Teens hoping to catch “Eighth Grade” in theaters will be able to skirt the usual R-rating enforcements this week.
Brooklyn’s Alamo Drafthouse is one of a handful of theaters across the country offering free screenings of the Bo Burnham-directed movie Wednesday night.
While moviegoers of all ages can attend, the screenings will let the under-17 set in without a parent or guardian, according to the film’s website. The Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn usually only allows moviegoers who are 18 years or older to attend “Eighth Grade” without an adult, its website says.
“Since Eighth Grade is rated R and that’s sort of stupid we’re doing free screenings in every state this Wednesday with no ratings enforced,” the film’s writer and director, comedian Bo Burnham, tweeted Monday. “Come watch, kids!”
The film, which received an R rating for “language and some sexual material,” follows 13-year-old eighth grader Kayla — played by actress Elsie Fisher — as she navigates the murky waters of middle school.
It’s been touted as “the first movie to nail youth culture in the digital age,” and has garnered favorable reviews from critics.
“Movies about teenagers are often filled with contrived excesses, but Mr. Burnham understands that some of the most pronounced extremes — the drama, the comedy, the horror — take place in that lonely room known as our heads,” The New York Times’ Manohla Dargis wrote in her review of the film.
Seats for the 7:30 p.m. Alamo Drafthouse screening are limited, and tickets will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
