Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Eighth Grade

October 7, 2018

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Eighth Grade

Eighth Grade opened with stellar reviews and I even heard Oscar talk for its star, Elsie Fisher. This does have the negative side effect of increasing expectations. Can it live up to those expectations? And is the DVD / Blu-ray worth picking up?

The Movie

There’s not a lot of plot to talk about with this movie. It is essentially a week in the life of its main character, Kayla, a young girl going through her last week of middle school. She doesn’t have any real friends and mostly keeps to herself in meatspace and spends most of her online time on social media, something that worries her father, Mark. We first see her making YouTube advice videos about, for example, being yourself, but no one is watching them.

What makes the plot more difficult to talk about it is its episodic nature. There isn’t a unified story arc with an inciting incident we can get to. This makes sense, as it is a slice of life drama and real life doesn’t tend to follow the three act structure. Instead we get Kayla being invited to a pool party by the cool girl in school, Kennedy, or to be more accurate by the cool girl’s mother. Kayla doesn’t want to go any more than Kennedy wants her there. There’s awkward dinners with her father. High School orientation and subsequently hanging out with a high school girl. Since the movie is about experiencing these events with Kayla, it’s hard to say more without spoiling things.

There are certain movies I’ve reviewed where my immediate reaction was, “I’m really glad I got to watch that movie. I hope I never have to watch it again.” This is one of those movies. There are many parts of the movie that are simply amazing, including Elsie Fisher’s central performance. Like I said above, I’ve heard some Oscar buzz for this performance, but in my experience, actors as young as her rarely get rewarded with Oscars, or even Oscar nominations. For example, Timothée Chalamet became the third youngest man to be nominated for Best Lead Actor. He was 22 at the time. Likewise, there have only been two Best Lead Actress nominees younger than 20 years old. It’s not impossible for her to get a nomination, but I wouldn’t bet on it. I think Bo Burnham’s script has a better shot at picking up a nomination instead. He has stated in interviews that he suffers from anxiety and you can tell, because he’s able to make Kayla’s anxiety feel so real.

That brings me to the second part of my reaction. “I hope I never have to watch it again.” Okay, that’s overstating things a little. Bo Burnham’s script and Elsie Fisher’s performance are such a powerful combination that just watching the movie can give you a panic attack. Fortunately, there are enough lighthearted moments, touches of humor, and even some genuinely uplifting moments that the anxiety isn’t oppressive. It is still tough to get through in some places, because real life can be cringe-inducing at times, but overall, it is absolutely worth checking out and I can see some people watching this movie over and over again. I might try again later.

The Extras

Extras begin with an audio commentary track with the writer / director Bo Burnham. Up next is a 15-minute making of featurette called You’re Not Alone. Up next is 12 minutes of deleted scenes, while the extras end with a trippy music video. That’s not a lot of extras, but better than most limited releases have.

The Verdict

Eighth Grade works because of Bo Burnham’s script and Elsie Fisher’s performance. I could see it earning a few major nominations this Awards Season. The extras on the DVD / Blu-ray are better than average for a limited release and enough to lift it to a Pick of the Week contender.

Filed under: Video Review, Eighth Grade, Josh Hamilton, Elsie Fisher, Bo Burnham, Timothée Chalamet, Emily Robinson, Catherine Oliviere