Steve Miner’s work is worth more attention than a list of horror sequels suggests. His feel for humour carries into television, where The Wonder Years gives us the strongest reason to recommend him.
Fi1m perspective
Fred Savage makes adolescence funny in The Wonder Years (1988) without suggesting that it is easy. We were touched by his performance because the laughter never makes those adolescent difficulties seem trivial. Miner directed the pilot and multiple episodes, and also served as supervising producer. That is a substantial contribution, though the pleasure of watching Savage should not become an excuse to give the director credit for everything. We value this side of Miner’s work at least as much as the scares.
Miner had worked with producer and director Sean S. Cunningham before making his directorial debut with Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981). He followed it with the 3D Friday the 13th Part III (1982), then mixed suspense with humour in House (1985). That combination gives us more to value than the ability to deliver another instalment. He can take the business of frightening an audience seriously without insisting on solemnity.
In 1988, The Wonder Years gave that interest in humour a different use. Its warmth deserves the strong recommendation we gave it, but there is a reservation worth keeping in view. Daniel Stern’s narration sometimes explains what the actors have already made clear. This matters to our view of the directing too: the programme works well enough through its performances that the additional explanation can feel unnecessary, however reassuring it was meant to be.
Big Bully (1996) is the caution about his adaptability: away from horror, the comedy can become formulaic. Returning to an established series worked better in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), with Jamie Lee Curtis back and a self-aware approach to the scares. Lake Placid (1999) again found room for humour inside a creature feature.
His later work shifted mainly towards television, with Dawson’s Creek and Smallville among his series credits. His own account of directing stresses what a scene should make us feel and how it contributes to the story, which seems a sensible priority for that work. Start with The Wonder Years, for Savage as much as for Miner.
Biography
Steve Miner is an American film and television director and producer. He directed nine episodes of the series The Wonder Years (1988), on which he also served as supervising producer. His work on the series earned him a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Comedy Series and Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
Miner began his career with production roles on films including Friday the 13th (1980). He made his directorial debut with Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) and directed its sequel Friday the 13th Part III (1982); he is the only director to have helmed more than one film in the series. His other feature credits include House (1985), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) and Lake Placid (1999). He has also directed episodes of series including Dawson's Creek, Smallville and Psych.
