We are officially entering awards season, which means that you are going to be hearing about all of the best movies from this past year a ton. Even if you are a casual moviegoer, you probably saw at least a few of the big movies that are getting awards buzz, especially blockbusters like Black Panther or Crazy Rich Asians. But there are also a bunch that you might have missed. Being an independent film, Eighth Grade may have flown under many people's radars, but there is still time to watch this gem. Here's how to stream Eighth Grade so you can root for it during the 2019 awards season.
Eighth Grade tells the story of Kayla Day (Elsie Fisher), a socially anxious eighth grader desperately trying to fit in before she goes to high school. Throughout the film, Kayla's energetic but unappreciated YouTube vlogs, her carefully curated Instagram comments, and her struggle to get through a pool party make viewers feel a painful relatability that is sure to take everyone back to their own specific moments of pubescent torture. Sound fun? Yep, you will probably cringe for a lot of Eighth Grade, but it is also filled with some very funny and cute moments as well.
Eighth Grade is the feature film writing and directing debut of comedian Bo Burnham, and although Burnham does not appear in the movie, his presence is clearly felt throughout the story. Like Kayla, Burnham himself was also a child of YouTube, emerging as one of the platform's early stars thanks to his musical comedy videos. Of course, Burnham found much more success on the platform than poor Kayla, but unfortunately, most of the teens trying to make it as social media stars today will end up more like Kayla than Burnham.
Bo Burnham's sharp understanding of modern youth culture is apparent throughout Eighth Grade, and Elsie Fisher's vulnerable performance as Kayla Day will have every viewer just wanting to hug and protect her through her whole anxious process.
Rightfully, Eighth Grade is already generating some awards buzz. It is nominated for four Independent Spirit Awards, including a Best Film nom, and Elsie Fisher is up for the Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy award at the Golden Globes. Now, all eyes are on the Oscars to see if Eighth Grade will get any nominations for the big show. But before all of these awards shows happen, you should probably watch the movie if you missed it.
Unfortunately, Eighth Grade is not streaming for free on any services, but there are still plenty of ways to rent or buy the movie online. You can rent Eighth Grade on iTunes for $4.99 or buy it for $9.99. That is the same price it is available for on Amazon Prime, Google Play, and YouTube as well. It is definitely worth the five bucks to check out this movie once, or the $10 to own it forever if you know it is something you're going to rewatch.
Tune in to see if Elsie Fisher wins the Golden Globe when the ceremony airs on Sunday, Jan. 6.
