Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Just so...so bad

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Could Bo Burnham, comedian and long-time YouTube internet star, be the next Judd Apatow? With his first feature, Burnham has done his research into the minds and sensibilities of teenagers stuck in that awkward age just after the onset of puberty and before becoming more independent during the heady days of high school. Eighth Grade focuses on his young protagonist, Kayla Day, winningly played by Elsie Fisher, who has been in the acting business since she was five years old. Usually in these coming-of-age stories focusing on school, the protagonist is pitted against a tangible opponent (often a bully) and much of the plot revolves around the conflict between the two. But here Burnham eschews such familiar tropes and hones in on Kayla's internal arc, highlighted by her lack of self-esteem and a journey to assert herself in a world which relies on social media to establish one's social cred. Kayla is raised by a single parent father, Mark, who thinks the world of her but has difficulty communicating with his daughter as Kayla often feels embarrassed by his awkward entreaties. Instead she holes herself up in her room, creating motivational videos, which she posts on the internet but no one listens to. The videos are actually quite prescient and suggest she has a lot more on the ball than what her classmates give her credit for (she's voted "Most quiet" in an awards ceremony at school at the beginning of the film). Indeed it's Burnham's sharp observations about student life that lift this film way above the clichés of the genre. In addition to the offbeat awards ceremony just alluded to, there are a slew of neat, unexpected activities at the school we're introduced to. For example the students open up "time capsules" which they made on their first day at middle school. Now they watch their younger selves speaking to their older counterparts, wishing them good luck on their impending graduation and entrance into high school (at film's end, Kayla creates a new "time capsule," wishing her good luck on her next foray into college). More unusual and compelling stuff: students undergoing a drill, where a teacher is dressed up as a school mass killer and instructed how to react if such a deadly situation arises (a sorry commentary on the state of affairs in this country at the present time!). Later, the eighth graders are paired up with high school students for a day at the local high school where they gain some valuable "experience" in what to expect when they begin attending in the fall. Eighth grade is not plot heavy and depends on a series of vignettes that chart the protagonist's journey. Kayla is invited to the birthday pool party of a girl whom has snubbed her in school, but attends at the behest of the rival's mother. There she confronts Aiden, a boy she has a crush on, offering to send him nude pictures of herself. The boy counters by asking her if she knows how to give oral sex. This then results in Kayla's desire to educate herself on the subject by watching explicit online videos as well as practicing with a banana (practice which fails to come to fruition, after she's interrupted by her father). The second act dark moment arrives after Kayla hooks up with Olivia, the high school student she was paired up with at school. Burnham smartly contrasts the older teenagers' more sophisticated banter with some of the more monosyllabic utterances of the younger crowd Kayla has been interacting with earlier. In perhaps the most harrowing scene in the film (which hardly should be called harrowing), Kayla gets a ride home with Olivia's friend Riley, one of the older high school students, who parks his car, gets in the back seat with Olivia and begins playing a game of "truth or dare." He gets as far as taking his shirt off when Kayla makes it clear that she wants him to stop and drive her home. Fortunately there are no real tragic moments in the film but it's a learning moment for Kayla, who finally pours out her heart to her father, after the traumatic event. If there is one flaw to this film, Burnham has some trouble wrapping things up. There's the overly sentimental scene involving the embrace between father and daughter as well as Kayla rather abruptly effecting her comeuppance of Kennedy, whom she bluntly tells off in the school hallway, right before film's end (maybe not the best way to demonstrate how she's found her confidence). It's Burnham's observational skills about today's environment permeated by social media, as well as the psychology of the teenage mind, that prove he is a talent to be reckoned with. In addition, with his adroit use of social media and overall clever cinematography (not to mention the great use of music to enhance the drama), Burnham has already positioned himself as a major force in the cinematic world today.

An interesting study of how technology affects the social aspects of the transition to adulthood. My criticism is that it was a lottle too depressing right through 2/3 rds of the movie, then the uplifting end was not sufficiently restorative.

I don't have too much to say here, just wanted to give my piece on this here film. To get the negatives out of the way, the score, for some reason, annoyed the crap out of me. I don't know why, it just did. Keep in mind that I'm no music guy, so it could possibly just be my bad taste in music that made me dislike the score. There were a couple of editing choices(key word 'couple') that I found to be cliche and not funny. Other than that, I thought this movie was fantastic. I might move it from an 8/10 to a 9/10, but for now, I won't focus on that. I thought the main character was well fleshed out, pretty much all of the decisions made made sense for here character, all of the preformences were great, a pretty good thing for a movie that has a lot of child actors. The story was interesting, though not the focus of the film, mostly about Kayla(the main character). That's all I really got, other than the movie got me to chucks here and there, though was mostly a drama with some comedy. Would recommend.

A fantastic interpretation of the life of a middle schooler. From beginning to end this film captures a feeling not normally associated with the cinema; awkwardness. This is not your typical comedy, not your typical drama, it almost lives in its own world of heart wrenching awkwardness that is griping. Bolstered by one of the most impressive performances I have seen this year in Elsie Fisher, which acting only a few years younger than her age may not be too impressive to people. However, to capture awkwardness in a way that isn't cheesy or cringy is hard to pull off. Secondly, a huge opening to Bo Burnham career. A man high up in the comedian's world, took a gamble in the movie industry; which proves over and over again that it is not as easy as it looks, even the tried and true professionals screw up. But Burnham came into the scene with a poorly timed band concert and won over our hearts. He definitely will be getting phone calls to run it back for whatever his next venture may be. Even if the follow up isn't very good, you can't just hit it and quit it on a movie this well made. Overall Eight Grade may connect with only a somewhat small sample-size of 20-30-year old's who lived through the awkward middle school years in some part of the internet era. At the end of the day this is Burnham's take on not necessarily his childhood, but one he can understand well. This is a highly recommended film from myself, even if it isn't your cup of tea, it is definitely a movie to watch and to feel awkwardness to your core for even the first time.