Middle school is the worst.

Good morning Consumers. This is Please Consume, The film newsletter that loves movies more than Woody Allen loves stepdaughters.

This is what we got for today 👇️ 

• Tyler ends our coming-of-age week and discusses a film directed by a YouTube star.

• The staff gives you their picks for what you should be watching this weekend.

• News and Notes

Let’s get rolling…

Eighth Grade (2018)

Written by Tyler Clark

To close out this week let’s talk about movies that we are looking forward to, movies discussing the youth of today.

And who better to discuss the American zeitgeist than the guy who made (as of right now) the definitive piece of pandemic art, Bo Burnham himself.

So let’s dive into the movie that sent us all reeling with its cringe comedy: Eighth Grade.

Painful Nostalgia

The thing that makes Eighth Grade as powerfully cringe as it is is because it is honest.

It pulls no punches in how it observes middle school. Bo Burnham understands that middle schoolers are all pretending… I mean we are all pretending but middle schoolers are really bad at it.

They believe themselves to be constantly perceived, even when they're alone, and Burnham uses online culture not just in the literal sense that kids are constantly online but also in an existential way.

He literalizes the camera that youth all believe is solely trained on them. And it works!

I remember seeing this movie with my older sister and my mother when it came out and we all had the same experience watching it: visceral memories of feeling the way Elsie Fischer’s Kayla feels at every moment.

That says a lot. My sister watched this as a woman who went to middle school in the late 2000s, I’m a guy who came up as a tween boy in the early 2010s, and our mother grew up in the early 80s, and yet there was a feeling of universality felt by all three of us.

Why Did Bo Burnham Make This?

On its face it is so strange for Bo Burnham, a then 27yr old man to make a film about a contemporary preteen girl.

But, once again, he understands the universal suck of middle school, and talked a lot about how the film was a chance to explore his own anxieties.

As for why he wanted to set it in middle school he said “I felt like now the pressure on kids are being put much younger so by the time they get to high school they’re sort of blasé and over it [...] so it felt like an interesting new space to explore.”

As for why he wrote it about a girl: “I watched a lot of videos of kids online talking about themselves, and the boys talked about Minecraft and the girls talked about their souls. And it was like, ‘Okay, the movie’s gonna probably be about a girl.’ I see myself way more.”

Why This scene is Brilliant

Today’s scene comes in the middle of the film and shows Kayla attending the birthday/pool party of the popular girl in her grade who only invites her because their parents are friends.

It is so hard for anyone with a soul to watch because it is the ultimate experience we’ve all been through. Burnham uses film language to enhance the feeling brilliantly, blaring Anna Meredith’s wonderfully unique score to overwhelm the audience and put them in a similarly anxious place to our protagonist.

The anxiety of being a middle schooler walking into a party, especially one you don’t feel welcome at, and one where you are forced to wear a bathing suit, it’s a lot to take in.

And then we see him. AIDEN! The hottest boy in school. And this is where Burnham really shines.

He uses subjective filmmaking techniques to simultaneously show us how Kayla views her middle school crush but also allows its audience to laugh how ridiculous it is that all these middle school girls fawn over this little sociopath (all middle school boys are sociopaths to be clear, it’s not just him) and points the finger back at its audience and says “No! You thought this way at one point and it was absurd then too!”

Note: To continue this theme of Bo Burnham being a great director we should mention that being good at directing doesn’t just include the final product but how you as the director lead a set and in this case create an environment for young people to feel safe when working for you on stuff that really is uncomfortable.

When asked about this scene he said, “Across the board, a pool full of 13yr olds in bathing suits has to be treated very sensitively, every single camera needs to be pointed at the ground when it’s not being used. This is real stuff that is not okay [...] there are moments that register as funny in the film that were not treated funny on set [...] I was very explicit about that stuff.”

Today’s Scene

Here are some selections from our staff for what you should watch this weekend.

Stop the endless Netflix scroll and let us pick for you.

Christian’s Pick

Young Frankenstein - on MAX

Young Frankenstein is a classic and you likely have seen it.

For those who haven't, I beg you to give it a shot.

You will finally understand why Gene Wilder is one of the stars of his generation.

WATCH NOW

Tom’s Pick

Knocked Up - on Max

This is my favorite Apatow film.

Not only is it hilarious, it’s thoughtful too, switching between the two almost seamlessly. Even both at the same time.

In a swamp of raunchy comedies, this is like a glimpse of the ocean through the trees.

I recommend watching the extended version if you can. There are some visuals that had me rolling on the floor!

WATCH NOW

Tyler’s Pick

The Wolf of Wallstreet on Paramount+

Steve McQueen is a stony-faced detective tasked with protecting an important witness. As you can imagine, things definitely don’t go as planned.

If you’re skeptical of an old police thriller, don’t be. It features one of the most famous car chases in cinema history as well as an amazing brown cardigan worn by McQueen.

WATCH NOW

Caleb’s Pick

The Lost City - On Prime

This movie is a fun rom-com. Just press play and enjoy!

WATCH NOW

Here is some of the latest news that we found interesting…