Balancing comedy and drama like an experienced veteran, first-time director and long-time comedian Bo Burnham tries his hand at immersing the audience through the waning days of Eighth Grade year through the eyes of Kayla Day. Starring Elsie Fisher and Josh Hamilton, Eighth Grade quietly slugs it’s way through large suburban households and crowded hallways. Surprisingly enough, Bo’s craft for a first timer rings painfully true as many audience members felt their Eighth Grade horrors come back to life. Littered with kids sniffing highlighters, snooty classmates, and random outbursts of kids quoting Vine videos, never has a film captured the anxiety, frustration, and annoying qualities of Middle School with such accuracy more than it does here. There are numerous occassions where you’ll laugh at the absurdity and disbelief at how cringey your teachers were, or at how awkward it was to try and play it cool with your peers. The comedy strikes gold in every scene, and Josh Hamilton (who plays Kayla’s father) brings it all together between comedy and drama. The awkward Dad type has been played to death in many of these coming of age films, and Hamilton’s turn here is the most refreshing in a while. He isn’t too quirky or intentionally awkward, he plays the role just right to really bring home the laughs and the emotional weight. Elsie Fisher is the star here, and her performance is better than anyone could have anticipated. Her ability to showcase uncomfort, self-consciousness, and awkward behavior in a social setting hits all the right spots. Many techniques that Bo utilizes pair with Elsie too well. The decision to drown out a brief comment from Kayla in a social setting multiple times is a stroke of genius, and Elsie sold it. The moments that stood out the most were the scenes in which Kayla would be walking into or through places and the camera would track her not too far behind. Conveying the sense of isolation and transparency she feels in social settings was beautiful and struck all the right cords. Unfortunately, despite how impressive the film is on a technical and performance standpoint, the film seemed to lacked the emotional punch it was striving for. On a personal level, I connected deeply with just about everything I saw, but there seemed to lack a sense of streamlined consistency. Understanding that the movie is intentionally a bunch of awkward, uncomfortable scenes strung together, it left the emotional pay-off void of connection. Which may be due to Bo not taking the time to showcase her Dad’s growing concerns for her daughter’s behavior in scenes leading up to the big moment. It felt very undercooked. It did enough to reach satisfaction, but there wasn’t enough behind it to make the emotional moments leave a lasting impact. In the end, Eighth Grade is a truly great film that tackles personal issues with great care and expertise. Bo Burnham has a future here, and having been a fan of his since my eighth grade year, I believe he’s on the right track to being a household name behind the camera. Painted with personal strokes and blended with the perfect measurements of comedy and drama, Eighth Grade is a positive, honest, and well timed dramedy that’ll impact many teens for years to come. Eighth Grade gets a 79/100