King of the Hill

King of the Hill is a 1993 coming-of-age drama directed by Steven Soderbergh. It was released on August 20, 1993 by Gramercy Pictures.

Plot
Based on the Depression-era bildungsroman memoir of writer A. E. Hotchner, the film follows the story of a boy (Jesse Bradford) struggling to survive on his own in a hotel in St. Louis after his mother (Lisa Eichhorn) is committed to a sanitorium with tuberculosis.

His father (Jeroen Krabbé), a German immigrant and traveling salesman working for the Hamilton Watch Company, is off on long trips from which the boy cannot be certain he will return.

Production
Jesse Bradford (who was 14 years old at the film's release) portrays the protagonist. The supporting cast includes Jeroen Krabbé, Karen Allen, Spalding Gray, Elizabeth McGovern, Katherine Heigl and Adrien Brody.

Lauryn Hill also appears in a small part as an elevator operator, her first screen role.

The music was composed by Cliff Martinez, and includes piano work and cues from classical composer Michael Glenn Williams.

Martinez's score is restrained and understated, well suited to the nature of the film. Williams' cue for the graduation scene for solo piano was notable in that it was the basis for his tone poem for Henry Cowell.

Box Office
In its opening weekend, "King of the Hill" grossed only $46,476.

Critical Reception
The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 97% rating, based on reviews from 31 critics with an average score of 7.9/10.

In her review in The New York Times, Janet Maslin says: "The film does a lovely job of juxtaposing the sharp contrasts in Aaron's life, and in marveling at the fact that he survives as buoyantly as he does."

In its summary of Soderbergh's films, the San Francisco Chronicle wrote: "This subtle, affecting, character-driven, coming-of-age story is one of Soderbergh's best and most criminally overlooked films."

Awards
Cannes Film Festival (1993)
 * Steven Soderbergh: Palme d'Or (nominated)

Chicago Film Critics Association Awards (1994)
 * Jesse Bradford: Most Promising Actor (nominated)

Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards (1994) Young Artist Awards
 * Best Picture (3rd place)
 * Jesse Bradford: Best Youth Actor Leading Role in a Motion Picture: Drama (nominated)
 * Outstanding Family Motion Picture (nominated)
 * Amber Benson: Best Youth Actress Co-Starring in a Motion Picture: Drama (nominated)
 * Cameron Boyd: Best Actor Under Ten in a Motion Picture (nominated)