Kids
1995
A group of street-tough Manhattan teens fight, party, take drugs, have sex, and scoff at the consequences in this unflinching account of one day in their lives. Larry Clark's controversial, bleak portrait of societal decay originally garnered an NC-17 rating, which the filmmakers surrendered, opting instead to release the film .. Read more
| Starring | Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Chloe Sevigny, Rosario Dawson |
|---|---|
| Director | Larry Clark |
| Genres | Drama |
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Kids
A group of street-tough Manhattan teens fight, party, take drugs, have sex, and scoff at the consequences in this unflinching account of one day in their lives. Larry Clark's controversial, bleak portrait of societal decay originally garnered an NC-17 rating, which the filmmakers surrendered, opting instead to release the film unrated. KIDS features the screen debuts of Chloe Sevigny and Rosario Dawson.
| Starring | Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Chloe Sevigny, Rosario Dawson |
|---|---|
| Director | Larry Clark |
| Studio | MOMENTUM PICTURES |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 33 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: not available Production year: 1995 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (6)
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Baby-faced teenager Leo Fitzpatrick here plays a self-styled “virgin surgeon”, who spends his days beating up street trash, getting drunk and stoned and deflowering very young girls. One of his conquests (Chloë Sevigny) tries to track him down to tell him he's HIV-positive while still dazed from her own diagnosis. Acerbically scripted by Harmony Korine and directed by influential underground photographer Larry Clark, this disturbingly explicit look at Generation X “skateboard culture” poses difficult questions and offers few easy answers. Clark's issue-raising treatise was deemed offensive exploitation by some sectors of society, but it is in fact highly moral and thought provoking.
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If Clark's raw, controversial, documentary-style account of 24 hours in the lives of a group of New York early-teens is... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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16 out of 16 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Good, Better, Best
I watched in the wrong order, which, it turns out, was probably best. I first saw Havoc (made in 2005), then Thriteen (2002), then finally Kids (1995). Each rips off its predecessor, each becoming more commercial.
It's said that the original is generally the best and for these films, it's certainly true. Anne Hathaway's acting in Havoc seemed empty and posturing compared to Nikki Reed and Evan Rachel Wood in Thirteen; Thirteen played safe compared to Kids' boldness. For teenage tearaway flicks, Kids is the archetype, the mother load.
It's no surprise that Kids inspired so many other film makers. It's raw and it's sophisticated. The intercut scenes of the boys and the girls talking about the opposite sex had something Shakespearian about it. Its focus on an immoral anti-hero and the film's lack of resolution, not falling back on the safety of the classic Hollywood narrative form, are refreshing: the makers of Kids treated their audience like adults.
I don't know if I'd have been as positive about Havoc (3 stars) and Thirteen (4 stars) if I'd seen them in the right order. I may well have become increasingly infuriated at how Hollywood progressively commercialises and trivialises original creative ideas.
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- PeterSays from Romsey
- Posted 30 May 2007 11:36
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Most recent members' review
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5 out of 6 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Horrible
I really did not like this film. The male characters were especially unlikeable. I found it very depressing. I'm sure this is what happens to many kids these days (perhaps worse). It was not an enjoyable or easy film to watch.
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News and features
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Burton upset about politically correct parents
- 02 Aug 2009
Moviemaker Tim Burton has blasted politically correct parents for ruining fright nights for their kids. The director fears today's children rarely get to see films that scare them, insisting a little bit of terror is good for youngsters. He tells WENN, "I don't know why adults keep fighting that. They keep fighting the fairy tales that have been told since the beginning of mankind. They're fighting Pinocchio. They forget what it's like to be kids. Kids like to be scared. "Most great children's Read more
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Kids
A group of street-tough Manhattan teens fight, party, take drugs, have sex, and scoff at the consequences in this unflinching account of one day in their lives. Larry Clark's controversial, bleak portrait of societal decay originally garnered an NC-17 rating, which the filmmakers surrendered, ...
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