King of the Hill is a 1993 American drama film written and directed by Steven Soderbergh. It is the second he directed from his own screenplay following his 1989 Palme d'Or-winning film Sex, Lies, and Videotape. It too was nominated for the Palme d'Or, at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. Plot Based on the Depression-era bildungsroman memoir of writer A. E. Hotchner, the film follows the story of a boy struggling to survive on his own in a hotel in St. Louis after his mother enters a sanatorium with tuberculosis and his younger brother is sent to live with an uncle. His father, 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. Cast Jesse Bradford as Aaron Jeroen Krabbé as Mr. Kurlander Lisa Eichhorn as Mrs. Kurlander Karen Allen as Miss Mathey Spalding Gray as Mr. Mungo Elizabeth McGovern as Lydia Cameron Boyd as Sullivan Adrien Brody as Lester John McConnell as Patrolman Burns Amber Benson as Ella McShane Kristin Griffith as Mrs. McShane Katherine Heigl as Christina Sebastian Lauryn Hill as Elevator Operator Reception 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." The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 91% rating, based on reviews from 33 critics with an average score of 7.8/10, the site's critical consensus reads: " A subtle, affecting, character-driven coming-of-age story, King Of The Hill is one of Steven Soderbergh's best and most criminally overlooked films." References External links King of the Hill: Alone Again an essay by Peter Tonguette at the Criterion Collection 1993 films 1990s coming-of-age drama films American coming-of-age drama films Films directed by Steven Soderbergh Films set in St. Louis Great Depression films Films scored by Cliff Martinez Films with screenplays by Steven Soderbergh Films shot in St. Louis 1993 drama films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films