My Review of the Movie 'Eighth Grade'

I actually haven't heard of Eighth Grade until recently. It's an independent movie that's been circulating for a little while but up until recently, it hasn't really been heard of by anyone. So why is it being talked about? Well, recently it's been nominated for a bunch of awards. The director and writer of the film is Bo Burnham. This guy is pretty interesting. Apparently, he started his rise to stardom from YouTube videos. He started getting popular and people started to sign him for different things. I watched one of his early standup comedy specials on Netflix years ago and I thought it was hilarious. Who would have known that this guy was so talented.

Although Bo Burnham is known for his comedy, I wouldn't say Eighth Grade is necessarily a comedy. It's more of a super awkward but yet realistic portrayal of the story of a girl named Kayla (played by Elsie Fisher) living out her last few days in eighth grade. She's about to graduate and she's going to high school. Middle school hasn't been kind to her and she's trying to embrace changes before she transitions to the next phase of her life.

What I really liked about this movie is that they hit the nail with the portrayal of all of the characters. Everyone in this movie seems lost and naive. Nobody knows what they're doing and they're all struggling to figure out how to go about their own lives. To me, this felt genuine and oddly reflective of everyday life in reality. It really felt true to life which made it very relatable. You could realistically picture the events that happen in this movie. My background is totally different from Kayla's so I couldn't really tell if these things could actually happen. I watched this with my girlfriend and she said to me that the movie was fairly realistic.

It's so realistic that a few of the scenes are extremely cringe-inducing. I have to warn all potential viewers of this movie. There are a ton of really awkward scenes. Awkward movies have become more popular nowadays so maybe this is a good thing for viewers. You could take these awkward moments in many ways. Some of the awkwardness is genuinely funny while others can make you feel butterflies for the characters. Altogether this movie is more of a heartfelt movie about family and friends. In some ways, it's motivating and you're really rooting for this Kayla character.

It's an interesting examination of youth in today's modern age. You see what they have to deal with and you kind of see how some things haven't changed, like trying to fit in, embarrassment, and naivety. The innocence of each of the characters will draw you into the movie and you'll be rooting for them to succeed.

It's too bad that not a lot of advertisement was done to sell this movie. I think it's a hidden treasure that a lot of people should really check out. Unfortunately, for these smaller movies, they don't really have a choice but to rely on word of mouth to get the movie's popularity up. At least the movie was recognized by awards. They captured my attention and I'm glad I checked it out.

Overall I loved this movie. I watched it twice already and thought it was great both times. I recommend this movie to anyone that might be interested in seeing what kids nowadays have to go through. It's not for everyone though. There are very cringe-inducing moments throughout the movie that may make some people very uneasy and want to shut it off. I say it's worth sitting through. I'm going to give Eighth Grade an 8 out of 10. Check it out because I thought it was a fresh idea and an original way of doing it. Very well done.