X
  • 1993
  • PG-13
  • Gramercy Pictures (I)
  • 1 h 43 m
  • 1993
  • PG-13
  • Gramercy Pictures (I)
  • 1 h 43 m

Summary Based on A. E. Hotchner's memoir, this coming-of-age story follows Aaron Kurlander (Jesse Bradford) as he struggles to survive on his own while his traveling salesman father is away and his mother is committed to a sanatorium with tuberculosis.

Directed By: Steven Soderbergh

Written By: A.E. Hotchner, Steven Soderbergh

  • 1993
  • PG-13
  • Gramercy Pictures (I)
  • 1 h 43 m
  • 1993
  • PG-13
  • Gramercy Pictures (I)
  • 1 h 43 m

King of the Hill

Metascore Universal Acclaim Based on 12 Critic Reviews
86
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 6 User Ratings
7.5
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Summary Based on A. E. Hotchner's memoir, this coming-of-age story follows Aaron Kurlander (Jesse Bradford) as he struggles to survive on his own while his traveling salesman father is away and his mother is committed to a sanatorium with tuberculosis.

Directed By: Steven Soderbergh

Written By: A.E. Hotchner, Steven Soderbergh

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 12 Critic Reviews
86
92% Positive
11 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
8% Negative
1 Review

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 12 Critic Reviews
86
92% Positive
11 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
8% Negative
1 Review

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
King of the Hill has all the rich satisfactions of a fine novel.
By Todd McCarthy FULL REVIEW
100
King 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.
By Roger Ebert FULL REVIEW
90
Part period piece and part coming-of-age story, King Of The Hill balances an incident-packed script with muted tones, painting a rich, absorbing picture of one boy’s struggle to live by his wits.
By Noel Murray FULL REVIEW
90
With 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.
By Janet Maslin FULL REVIEW
88
Fury, 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]
By Mike Clark FULL REVIEW
88
The 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.
By James Berardinelli FULL REVIEW
25
Soderbergh 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]
By Rick Groen FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 6 User Ratings
7.5
83% Positive
5 Ratings
17% Mixed
1 Rating
0% Negative
0 Ratings

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 6 User Ratings
7.5
83% Positive
5 Ratings
17% Mixed
1 Rating
0% Negative
0 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

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Production Company Wildwood Enterprises, Bona Fide Productions
Release Date Aug 20, 1993
Duration 1 h 43 m
Rating PG-13
Genres
Tagline When the world turns upside down, the trick is coming out on top.
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Awards

Young Artist Awards
• 4 Nominations
Cannes Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards
• 1 Nomination

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