Stevie’s integration into this group is not instant; it is earned. In a painful montage, he attempts to land a kickturn on a skateboard, falling repeatedly, scraping his knees, and bruising his face. When he shows up the next day with a scraped face, the older boys don’t pity him—they respect him. This scene is crucial: it establishes that in the world of mid90s , pain is the currency of respect. For a boy who feels powerless at home, the ability to endure physical pain becomes his superpower.
The film brilliantly captures the unstructured nature of teenage friendship in the 90s. Without cell phones to track them, the boys roam the city on their boards, drifting from parking garages to fast-food joints. They are a surrogate family, filling the voids left by their parents. They offer Stevie camaraderie, mentorship, and a place to belong, even if that place is fraught with danger.
In Jonah Hill’s 2018 directorial debut, mid90s , a young boy named Stevie sits on a curb, his face bloodied and bruised. He has just endured a brutal skateboarding accident, one that could have ended his day—or his skating career. Yet, as his newfound older brother-figure, Ray, helps him up, Stevie’s response to the pain is not a cry but a quiet, breathless laugh. “I’m okay,” he whispers, before asking, “Can we go back?” That moment is the thesis of the entire film. mid90s is not a nostalgic home movie about the decade of flannel and dial-up internet; it is a raw, unflinching, and surprisingly tender portrait of how we find family in the unlikeliest places, and how the scars we earn—both physical and emotional—become the proof that we are alive. mid90s
The film also captures the silent trauma of the 90s. This was the era of "benign neglect." Parents were not helicopter parents; they were working, exhausted, or absent. When Stevie suffers a traumatic head injury, the hospital scene is devoid of hysterics. There is a quiet, broken acceptance. In the mid90s , you didn't go to therapy. You went to the skate ramp and tried to land the trick you failed yesterday, even if your brain was bleeding.
Here is why Jonah Hill’s mid90s remains a cultural touchstone, and why the era it depicts refuses to be forgotten. Stevie’s integration into this group is not instant;
Most period pieces about the 1990s look like a Gap ad. They feature flannel shirts that look too new, Doc Martens that have never seen a puddle, and perfectly curated Nirvana posters hung at precise angles.
You cannot talk about the mid90s without the music. The soundtrack is not a "greatest hits" of the decade. You won’t find "Smells Like Teen Spirit" here. Instead, Jonah Hill curated a playlist that feels authentic to a specific subculture: the underground. This scene is crucial: it establishes that in
soundtrack, it captures a very specific pocket of time in LA that feels both distant and incredibly familiar. What’s your favorite scene? Mine has to be the freeway skate at sunset. 🌅 Option 3: Short & Punchy (Twitter/X)
Teens as young as 13 are shown drinking, smoking cigarettes and pot, and driving under the influence.