King of the Hill (1993)

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:

Hotel | 1930s | Dysfunctional Family | Teacher Student Relationship | Epileptic Seizure

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Jesse Bradford	...	Aaron Kurlander
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

Colour:

Colour

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:

Rain

Soderbergh's usual technical mastery, but more heart

As Soderbergh has risen to the stratosphere of Hollywood enablers, he seems to have replaced character with something else -- odd collections of in-jokes, hand ringing and Oscar-worthy speeches. If he's connected with the pulse of America, he has done so by losing the pulse of his stories. Even his small anti-commercial films seem to have lost their human touch. Oh, they're fun, and technically masterful all -- but looking back only this one suggests the small Satyajit Ray style humanist Soderburgh might have become if he didn't have the mega-hit touch. A part of me mourns the loss, though another part of me imagines how horribly treakly Erin Brockovich would have been with any other helmer. I've spent a lot of good hours watching his works, but only a couple great hours, and this 1 hour and 43 minutes of greatness