Smartorhypo
Highly Overrated But Still Good
Tayyab Torres
Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
Tymon Sutton
The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.
Armand
it is not exactly a movie. but a very precise map. for feelings, emotions and essence of a period from American history. example of admirable script and acting, it is a film of strong characters and deep exploration of atmosphere pieces. a touching film who reminds old truths and gives a splendid story. short, a film about courage and hope with a magnificent young Jesse Bradford. one of films who, after years, preserves in its title sound not insignificant memories. a film by Soderbergh who can be useful for many viewers. not only for certainly artistic virtues but for a story not very rare but powerful and convincing in every moment. a real good film. see it !
mwpm
King of the Hill is an impressive film, and I wanted to like it more than I did, but throughout the film I found myself asking: "Is this the same Soderbergh who made Sex, Lies, and Videotape? The same Soderbergh who would become one of the most innovative and versatile directors of 90s and 2000s American cinema?" The film, however, is encumbered by corny music, cheap sentimentality, and bad special effects. I don't know much about the production, but if I had to guess I'd say that these discrepancies are not the work of Soderbergh, but the studio behind him. Soderbergh was, after all, a fresh faced Independent director looking to find his footing, and landing in Universal Studios. It wouldn't be the first case of studio intervention in 90s Independent Cinema - specifically the early 90s, when Independent Cinema was still on the rise and didn't have the strength it had after the success of films like Clerks, Pulp Fiction, etc. (but before the late 90s and subsequent failure of various studio funded films by "Independent" directors). Universal Studios in particular is notorious for its "intervention". I'd like to refer readers to the case of Terry Gilliam's Brazil. Where the film succeeds, it triumphs. The performance of young Jesse Bradford (in the lead); supporting performances by Spalding Gray, Karen Allen, and a young Adrian Brody; masterful adaptation and direction by Steven Soderbergh... If only the quality was consistent.
preppy-3
In the 1933 Depression, Aaron (an impossibly young Jesse Bradford) is left all alone after his brother is sent away, his mother put in a sanitarium and his father has to leave to work for money. We see what the Depression was REALLY like through young Aaron's eyes. Too often the 1930s are romanticized...but not here! It is grim and powerful but there's also some very funny moments and a GREAT happy ending that was (more or less) believable. I read and studied the Depression in school and this movie got everything right--especially about the hell people went through. Also it looks fantastic! They got the cars, clothes, houses and everything right on target. This movie also has an incredible cast. Jeroen Krabbe (faking an American accent pretty well), Lisa Eichorn, Spaulding Grey, Karen Allen and Elizabeth McGovern all have small roles but are great in them, but it's Bradford who holds the film together. He was only 14 when he did this and he's GREAT! He anchors the film and is believable every step of the way. Also look for an unknown Katherine Heigl and future Oscar winner Adien Brody in small roles. This was a hard movie to market and the studio didn't even try. It died pretty quickly. I only caught it by accident on cable and was blown away by how good it is. This is an excellent film and easily one of the best film of the 1990s. A definite must see!
JimC-7
What a wonderful film. So evocative of the 1930s.Jesse Bradford was terrific as the main character. I had the opportunity in 2004 while working as an extra on Oceans 12 in Chicago to tell the director of "King of the Hill", Steven Soderbergh, what a great film he made (He said "thank you"). How did he ever find such a beautiful story and get the job to direct the film? An overlooked classic! I was glad to see recently that Jesse Bradford has been making a career as an adult actor now, appearing in several recent films, and he will be one of the lead characters in Clint Eastwoods's upcoming production, "Flags of our Fathers", due out in 2006. Also, with Jesse's training in film studies in college, I predict that he will turn to directing movies as he gets more experience, and what better mentor than Clint Eastwood! Be sure to see "king of the Hill", i believe you will love it.
