is the most accurate depiction of middle school I have ever seen. This movie is very important, especially for those in education or who work with children. Sometimes we forget what a "big deal" things are at age 13/14 and we need to be there for children as they navigate these confusing and difficult years of their lives.
"I totally, like, get what you mean." - The Movie.
Eighth Grade can be a little bit hard to watch and that's only because how accurate and realistic it is.
What an excellent job from Burnham. It's a hauntingly real portrait of this time period in life for a certain type of person. You don't have to be a girl or even this age to see just how authentic it is. It paints a isolating, sad image of life, but offers a glimmer of hope by the end.
Lovely film. Fine central performance from Elsie Fisher. Some laugh out loud moments. Some toe curlingly gutwrenching moments. Features the best use of Enya ever, and some other brilliant music cues. Very nostalgic as regards high school, growing pains and teenage angst, but also very sweet the way it deals with teenage-parent relations. Reminded me of 'Say Anything' and 'Almost Famous' in that respect. 7.5/10
A rock solid coming of age film and an excellent film by Bo Burnham. This is only the second time I have seen this one, but I am glad I finally had a reason to revisit. Holds up really well and incredibly easy to recommend!
Rating: 4.5/5 - 90% - Highly Recommend
I was hoping for a comedy of sorts but what I got instead was an excellently written, greatly acted and a well directed work of art.
This WILL trigger memories of moments of your own childhood even if you grew up before social media was a thing.
Watch this now if you're able; you'll not be disappointed.
The movie is so realistic that my secondhand embarrassment cannot rate this any higher.
Eighth grade is a coming of age movie that's not just perfect for teenagers but also for adults who forgot what it feels like to be a 13-year-old.
It's such a unique take on teenagers as it feels so realistic, and it might seem like we wouldn't be able to connect with it because now kids deal with technology and social media. However, deep down, teens are still teens trying to understand their emotions and the world, and nothing has changed that.
It's not as comedic as one might think, but some scenes were comedic gold.
I thank Bo Burnham for this movie and for making Gucci :ok_hand: happen.
For a movie by Bo Burnham I expected it to be a lot funnier.
Well...I found this idea of movie in a list proposed by rotten tomato. To say the least, I was much disapointed. It is so slow, so...insignificant, so useless, so plain... Sure, it s only m'y opinion but I waste almost 2 hours of my life...
Not my cup of tea and i was really tired of hearing the word cool..Ok we understood it everything is cool so be cool.
Profound to 13 year old girls, potential snoozefest for the rest. It’s a YouTube directors third film where the plot points are either her interactions on her devices surrounded by her sexual awkwardness in her three dimensions (would would make sense if your attention is always in a 3.5 inch glowing box.) What it does do well is capture the pure ineptness the crisis social media addiction has caused in middle america with a polished production value however it falls short in creating any sympathy for the protagonist beyond a sweet moment at the end when she quits YouTube, doesnt give the creep a bj, tells her dad shes aware of how inept she is and stutters yells at the popular girl for being mean.
This review is primarily a tool for collecting my own thoughts, though it would be a nice bonus effect if the text and resulting rating turned out to be helpful for anyone else.
The trailer for Eighth Grade preceded the showing of Won't You Be My Neighbor? I saw last month. I have a nephew who's entering eighth grade this year, and I thought we just had to see this movie together. Bo Burnham's name had also been floating around, mostly in reference to his work as a comedian, and I suppose that name recognition factored into my interest in the film too.
I hope Burnham's comedy is as entertaining as Eighth Grade's trailer—isn't it odd that I would recognize the name without having seen his work?—and the film's ratings soundly beat every other film my nephew was interested in going to see tonight. (I was surprised to see its scores exceed even those of The Incredibles 2, though I can understand the mediocre ratings of Rampage and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.) It seemed like an easy choice, based on audience reactions, and the large turnout at the cinema reinforced that feeling.
However, I'm not entirely satisfied with the experience.
From an artistic standpoint, I appreciated many elements of this film. The way its segments are punctuated by Kayla's videos is a neat narrative device—though sometimes it was frustrating how the audio track of her would play over muted footage of some other event, blocking out any other dialogue.¹ Throughout, the cinematography was well done. Shots were well composed, and it certainly never felt like we were looking at something unimportant (or missing something important). For technical reasons, though, I wish that Kayla hadn't broken her phone's screen so early on. Given how many times it's shown in place of spoken dialogue, it would have been nice to be able to read it more easily.
Content-wise, though, the film is… tame. Uncomfortable at times, but very tame. Quite predictable, too. For a comedy, there weren't actually that many jokes—and a film with this many awkward, uncomfortable scenes definitely needs jokes to lighten the mood. Burnham's use of slightly-dated slang and memes to make adults seem "out of touch" likely won't age very well. Same for the specific references to social media services like Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram. The demographics on those sites will change faster than any of us think they will, and leave this movie feeling much older than it really is in just a few years.²
Other reviewers here (so far, @jb4times4 and @nmahoney416) have called out the film as being extremely relatable. I suppose it is, in the way that any stand-up comedian's material is "relatable", but I wouldn't call the writing "amazing". There's a certain feeling of superficiality to the whole thing, and not just because it's a comedy. The movie felt almost like an impressionist painting of the Teenage Girl Experience, or even a caricature. As a twenty-something guy myself, I can't claim any more experience at "being a teenage girl" than Bo Burnham can, but I'm definitely interested in reactions from people who once were teenage girls. Preferably from my generation or younger, just because I think the gap in technology between my parents' generation and mine or my nephew's deeply affects the experience of growing up. Hopefully some of my friends have seen (or will see) Eighth Grade and I can ask for their opinions.³
Ultimately, I can't really put my finger on any single reason why Eighth Grade fell short of my expectations. But the trailer definitely wrote a check that the full film couldn't cash. I'd say 5.4/10, roughly, mostly because I don't want to round up to 6.
Instead of this, I wish we could have had a second season of Everything Sucks!…
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7014006/reviews
Shout by Justin BellVIP 6BlockedParent2018-08-01T17:50:07Z
Wow.
I'm not a teenage girl, and I never have been, but somehow I felt connected. While this is a comedy, you feel the emotions Kayla are going through throughout the whole movie. The soundtrack and the pacing are done exceptionally well, leading to a truly real feel.
The dialog of this movie is done in such an amazing fashion that you really get the sense of reality while watching. I can't think of a scene in the movie that didn't feel like it could actually happen.
Highly recommend this movie.