Parents' Guide to

Kids

By Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Notoriously controversial, brutal, cautionary NYC teen tale.

Movie NR 1995 91 minutes
Kids Movie Poster: The faces of four teens, each tinted a different color, appear in boxes

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Kids Movie: Jennie (Chloë Sevigny) is in a nightclub, lit by a green light, looking a little zonked
  • Kids Movie: Ruby (Rosario Dawson), seen from the side, sits in a doctor's office, images of condoms on the wall behind her
  • Kids Movie: A smile on his face, Telly (Leo Fitzpatrick) rides the subway with Casper (blurry, in the foreground)

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What's the Story?

In KIDS, teenage Telly (Leo Fitzpatrick) bullies his way into sex with a teen girl, leaves, and immediately boasts about his achievement to his friend Casper (Justin Pierce), adding that he especially loves having sex with virgins. The friends steal a bottle of malt liquor and go to a friend's apartment, where many boys brag about their sexual experiences. Meanwhile, Jennie (Chloë Sevigny), Ruby (Rosario Dawson), and some girlfriends are also talking about sex and their personal likes and dislikes. It turns out that Ruby is getting an HIV test, and Jennie accompanies her for moral support. Ruby, who's had unprotected sex and slept with multiple people, tests negative, but Jennie -- who also decides to test and has only had sex with Telly -- tests positive. She decides to find Telly and stop him from exposing any other girls to the disease. Across the city, Telly and Casper steal some money, buy some pot, and beat a man unconscious before Telly decides that he wants to have sex with another virgin, 13-year-old Darcy (Yakira Peguero).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (1 ):

This savagely controversial, deeply brutal movie, the debut of many notable talents, was notorious in its day and still is. Kids is definitely not for "kids," but it's an unsettlingly effective cautionary tale. Made at the dawn of the internet age and before the rise of social media, Kids is missing those now-ubiquitous components of tales about teens, but it hasn't lost any of its power, because the bullying, selfishness, and nihilism are the same. The directorial debut of photographer Larry Clark, based on a debut screenplay by Harmony Korine (who reportedly wrote it when he was 18), the movie doesn't compromise, and it doesn't explain. There are no excuses for why the kids are like this; it's simply an observation.

At the same time, Kids is startlingly natural. All of the then-inexperienced actors give nuanced performances, with very little improvising. And the movie grabs you, making you furious, even sick. Telly, with his crooked smile and lackadaisical posture, would be a goofball hero in any other movie. But here he's a deplorable person with no redeeming qualities. And Korine's use of a race-against-time storyline (Jennie trying to prevent Telly from having sex again) makes it strangely suspenseful. Above all, the movie is a warning that teens need to be better taught about mental health, morals, others' feelings, and so much more. Kids is a difficult watch; it's a movie you'll never forget, but it's also one you'll likely hope you never have to see again.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Kids depicts sex. Is there consent? How do you think these scenes might be different if the movie was made today?

  • How are drinking, drug use, and smoking depicted? Is substance use glamorized? Are there consequences? Why is that important?

  • How does the movie use violence to tell its story? What's the difference between the man being beaten unconscious with the skateboard and the characters committing sexual assault/rape?

  • Why do you think this movie has become a cult classic? Is it possible to watch the movie and not come away with some kind of warning?

  • Do you think the movie is still relevant, or does its lack of social media make it more of a relic of its time? Why?

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