NOTE: “Eighth Grade” is an amazing “slice of life/coming of age” film. As an aside,  I cannot identify as well with “middle school” life as most of you will. Way back in my day in Greenville NC we did not have middle school. We had elementary that went from 1^st thru 7^th grade and high school that went from 8^th thru 12^th. I could compare this character’s finishing 8^th grade and middle school with my first awkward scary year in high school as an 8^th grader.)

EIGHTH GRADE   4.0***

   If you want to understand what it may feel like to be an eighth-grade girl today, go with the perspective of comedian and first-time director Bo Burnham’s movie “Eighth Grade” and experience the anguish, self-doubt, loneliness, and hope of making it to high school with enough of your identity intact to make it through. 

The film centers around 8^th grader Kayla Day (played by Elsie Fisher), who goes through many struggles during her last week of 8^th grade classes prior to entering high school. From the opening scene alone, we understand Kayla's character and emotions rather quickly. Her awkward tone is demonstrated through her self-created You Tube videos (which are seldom watched by anyone), especially with her using the awkward "ums" and "likes" to collect herself. In addition, we see and experience the sympathetic side of Kayla and her constant mood swings, showing how relatable her character truly is. However, the most dramatic aspects come from Kayla's self-imposed negative relationship with her father (a single parent), who seems just as concerned about Kayla's difficult life as she does, which helps to create the right amount of emotional depth.

“Eighth Grade” is a brilliant rendering of the adolescent mind with enough social-media exposure to either crush Kayla or move her forward to self-understanding. Kayla and the other teens spend an enormous amount of time on their smart phones, occasionally doing smart, creative things, but most often texting and surfing.  In almost in every screen situation they are seen looking down at their phones.

This is a movie that is so good that words do not do it justice. And Elsie Fisher’s  performance  is so masterful and realistic and sympathetic that you'll find yourself cringing when she cringes, laughing when she laughs, and crying when she cries; you'll share in her happiness and her sadness; and you'll be glad to do it because her performance is without a doubt one of the best one of 2018 and should garner her a “Best Actress” Oscar nomination. She gives one of the best portrayals of a teenager I have ever seen on film. She doesn't deliver lines like an actor, but instead with all the unevenness and unsure feelings one would expect from a teenager. She doesn't look like a supermodel so you buy every single second of her self-doubt, her nerves and anxieties. Now, don't get me wrong, all of the performances in this film are excellent; but Elsie shines so much more brighter.

It is Rated R for language and some sexual material which is unfortunate because it should be seen by middle and high school students. So if you have a 12 or older son or daughter, take them to see this movie.