Jonah Hill let it all hang out in the 2018 comedy-drama film he wrote and directed, “Mid90s,” but many critics felt it reeked of male chauvinism. “It felt like a salute to how toxic masculinity makes boys feel included. Which is true! But not sweet, as Hill seems to find it,” NPR pop culture correspondent Linda Holmes said of the movie.
Hill, however, was adamant that his approach to portraying scenes of homophobia, challenging racial dynamics, violence, and even sex involving minors was intentional and all to preserve the authenticity and credibility of the film. “At the end of the day, I’m not a moralist. I respect the audience too much to tell them what to think. That’s what I observed and tried to share,” he explained during an interview with Slate of his decision to include such controversial material.
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Later in the interview, he elaborated further about his creative choices, saying, “I think people who grew up in that time period are having to unlearn a lot of messed-up lessons that were learned back then. We’re talking about language that is ugly, behavior that is ugly. I felt it was more important to tell the truth and have that be the lesson and show it in its ugliness than to go back and change history.”
