Review: 'Mid90s' is a nostalgia trip without a destination

A year after Greta Gerwig's "Lady Bird" comes another actor-turned-director's memory-inspired California-set coming-of-age tale from the boutique film studio A24. This time, the time period has been dialed back a few years (from the early '00s to the mid-'90s), Dave Mathews Band has been traded for A Tribe Called Quest, and the filmmaking talent is far less revelatory.

Though affectionately and sometimes precisely recalled, Jonah Hill's thinly sketched directorial debut "Mid90s" feels both sincerely personal and highly derivative at once: a pre-digital slice of life that forces contrived narratives onto what ought to have remained a fleeter, kaleidoscopic ride.

Thirteen-year-old Stevie (Sunny Suljic) is drawn inexorably to the local skate shop near his lower-middle-class, single-parent home. Stevie lives with his loving mother (Katherine Waterston, adding depth to every scene she appears in) and abusive older brother (Lucas Hedges), whose rage goes largely unexplained and whose brutal blows (shown from the film's first scene) are unnaturally amplified to action-movie-level ferocity. Still, he's got a rad CD collection, which Stevie studiously takes notes from when his brother isn't around.

This image released by A24 Films shows Lucas Hedges, left, and Sunny Suljic in a scene from "Mid90s." (Tobin YellandA24 Films via AP)

But in the skate shop, and among its older teenage regulars, Stevie finds a refuge. He gradually cozies up to them, trades some video games for a skate board, and soon finds himself a member of the group — or at least its smaller, younger, mop-headed mascot. They are expert skaters, foul-mouthed storytellers, 40-drinking partiers who gleefully disrespect authority. (The movie's best scene is an exchange with a security guard, played by Jerrod Carmichael.) In Suljic's bright eyes, as he thrills to his rapidly widening world, Hill captures that glorious adolescent feeling: fitting in.

Shot in grainy 16mm and a 4-3 ratio by cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt, "Mid90s" — which takes liberally from Larry Clark's documentary-styled "Kids" — is first and foremost fetishized nostalgia that delights in nothing as much as period-appropriate, pre-digital minutiae. The soundtrack, from The Pharcyde to the Pixies, often seems more primary than the story. No space that couldn't be filled with a "Street Fighter II" T-shirt, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" bedding or mention of a "Blockbuster night" has gone wanting. (There is also a score by Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor, whose Nine Inch Nails was at its peak in the mid-90s — yet another reminder of how much has changed in the last two decades.)

"Mid90s" is at its best when exploring the group dynamics of its motley skating crew, several of whom are played by professional skateboaders. There's the younger, jealous Ruben (Gio Galicia), the dimwitted aspiring filmmaker Fourth Grade (Ryder McLaughlin), a boisterous, swaggering long blond-haired kid with an unprintable nickname, and the group's unquestioned leader, Ray (Na-kel Smith). Their dialogue is laced with homophobic and sexist slurs, which is surely just as authentic to the period as a DiscMan. But, like so much else in "Mid90s," it goes unexamined.

This image released by A24 Films shows Na-kel Smith, left, and Olan Prenatt in a scene from "Mid90s." (Tobin YellandA24 Films via AP)

A pair of other recent films — "Minding the Gap," ''Skate Kitchen" — better explored the camaraderie and freedom of skater culture. But there are glimpses here of a more radiant, lyrical film, like in the loving, unabashedly operatic scene of dozens of riders fleeing police, or the hazy glow of a slow cruise down a thoroughfare's median at twilight.

One of the film's most glaring issues is that Suljic, 11 at the time of filming, is simply too young for the role. That the filmmakers were drawn by his talent and on-screen presence is understandable. But he's a little guy. And when Stevie's coming-of-age leaps into more mature territory, it's just one more incongruity in a heartfelt but crudely made film full of holes.

I kept wishing "Mid90s" centered not on Stevie but on Ray, the group's sensitive and ambitious captain. Smith, a pro skateboarder making his acting debut, has an arresting sweetness. With aspirations for turning his skateboarding skills into something more, Ray's the only one in "Mid90s" looking forward.

"Mid90s," an A24 release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for pervasive language, sexual content, drug and alcohol use, some violent behavior/disturbing images — all involving minors." Running time: 84 minutes. Two stars out of four.

Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday said his country’s answer to an attack would be harsh, which appeared to be in response to a warning by U.S. President Donald Trump over reconstruction of Iran’s nuclear program.

“Answer of Islamic Republic of Iran to any cruel aggression will be harsh and discouraging,” Pezeshkian said on the social media platform X.

Pezeshkian did not elaborate, but his statement came a day after Trump suggested the U.S. could carry out military strikes if Iran attempts to reconstitute its nuclear program. Trump made the comment during wide-ranging talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

“Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again,” Trump said during a news conference with Netanyahu after their meeting. “And if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down. We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that’s not happening.”

The two leaders discussed the possibility of renewed military action against Tehran months after a 12-day air war in June that killed nearly 1,100 Iranians including senior military commanders and scientists. Iran’s retaliatory missile barrage killed 28 people in Israel.

Trump suggested Monday that he could order another U.S. strike against Iran.

“If it’s confirmed, they know the consequences, and the consequences will be very powerful, maybe more powerful than the last time,” Trump said.

Pezeshkian said Saturday that tensions between the sides already had risen.

“We are in a full-scale war with the U.S., Israel and Europe; they don’t want our country to remain stable,” he said.

Iran has insisted it is no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country, trying to signal to the West that it remains open to potential negotiations over its atomic program.

U.S. intelligence agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency assessed Iran last had an organized nuclear weapons program in 2003, though Tehran had been enriching uranium up to 60%, which is a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

Meanwhile, some of the largest protests in three years entered a third day Tuesday after the country’s currency plummeted to a record low against the U.S. dollar. The head of the Central Bank resigned on Monday.

According to witnesses and videos on social media, rallies took place in Tehran and other cities and towns. Police fired tear gas in some places. Near a market in downtown Tehran, footage showed people pushing back police and security forces and throwing stones at them.

University students also rallied inside campuses on Tehran University and other major universities, witnesses said.

Pezeshkian met a group of businessmen to listen to their demands, media reported.

"The administration will not spare any effort for solving problems and improving situation of the society,” Pezeshkian said. He also assigned Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni for talks with protesters.

The head of the country’s tax department, Mohammad Hadi Sobhanian, also said the government will revise its tax arrangement in favor of businesses, dropping penalties for delay in paying taxes.

The government announced the closure of offices and banks on Wednesday for managing energy consumption during the winter days, to be followed by weekly holidays on Thursday and Friday. Saturday also is a religious holiday in the country.

FILE - Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of Iran, attends the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, on Sept. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, File)