MovieChat Forums > Eighth Grade (2018) Discussion > Perfectly Captured Awkwardness

Perfectly Captured Awkwardness

posted 4 years ago by spacecomedy (2046)
6 replies | jump to latest

I don't believe there's ever been a movie that's better captured the awkward moment between middle school and high school. Kids this age have so many nervous feelings. It's like a tsunami of nervous feelings. Kayla (Elsie Fisher is a gem) is the kind of character you just naturally root for because she's so earnest. She truly believes it's possible to be both kind and popular. And yes, she's too internet-obsessed, but so are most kids her age. And there are moments when she's rude to her dad (who's considerate and patient), but every kid has those moments.

Food in Films: If Kayla and Gabe's "friend hangout" doesn't make you smile, you might want to make sure your heart's still beating. Gabe is thoughtful enough to get the 20 piece chicken nuggets and a variety of dipping sauces, but lets Kayla know she can have any of his because he likes "all the sauces equally." That's a good fella.

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 4 years ago

Yes in a more unrealistic movie everyone at the pool party would have been taunting her and making fun of her. This was more realistic as they mostly ignored her and let her awkwardly attempt to fit in.

[–] spacecomedy (2046) 4 years ago

Exactly. They got the details right. Most movies depict popular kids as bullies, but for the most part they really just ignore the less popular kids--like how Aiden barely knew Kayla existed at first.

[–] WilloughbyStain (195) 4 years ago

As a man who was born in the mid-80s, there were some things I could really relate to from my own adolescence and childhood and some things I couldn't. Chief among the former was the sense of awkwardness. The party scene definitely took me back to numerous moments throughout my adolescence, heck all the way through to around age 23 or so.

Another thing I could relate to from that age was the slight skittishness around sexuality; I think a lot of kids go through that phase where their peers are maturing faster than they are and it freaks them out a little bit. I think more boys go through it than people assume.

[–] spacecomedy (2046) 4 years ago

Same here. Does anyone really know how to act at a party? Now, I can grab a drink and make small talk with people I know, but as a teenager it's all mostly posturing (at least at co-ed parties) and trying not to say something embarrassing. At that age, we're all so easily embarrassed, whereas now if someone makes a crack about something like my "dad sneakers" I'll cheerily respond "Got 'em on sale!" without the least bit of self-consciousness.

[–] BourbonKing (5777) 3 years ago

Hey, at least you got invited to parties. I was always the oddball out for the most part in high school. I know this is middle-school movie, but I was in a private parochial from 4th to 8th Grade and it was a living Hell for the most part. High School didn't fare any better for me but my enlightenment came when I got into college and experience life outside of my local neighborhood. All of the popular douchebags in H.S. and middle-school faded into the background and I was meeting students not just my age but also older adult students and people from all over the world. Parties were also better as I got exposed to a wider range of musical tastes and girls were eons more mature and interesting than any of the tarts I was crushing on earlier.

[–] stickman38 (3347) 3 years ago

Saw this recently and yeah, it's very funny and definitely reminds me of some of the girls I knew in school and the awkward situations that come up while making that transition from middle to high school. I was not expecting much and this turned out to be a rather charming film thanks in large part to Elsie Fisher, can't really imagine anyone playing this role any better, although she does remind me of Abigail Breslin in many ways.

And sure, I think parts of it could have been a little better. The "likes" were a little too heavy and the desk scene was somewhat unrealistic. I just don't think they would be talking about sexual things in front of everyone in the class. Would have been better to shoot this scene in the hallway or some other place around the school. And not sure why she was so rude to her father or why he takes the abuse. lol... but this didn't ruin the movie or anything.

I give it a 7.7 out of 10. One of the better coming of age films I've seen in a while.