King of the Hill (1993 film)

King of the Hill
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Steven Soderbergh
Screenplay by	Steven Soderbergh
Based on	King of the Hill by A.E. Hotchner
Produced by	Albert Berger Barbara Maltby Ron Yerxa
Starring	Jeroen Krabbé Lisa Eichhorn Karen Allen Spalding Gray Elizabeth McGovern Jesse Bradford
Cinematography	Elliot Davis
Edited by	Steven Soderbergh
Music by	Cliff Martinez
Production companies	Wildwood Enterprises Bona Fide Productions
Distributed by	Gramercy Pictures
Release date	August 20, 1993 (1993-08-20)
Running time	103 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$8 million
Box office	$1.2 million

King of the Hill is a 1993 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Steven Soderbergh. Adapted from A.E. Hotchner's Depression-era memoir, the film follows a young boy navigating life alone in a hotel after his mother is hospitalized and his father is oftentimes absent. It stars Jesse Bradford as Aaron, alongside Jeroen Krabbé and Lisa Eichhorn as his parents. The cast also includes Spalding Gray, Adrien Brody, Karen Allen and Lauryn Hill in supporting roles.

The film received universal critical acclaim for its storytelling and rich character development. It marked the second time Soderbergh directed from his own screenplay, following his 1989 Academy Award-nominated film Sex, Lies, and Videotape. In 1993, the film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.^[1] it was named one of the top ten films of 1993 by Time and Entertainment Weekly.^[2][3] In 2024, British GQ ranked it as the best film of Soderbergh's career.^[4] It was released on Blu-ray by The Criterion Collection.^[5]