King of The Hill is a 1993 American historical drama film on DVD, directed by Steven Soderbergh.
A brave story of invention and tenacity from Academy Award® winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Behind The Candelabra), based on the memoir by A.E. Hotchner, King of The Hill is a heartwarming portrait of Aaron Kurlander (Jesse Bradford, Flags of Our Fathers), a resourceful 12-year old boy who uses his wit and charm to survive the Great Depression in St.Louis, USA.
Childhood innocence abounds as Aaron faces the toughest challenge of his young life. While the world around him falls apart, he remains undaunted – devising money-making schemes to lift the spirits of his struggling family. But when the family unit begins to buckle under the weight of the world's financial woes, Aaron sets out to restore hope by any means possible and forges his own identity as ‘King of the Hill’.
Nominated for the Palm d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and also featuring Academy Award® winner Adrien Brody (The Pianist), Karen Allen (Starman), Jeroen Krabbe (The Fugitive) as well a young Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up), King Of The Hill is an optimistic and stoic journey about the determination of youth.
King of The Hill Movie Reviews
“King of the Hill has all the rich satisfactions of a fine novel.” Variety
“This 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.” Entertainment Weekly
“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.” Chicago Sun-Times
“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.” The New York Times
“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.” USA Today
"There 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. " St. Louis Post-Dispatch