86
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertKing of the Hill could have been a family picture, or a heartwarming TV docudrama, or a comedy. Soderbergh must have seen more deeply into the Hotchner memoir, however, because his movie is not simply about what happens to the kid. It's about how the kid learns and grows through his experiences.
- 100Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanThis story of a 12-year-old boy who drops through the net of middle-class life invites us-in each shimmering frame-to gaze upon the world with a child's freshly awakening vision.
- 100VarietyTodd McCarthyVarietyTodd McCarthyKing of the Hill has all the rich satisfactions of a fine novel.
- 90The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinWith warmth, wit and none of the usual overlay of nostalgia, King of the Hill presents the scary yet liberating precariousness of life on the edge.
- 90Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonIt's his best work by far.
- 88ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliThe narrative is presented in a straightforward manner; Soderbergh doesn't employ any unusual chronologies. His style is frank, not quirky, and lends itself to a number of powerful images.
- 88St. Louis Post-DispatchSt. Louis Post-DispatchThere are no false Hollywood dramatics, no musical cues telling us how we should feel about this boy's battle for dignity and a place in the world. The director lets complex emotions flow naturally out of believable action and dialogue in this very faithful adaptation of a fascinating memoir. [20 August 1993, p.3F]
- 88USA TodayMike ClarkUSA TodayMike ClarkFury, I Am a Fugitive, Wild Boys of the Road and Emperor of the North come immediately to mind as definitive Depression movies. This little gem, which may get overlooked, deserves to be on the same list. [20 August 1993, p.5D]
- 78Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovAustin ChronicleMarc SavlovA far cry from his earlier films sex, lies, and videotape and Kafka, Soderbergh skillfully pulls off what could have ended up as a sappy glob of treacly nostalgia. Instead, the director populates his young hero's chaotic world with genuinely disturbing people, images, and events.
- 25The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenSoderbergh has bathed the Depression in lovely, golden-brown hues - so lovely, so golden, that the flick seems to be unfolding from inside the delicious core of a burnished bran muffin. [20 August 1993]