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Jesse Bradford, Jeroen Krabbé, Lisa Eichhorn, Karen Allen, Spalding Gray ... see more see more... , Elizabeth McGovern , Joseph Chrest , Adrien Brody , Cameron Boyd , Chris Samples , Katherine Heigl , Amber Benson , John "Spud" McConnell , Ron Vawter , John Durbin , Lauryn Hill , Dave Jensen , Timothy Bottoms , Geraldine Fitzgerald , Kristin Griffith , Remak Ramsay , Don Richard , Mak Takano , Deborah Aquila , Jesse Zeigler

Steven Soderbergh, after the success of sex, lies, and videotape and the commercial failure of Kafka, pulls a rabbit out of his hat with this quiet and evocative recollection of a childhood lived in t... read more read more...he Depression, based on A. E. Hotchner's memoir. Twelve-year-old Aaron Kurlander (Jesse Bradford) is coming of age in a rotting working class section of St. Louis in 1933. As the film begins, Aaron's family is coming apart at the seams due to the increasingly bleak economy. His father (Jeroen Krabbe) ekes out a living with a series of failed sales jobs as the family lives in the dilapidated Empire Hotel in a seamy section of town. When his younger brother (Cameron Boyd) is sent to live with relatives to save expenses, his consumptive mother (Lisa Eichhorn) goes away to a sanitarium and his father abandons him to sell watches in Iowa. At first Aaron retreats into a concocted fantasy world but he gradually becomes drawn into the shattered lives of the tenants of the hotel. Aaron sees the rotting social fabric laid bare and discovers he must temper his childhood dreams with the hard-hitting realities of adult existence. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Flixster Users

78% liked it

4,180 ratings

Critics

96% liked it

26 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 42 min.

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh

Release Date: September 1, 1993

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DVD Release Date: March 9, 1994

Stats: 153 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (153)

  • arashxak
    April 17, 2009
    arashxak
    Dunno why but it kinda reminded me of Amelie but of course with less sugar which is a good thing
  • xxdebxx
    May 5, 2010
    xxdebxx
    A fascinating film, set in the 1930s Depression-era setting about life in St-Louis see it through the eyes of a 12 years old, excellently played by (Aaron) Jesse Bradford. With the Depression in full force, Aaron's once wealthy parents have come to the agreement that the only way... read more to save money and be able to continue raising their two sons is to have his young brother shipped off to live with his uncle. The family lives in a hotel run by a bank. Aaron's mother is taken out of the picture when she has to go for a stay at a sanitarium for her tuberculosis and when his father gets a job as a travelling salesman leaving Aaron on his own to fend for himself totally aware of his own solitude. He is forced to live by his wits, helped only by an older friend, Lester, a petty criminal. He goes through the usual adolescent adventures. One day Aaron gets a note saying that his father has three days to pay their rent or they must leave. This is brought most terrifyingly home when Aaron can't afford any food, has no-one to turn to. The scene where Aaron is forced to cut out pictures from a magazine and pretend he is enjoying his "delicious" cut-from-a-magazine food is especially poignant. In the end it is the kid's grit, determination, hope and perseverance that holds this family together.
  • StefanoEarnest
    May 6, 2012
    StefanoEarnest
    "King of the Hill" is endearing, delicate, and a real heart-warmer. Steven Soderbergh has done almost everything right with this one, and despite a a few weak patches in the script, hardly anything feels contrived. It's fabulous entertainment -- involving, heartfelt, well-acted a... read morend visually stunning. Seriously, this one was robbed of a Best Cinematography nomination.
  • threefolddado
    March 4, 2008
    threefolddado
    Why this film hasn't had more acclaim, I will never know.
  • Chapsky
    August 10, 2011
    Chapsky
    A good movie about effects of great depression in america.Jesse bradford proves his talent as the young leading actor... But now it's a pitty that he doesn't have a great carrier...
  • RenegadeReplicant
    October 19, 2006
    RenegadeReplicant
    One of those gems that was praised by critics, yet ignored by theater-goers. One of Adrian Brody's first roles on the big screen.

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Critic Reviews

Janet Maslin
August 30, 2004
Janet Maslin, New York Times

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. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

A remarkable odyssey about a resilient young hero who uses both his imagination and his sense of reality to survive. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

With the kind of material you'd never dream of associating with him, Soderbergh has made his best film. Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

It's his best work by far. Full Review

Richard Harrington
January 1, 2000
Richard Harrington, Washington Post

The slow-paced King of the Hill is a feel-good fable in which it's difficult to work up any worry over a boy with clearly unsinkable spirits. Full Review

Lori Hoffman
April 20, 2007
Lori Hoffman, Atlantic City Weekly

Early Soderbergh family drama is excellent.

Emanuel Levy
December 19, 2006
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

This dark, poetic movie is intended as a tribute to the resilient spirit of many Jewish families that had fallen on hard times; Aaron and his survival instincts recall the young protagonists of Mark T... Full Review

Clint Morris
March 31, 2005
Clint Morris, Moviehole

Bradford gives a memorable performance

Dan Lybarger
June 11, 2004
Dan Lybarger, Nitrate Online

Soderbergh's most underrated film and easily his most affecting.

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
August 20, 2002
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

Affirms imagination as a character attribute that helps a resilient adolecent to survive in hard times. Full Review

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King of the Hill Trivia

  • Which Actor played in all these movies? A Time to Kill Reign of Fire U 571 King of The Hill  Answer »
  • Which actor has NOT done a voice for the animated show "King of the Hill"?  Answer »
  • Jesse Bradford captured Kirsten Dunst's heart in "Bring It On", but before that, in the early 90's, he gave an extraordinary performance as a child left to fend for himself in the middle of the Great Depression in this Steven Soderbergh movie:  Answer »
  • What Famous Actress, that starred in Uptown Girls, Also voices a Character on the Fox animated series King of The Hill  Answer »
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