King of the Hill (1993)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writers (WGA):

A.E. Hotchner (memoir)
Steven Soderbergh (screenplay)

Release Date:

20 August 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History

Tagline:

When the world turns upside down, the trick is coming out on top.

Plot:

A young boy struggles on his own in a run-down motel after his parents and younger brother are separated from him in 1930s Depression-era Midwest.

Plot Keywords:

Boy | Hotel | 1930s | Children | Father Son Relationship

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Jesse Bradford	...	Aaron
Jeroen Krabbé	...	Mr. Kurlander
Lisa Eichhorn	...	Mrs. Kurlander
Karen Allen	...	Miss Mathey
Spalding Gray	...	Mr. Mungo
Elizabeth McGovern	...	Lydia
Cameron Boyd	...	Sullivan
Adrien Brody	...	Lester
Joe Chrest	...	Ben (as Joseph Chrest)
John McConnell	...	Patrolman Burns
Amber Benson	...	Ella McShane
Kristin Griffith	...	Mrs. McShane
Chris Samples	...	Billy Thompson
Peggy Freisen	...	Mrs. Thompson
Katherine Heigl	...	Christina Sebastian

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:12 | France:Unrated | South Korea:15 | Finland:K-10 | Germany:6 | Norway:11 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Alton, Illinois, USA

Company:

Wildwood

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In 1933 Aaron gets the letter for his father marked as from "Works Progress Administration". Works Progress Administration was only established in 1935.

Quotes:

Mrs. Kurlander: Must you wear that filthy thing on your head?
Aaron: Ma, it's a hat. You wear it on your head.

Soundtrack:

Cuban Love Song

Neglected Little Gem

This is a beautiful movie about an enterprising young man who survives various hardships during the depression. It has a bitter edge but isn't excessive and brings back tales of my grandmother's of how her family coped during the depression. My grandmother's parents were far more functional than the frail ill mother and the traveling salesman father who basically abandons his child to work out of state. I agree with other comments it hardly seems American because it is so deep without smashing the hammer down on our heads. Even though it is harsh I think it is suitable for older children if nothing more than an abject lesson about how real and difficult life really was. The irony is that America still exists to a lesser degree we just don't see it in the movies or on TV.