History Film / Mid90s

* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: On top of the [[TheHedonist drinking, smoking, and drugs]], Stevie is also shown engaging in self-harm at times, including scratching his leg repeatedly with a hairbrush and [[spoiler:attempting to strangle himself with the cord of a [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem Super Nintendo]] controller]].

Hill strove for the film to be as accurate and authentic a portrayal of '90s skate culture as possible, which manifests in such ways as a 4:3 aspect ratio and 16mm cinematography, a soundtrack heavily populated with [[HipHop hip-hop]] popular at the time (as well as cuts from artists like Music/ThePixies, Music/TheSmiths, and Music/HerbieHancock), and the [[DeliberateValuesDissonance social norms presented in the characters' words and actions]].

*** [[https://slate.com/culture/2018/10/jonah-hill-interview-mid90s-director-slurs.html In an interview]] with Slate, Hill admitted that he was afraid he would be accused of being bigoted because of the homophobic language throughout the film[[note]]Hill himself [[https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-jonah-hill-apology-homophobic-slur-paparazzi-20140603-story.html had been embroiled in controversy over using homophobic language]] in the past[[/note]] and considered shooting a scene where the characters debate over it. He presented the idea of the scene to producer Scott Rudin (who is a gay man), who then asked, "Would you guys have had this conversation back then?" When Hill answered no, Rudin said that it would be "more offensive to put that in the movie than to show it how it actually was".

* DidntThinkThisThrough: At one point, the group finds an open section between two rooftops to ollie over. Stevie decides to try and jump it. Advancing towards the gap, with simultaneous music swelling and friends shouting that he doesn't have enough speed, Stevie jumps, [[spoiler:slips and drops straight down, and gets knocked unconscious after hitting his head on a lunch table.]]
* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: [[spoiler:One of the film's bluntest displays of DeliberateValuesDissonance is in the sexual encounter that the 13-year-old Stevie has with a significantly older girl he meets at a party. The film doesn't explicitly portray the scene negatively -- Stevie is even shown celebrating with his friends afterward -- but relies on the feelings of the audience towards such an encounter occurring today to portray how disturbing it is.]]
** Moreover, [[spoiler:Stevie could technically be considered under the influence given that he was drinking beer and smoking pot during the party, so the fact that Stevie could potentially have had sex with someone older than him while under the influence of drugs and alcohol would likely further horrify the audience over how innocently it is portrayed while knowing it is subtly sending a message that this is wrong.]]

* ShoutOut: The trailer includes the Hungarian rock band Omega's song "Gyöngyhajú lány", famously sampled in Music/KanyeWest's [[Music/{{Yeezus}} "New Slaves"]]. While the trailer uses the song in its original key, a scene in the film proper uses the song at the slightly lower pitch that it was at in the Kanye West song, making it seem more like a direct reference.

* NothingIsScarier: We only see what happens directly before and after [[spoiler:Fuckshit gets the guys in a car crash]]; the actual event itself is symbolized by a couple of seconds of complete black and silence.

Hill strove for the film to be as accurate and authentic a portrayal of '90s skate culture as possible, which manifests in such ways as a 4:3 aspect ratio and 16mm cinematography, a soundtrack heavily populated with [[HipHop hip-hop]] popular at the time (as well as cuts from artists like Music/ThePixies, Music/TheSmiths, and Music/HerbieHancock), and the [[DeliberateValuesDissonance social norms presented in the characters' words and deeds]].

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Very intentionally invoked. [[WordOfGod Hill has gone on record]] as saying that in making the film, he prioritized actuality over comfort to make for a more realistic portrait of '90s culture.

* NarrationEcho: Fuckshit's nickname was based on "Fuck, shit" often being his go-to reaction for things. When we first learn this, it's through Ruben explaining his tendency to say "Fuck, shit, that was dope!" in response to a cool trick. Cue an immediate cut to Fuckshit doing just this.

* SilenceIsGolden: Multiple sequences in the film eschew the in-scene audio for either music (like with [[spoiler:Stevie's fight with Ruben]]) or complete silence ([[spoiler:Stevie in the hospital after the crash]]) for considerable gravitas.

Set during a [[TheNineties 1996]] Los Angeles summer, the film's story follows 13-year-old Stevie (Suljic), who escapes his turbulent home life, with his single mother (Waterston) and abusive older brother (Hedges), to spend time with a group of older skateboarders that introduce Stevie to a whole new world that changes him -- for better and for worse.

In the works since originating as a spec script in early 2016, the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2018 before getting a public release roughly a month later, distributed by Creator/{{A24}}.

From its 4:3 aspect ratio and 16mm cinematography to its soundtrack being heavily populated with [[HipHop hip-hop]] popular at the time (as well as cuts from artists like Music/ThePixies, Music/TheSmiths, and Music/HerbieHancock) to the [[DeliberateValuesDissonance social norms presented in the characters' words and deeds]], Hill strove for the film to be as accurate and authentic a portrait of '90s skate culture as possible.

* TheNineties: [[CaptainObvious But you already knew that.]] (1996, to be exact).

* BrickJoke: Early in the film, it's explained that Fuckshit's nickname stems from his go-to reaction to things being "Fuck, shit!" It doesn't recur until near the end when [[spoiler:Fuckshit says it as he's seeing pictures of Stevie's broken arm.]]

*** It's not just limited to racist, sexist, and homophobic language, too: many characters have no problem with using the word "retard," a word that has gotten more controversial as of UsefulNotes/TheNewTens due to many using it as a slur.
** In some instances, the film doesn't even paint cases like [[spoiler:[[DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale Stevie hooking up with a considerably older girl at a party, let alone the fact he might be under the influence,]]]] or [[spoiler:Fuckshit being allowed to drive a car while drunk and high]] in a negative overtone, relying on the change of the public consensus towards these things to sway the audience's opinion on the matters.

* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: [[spoiler:One of the film's bluntest invocations of DeliberateValuesDissonance is in the sexual encounter that the 13-year-old Stevie has with a significantly older girl he meets at a party. The film doesn't explicitly portray the scene in a negative overtone -- what with Stevie celebrating with his friends afterward -- but relies on the feelings of the audience towards such an encounter occurring today to portray how disturbing it is.]]

* NarrationEcho: Fuckshit's nickname was based on his affinity for having "Fuck, shit" as a go-to reaction. When we first learn this, it's through Ruben explaining his tendency to say "Fuck, shit, that was dope!" in response to a cool trick. Cue an immediate cut to Fuckshit doing just this.

* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: On top of the [[TheHedonist drinking, smoking, and drugs]], Stevie is also shown engaging in self-harm at times, including scratching his leg repeatedly with a hairbrush and [[spoiler:attempting to strangle himself with the cord of a Super Nintendo controller]].

*** [[https://slate.com/culture/2018/10/jonah-hill-interview-mid90s-director-slurs.html In an interview]] with Slate, Hill admitted that he was afraid he would be accused of being bigoted because of the homophobic language throughout the film[[note]]Hill himself [[https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-jonah-hill-apology-homophobic-slur-paparazzi-20140603-story.html had been embroiled in controversy over using homophobic language]] in the past[[/note]] and considered shooting a scene where the characters debate over it. He presented the idea of the scene to producer Scott Rudin (who is a gay man), who then asked, "Would you guys have had this conversation back then?" When Hill answered no, Rudin said that it would be "more offensive to put that in the movie than to show it how it actually was."

* DisappearedDad: No mention is made of Stevie and Ian’s father (or fathers).

* TheNineties: [[CaptainObvious But you already knew that.]] (1996, to be exact.)

* TheChewToy: Stevie suffers a number of injuries throughout the film, like getting abused constantly by his older brother, [[spoiler:falling from a roof]], and [[spoiler:getting into a near-fatal car accident.]] [[LampshadeHanging Ray even tells Stevie]] [[MadeOfIron he takes hits better than anyone he’s ever known.]]

->''[[{{Tagline}} fall. get back up.]]''

* AmbiguouslyBrown: Fuckshit is considerably lighter-skinned than Ray and has wavy blond hair (although whether it's natural or the result of dye/bleach is never revealed), but still identifies as black [[NWordPrivileges and uses the N-word.]] At one point, a security guard remarks that he looks Samoan.

* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: [[spoiler:One of the film's bluntest invocations of DeliberateValuesDissonance is in the sexual encounter the 13-year-old Stevie has with a significantly older girl he meets at a party. The film doesn't explicitly portray the scene in a negative overtone -- what with Stevie celebrating with his friends afterward -- but relies on the feelings of the audience towards such an encounter occurring today to portray how disturbing it is.]]

* GeniusDitz: Fourth Grade. His nickname derives from him reportedly being as smart as a 4th grader, but he's mainly defined by a passion for film that leads to the reveal that [[spoiler:he can put together a mean skate video.]]

* NarrationEcho: Fuckshit's nickname was based on his affinity for having "Fuck, shit" as a go-to reaction. When we first learn this, it's through Ruben explaining his tendency to say "Fuck, shit, that was dope!" in response to a cool trick. Cue immediate cut to Fuckshit doing just this.

* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: On top of the [[TheHedonist drinking, smoking, and drugs]], Stevie is also shown engaging in self-harm at times including scratching his leg repeatedly with a hairbrush and [[spoiler: attempting to strangle himself with the cord of a Super Nintendo controller]].

''[=mid90s=]'' is a 2018 [[ComingOfAge coming-of-age]] [[ComedyDrama dramedy]] film written and directed by Creator/JonahHill. The directorial debut of Hill, the film stars Sunny Suljic, Creator/LucasHedges and Creator/KatherineWaterston.

Set during a [[TheNineties 1996]] Los Angeles summer, the film's story follows 13-year-old Stevie (Suljic), who escapes his turbulent home life, with his single mother (Waterston) and an abusive older brother (Hedges), to spend time with a group of older skateboarders that introduce Stevie to a whole new world that changes him -- for better and for worse.

In the works since originating as a spec script in early 2016, it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2018 before getting a public release roughly a month later, distributed by A24.

From its 4:3, 16mm cinematography and its soundtrack being heavily populated with [[HipHop hip-hop]] popular at the time (as well as cuts from artists like Music/ThePixies, Music/TheSmiths, and Music/HerbieHancock) to the [[DeliberateValuesDissonance social norms presented in the characters' words and deeds]], Hill strove for the film to be as accurate and authentic a portrait of '90s skate culture as possible.

The film additionally has an original score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Music/NineInchNails that has since been officially released as a 4-song EP.

* AmbiguouslyBrown: Fuckshit is considerably lighter skinned than Ray and has wavy blond hair (although whether it's natural or the result of dye/bleach is never revealed), but still identifies as black [[NWordPrivileges and uses the N-word.]] At one point, a security guard remarks that he looks Samoan.

* BlackComedyRape: An early conversation among the group is whether sex with one's father or mother is preferable, at which point Fuckshit states that he could not consciously have sex with either, and would likely have to rape one.
* BrickJoke: Early in the film, it's explained that Fuckshit's nickname stems from his having "Fuck, shit!" as a go-to reaction. It doesn't recur until near the end when [[spoiler:Fuckshit says it as he's seeing pictures of Stevie's broken arm.]]

*** [[https://slate.com/culture/2018/10/jonah-hill-interview-mid90s-director-slurs.html In an interview]] with Slate, Hill admitted that he was afraid he would be accused of being bigoted because of the homophobic language throughout the film[[note]]Hill himself [[https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-jonah-hill-apology-homophobic-slur-paparazzi-20140603-story.html had been embroiled in controversy over using homophobic language]] in the past.[[/note]] and considered shooting a scene where the characters debate over it. He presented the idea of the scene to producer Scott Rudin (who is a gay man), who then asked, "Would you guys have had this conversation back then?" When Hill answered no, Rudin said that it would be "more offensive to put that in the movie than to show it how it actually was."

* AdultFear: Stevie's mother goes through this. Her preteen son starts hanging out with a group of boys who are definitely not the best influences, introducing him to drugs and other risky activities (she is especially horrified when she learns that he's been involved in sexual activities), and to say nothing of the [[spoiler:car accident that requires him to be hospitalized]].

** There are multiple scenes of the characters casually using racist, misogynistic, and homophobic language -- ''especially'' for the latter -- as was par for the course at the time.
*** [[https://slate.com/culture/2018/10/jonah-hill-interview-mid90s-director-slurs.html In an interview]] with Slate, Jonah Hill admitted that he was afraid he would be accused of being bigoted because of the homophobic language throughout the film[[note]]Hill himself [[https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-jonah-hill-apology-homophobic-slur-paparazzi-20140603-story.html had been embroiled in controversy over using homophobic language]] in the past.[[/note]] and considered shooting a scene where the characters debate over it. He presented the idea of the scene to producer Scott Rudin (who is a gay man), who then asked, "Would you guys have had this conversation back then?" When Hill answered no, Rudin said that it would be "more offensive to put that in the movie than to show it how it actually was."

''[=mid90s=]'' is a 2018 ComingOfAge ComedyDrama film. Serving as the feature debut of Creator/JonahHill as a director and writer, it stars Sunny Suljic, Creator/LucasHedges and Creator/KatherineWaterston.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Ian is an asshole, but he is eventually shown to actually care for Stevie, as he clearly looks worried when [[spoiler:Stevie is recovering in the hospital]].

* SmashCut: [[spoiler:Moments before the car crash, a shot of Fourth Grade anxiously looking down and asking to pull over cuts abruptly into a shot of his horrified face filled with white light]].

* AbusiveParents: Ray suggests this is the case for Ruben.
* AdultFear: Stevie's mother goes through this. Her preteen son starts hanging out with a group of boys who are definitely not the best influences, introducing him to drugs and other risky activities ( she is especially horrified when she learns that hes been involved in sexual activities), and to say nothing of the [[spoiler:car accident that requires him to be hospitalized]].

* AmbiguouslyBrown: Fuckshit is considerably lighter-toned than Ray and has wavy blond hair (although whether it's natural or the result of dye/bleach is never revealed), but still identifies as black [[NWordPrivileges and uses the N-word.]] At one point, a security guard remarks that he looks Samoan.

* BigBrotherBully: The very first scene shows Ian beating the shit out of Stevie, presumably for going in his room. He retains this role throughout the rest of the movie.

** There are multiple scenes of his characters using racist, misogynistic, and homophobic language -- ''especially'' for the latter -- as was par for the course at the time.

* RealityEnsues: At one point, the group finds an open section between two rooftops to ollie over. Stevie decides to try and jump it. Advancing towards the gap, with simultaneous music swelling and friends shouting that he doesn't have enough speed, Stevie jumps, [[spoiler:slips and drops straight down, and gets knocked unconscious after hitting his head on a lunch table.]]

** In some instances, the film doesn't even paint cases like [[spoiler:[[DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale Stevie hooking up with a considerably older girl at a party, let alone the fact he might be under the influence]]]] or [[spoiler:Fuckshit being allowed to drive a car while drunk and high]] in a negative overtone, relying on the change of the public consensus towards these things to sway the audience's opinion on the matters.

* FreudianExcuse: Ian's problems seem to generally stem from how his and Stevie's mother [[spoiler:would bring in and have sex with multiple different men in his immediate vicinity and it is also implied that Ian and Stevie were the products of their mother's promiscuous behavior, as she got pregnant with Ian when she was still a teenager.]]

* JumpScare:
** The opening image of the film: the empty hallway of a suburban house on a peaceful, bright day -- suddenly disrupted by [[spoiler:Stevie being thrown at the wall.]]
** Then used twice in close succession. One is a fakeout. The other isn't. [[spoiler:Near the end of the film, a drunk and high Fuckshit is driving the group. At one point, a loud car squeal sounds for a split second, but nothing happens. Eventually, Fourth Grade asks to pull over, at which point the squeal happens again (accompanied by a flash of white light), and the group's car crashes immediately after.]]

From its 4:3, 16mm cinematography and its soundtrack being heavily populated with '90s HipHop (as well as cuts from artists like Music/ThePixies, Music/TheSmiths, and Music/HerbieHancock) to the [[DeliberateValuesDissonance social norms presented in the characters' words and deeds]], Hill strove for the film to be as accurate and authentic a portrait of '90s skate culture as possible.

''[=mid90s=]'' is a 2018 ComingOfAge ComedyDrama film. Serving as the feature debut of Creator/JonahHill as a director and writer, it stars Sunny Suljic, Lucas Hedges and Creator/KatherineWaterston.