King of the Hill (1993)

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 !

A charming and gentle period piece set during the Depression. Jesse Bradford stars as a teen whose family, along with so much of America, is not doing well financially. They've moved into a hotel, and the father's traveling salesman gig is going terribly. Bradford's younger brother is sent away to their uncle's place and, soon after, his mother has to go stay in a sanitarium. Finally, his father gets a job selling watches out west, and is forced to leave Bradford alone in the hotel room, surviving on a very small sum. Bradford's a resourceful kid, but he struggles to outlast the ordeal. Jeroen Krabbe and Lisa Eichhorn play Bradford's parents. Other familiar faces include Spalding Gray, Elizabeth McGovern, Karen Allen and Adrien Brody (I don't think I'd ever seen him in a movie before The Pianist, although, looking it up, apparently he shows up in an uncredited role in Natural Born Killers). The film is somewhat reminiscent of the classic Depression-era film Wild Boys of the Road, though this one is actually a lot less gritty. This film has never been available on DVD (it was on VHS), but it has recently popped up on Netflix Instant. It streams in its original aspect ratio and, all around, it looked gorgeous.

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!

I watch this movie, whenever it is on cable. Jessie Bradford is excellent, and you never doubt his sincerity for a moment.I thought that the little brother was terrible, though...and I was kind of glad to see him go. I was disappointed when he returned.(I read in an earlier submission that someone said the mother was mentally unstable. that's just not so. She went to a Sanatorium, for her tuberculosis. I had to clear that up) Not a fan of Adrien Brody, but he played a good part, and his character was likable.**Here be spoilers** (kinda) One of the best moments in the film, for me, was when the Cop almost got killed by the produce truck, and the child he was harassing, stole some fruit and ran. I couldn't stop laughing.I would recommend this film highly.