Directorial debuts often delve into the filmmaker’s humble beginnings. “Mid90s” is no different.

“Mid90s” is an ode to lost innocence and the skating scene of mid-’90s Los Angeles, ultimately paying homage to Jonah Hill’s childhood as an avid skater in Santa Monica. Hill called the film his “best friend” and from the opening scene — a sequence littered with close-ups of ‘90s paraphernalia —  it is apparent Hill took meticulous care to recreate his nostalgic time capsule.

The film stars a phenomenal Sunny Suljic as the well-meaning Stevie. Stevie lives in a single parent household and is physically abused on a daily basis by his insecure older brother, Ian (Lucas Hedges), in working-class Los Angeles. All Stevie wants is to find a group of people who will accept him, so he makes friends with an older, cooler group of skaters. This comes at a cost, as Stevie falls off the deep end through hard partying and dangerous attempts to prove his worth.

Hill has clear influences for the film — from the ensemble cast and colloquial nature of Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing,” to the aspect ratio and working class aesthetics of Andrea Arnold’s “Fish Tank.” The film is flooded with loud ‘90s Hip Hop, as well as aggressive sound mixing contrasted with observational, documentary style cinematography. In summation, the film feels oversaturated by too many ideas.

That’s not to say that “Mid90s” isn’t brillant in what it does best: subtlety.

The conversations between skaters are reminiscent of those in“Superbad,” one of Jonah Hill’s standout acting roles.

Sentences are littered with casual bigotry that captures male posturing, yet never assumes judgement and allows the viewer to make their own interpretation. However, the skaters and their personal conflicts are two-dimensional, which makes the audience wonder why we are interested in this group of people at all.

The poignant relationship between Stevie and his brother makes up for these stereotypes.

Everyone from the skater boys to Stevie’s brother Ian is obsessed with coolness, and a large part of that is the fear of appearing “gay.” The sexual ambiguity of Lucas Hedges (Ian), openly sexually fluid and known for playing closeted characters in “Ladybird” and “Boy Erased,” adds much needed complexity to the reason for Ian’s homophobia.

“Mid90s” is a flawed labor of love: well cast and aesthetically pleasing, but  lacking emotional impact. Since the film focuses so heavily on its well researched setting and character development, the predictability and cliche prevent the film from being anything more meaningful than a ride down memory lane.

But still, it’s an entertaining ride.