King of the Hill (1993 film)
{{Short description|1993 film by Steven Soderbergh}}
{{About||the unrelated 1997 animated series|King of the Hill}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox film
| name = King of the Hill
| image = King of the Hill 1993 Poster.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Steven Soderbergh
| producer = {{ubl|Albert Berger|Barbara Maltby|Ron Yerxa}}
| screenplay = Steven Soderbergh
| based_on = {{basedon|King of the Hill|A.E. Hotchner}}
| starring = {{Plainlist|
| music = Cliff Martinez
| cinematography = Elliot Davis
| editing = Steven Soderbergh
| studio = {{ubl|Wildwood Enterprises|Bona Fide Productions}}
| distributor = Gramercy Pictures
| released = {{Film date|1993|08|20}}
| runtime = 103 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget = $8 million
| gross = $1.2 million
}}
King of the Hill is a 1993 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Steven Soderbergh. Adapted from A.E. Hotchner's Depression-era memoir, the film follows a young boy navigating life alone in a hotel after his mother is hospitalized and his father is oftentimes absent. It stars Jesse Bradford as Aaron, alongside Jeroen Krabbé and Lisa Eichhorn as his parents. The cast also includes Spalding Gray, Adrien Brody, Karen Allen and Lauryn Hill in supporting roles.
The film received universal critical acclaim for its storytelling and rich character development. It marked the second time Soderbergh directed from his own screenplay, following his 1989 Academy Award-nominated film Sex, Lies, and Videotape. King of the Hill was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival,{{cite web |title=Festival de Cannes: King of the Hill |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/3008568/year/1993.html |access-date=August 18, 2009 |work=Festival-Cannes.com}} and was named one of the top ten films of 1993 by Time and Entertainment Weekly.{{Cite web |title=Movies |url=https://ew.com/article/1993/12/24/movies-6/ |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=EW.com |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=DEPARTMENT |date=2005-11-03 |title=THE BEST MOVIES OF 1993 |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,1125845-2,00.html |access-date=2025-01-22 |work=Time |language=en-US |issn=0040-781X}} In 2024, British GQ ranked it as the best film of Soderbergh's career.{{Cite web |last=Faith-Kelly |first=Killian |date=2024-09-17 |title=Steven Soderbergh's best films, ranked |url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/steven-soderbergh-best-films-ranked |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=British GQ |language=en-GB}} It was released on Blu-ray by The Criterion Collection.{{Cite web |title=King of the Hill |url=https://www.criterion.com/films/27965-king-of-the-hill |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=The Criterion Collection |language=en}}
Plot
Based on the Depression-era bildungsroman memoir of writer A. E. Hotchner, the film follows the story of a boy struggling to survive on his own in a hotel in St. Louis after his mother enters a sanatorium with tuberculosis and his younger brother is sent to live with an uncle. His father, a German immigrant and traveling salesman working for the Hamilton Watch Company, is off on long trips from which the boy cannot be certain he will return.
Cast
{{Div col}}
- Jeroen Krabbé as Mr. Kurlander
- Lisa Eichhorn as Mrs. Kurlander
- Karen Allen as Miss Mathey
- Spalding Gray as Mr. Mungo
- Elizabeth McGovern as Lydia
- Jesse Bradford as Aaron
- Cameron Boyd as Sullivan
- Adrien Brody as Lester
- Joe Chrest as Ben
- John McConnell as Patrolman Burns
- Amber Benson as Ella McShane
- Kristin Griffith as Mrs. McShane
- Katherine Heigl as Christina Sebastian
- Lauryn Hill as Elevator Operator
{{Div col end}}
Reception
=Critical response=
{{RT prose|{{RT data|score}}|{{RT data|average}}|{{RT data|count}}|A subtle, affecting, character-driven coming-of-age story, King of the Hill is one of Steven Soderbergh's best and most criminally overlooked films.|ref=yes|access-date={{RT data|date}}}} {{MC film|86|12|ref=yes|access-date=2024-11-04}}
In her review in The New York Times, Janet Maslin says, "The film does a lovely job of juxtaposing the sharp contrasts in Aaron's life, and in marveling at the fact that he survives as buoyantly as he does."{{cite news |first=Janet |last=Maslin |author-link=Janet Maslin |title=King of the Hill; A Boy of the 30s With Grit and Wit |work=The New York Times |department=Movies |date=1993-08-20 |page=C1 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/20/movies/king-of-the-hill-a-boy-of-the-30-s-with-grit-and-wit.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=2024-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422132810/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/20/movies/king-of-the-hill-a-boy-of-the-30-s-with-grit-and-wit.html |archive-date=2024-04-22 |url-status=live}}
=Box office=
King of the Hill grossed $1.2{{nbsp}}million domestically (United States and Canada),{{Cite Box Office Mojo |access-date=2024-11-04}} against a {{citation needed span|production budget of $8{{nbsp}}million.|reason=Internet search executed just now brings up two sources - both of which are simply circular reporting of this en.wiki article|date=November 2024}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title}}
- [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/3075-king-of-the-hill-alone-again King of the Hill: Alone Again] an essay by Peter Tonguette at the Criterion Collection
{{Steven Soderbergh|state=collapsed}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:King Of The Hill (Film)}}
Category:1990s coming-of-age drama films
Category:American coming-of-age drama films
Category:Films directed by Steven Soderbergh
Category:Films set in St. Louis
Category:Great Depression films
Category:Films scored by Cliff Martinez
Category:Films with screenplays by Steven Soderbergh
Category:Films shot in St. Louis