Your thoughts on the movie Kids

[laurajade]

I have just seen the movie Kids on video and thought it was incredibly sad and scary that life could be that tough for teenagers these days, what are some of your thoughts on this movie. p.s. The one great thing about this movie was seeing Chloe Sevigny's debut role, she is a very good and naturelistic actress not to mention an absolute UBER BABE!

[rupert_pupkin]

Hi laurajade, Chloe Sevigny is certainly a great talent.
Unfortunately, I found the movie Kids to be a shallow mess. The controversy that the makers were clearly attempting to create through what they thought was a heartrending and gritty story somewhat missed the mark, leaving a nasty little movie with very little merit.(besides some good performances)
I have only seen it once though, so if I have missed anything, let me know.

[*veers*]

I really like Kids, it was a brave movie with a lot of brave performances. I was saddened to learn of the death of the actor Justin Pierce who played Casper, I thought he showed a lot of promise in the movie.

[doctor drew]

I really liked KIDS. Granted the writing may not be top notch, the performances (many of the actors were first timers)were incredible. What people don't know is that KIDS was made 6 years ago, the movie was a slap in the face to middle class America, opening up many people's eyes to the troubled lives of today's youth. It left a huge impression on me. It's portrayal of rave and e culture (in 1995) was way ahead of its time. It has a pseudo documentary vibe to it, but I thought it was a great, avant garde movie.

My favorite character is the Black guy in the subway wearing the Kiss me I'm Polish t-shirt.

[Brock Landers]

I didn't even realize that Casper was dead...

I thought it was a cool flick that really spoke something, much like the film "Slacker"...a real testament to a generation of discarded kids...

For some odd reason I always remember the "half-man" on the skateboard...

Telly aka Fitzpatrick was the standout in my mind, although he is a real actor who later told the director that he was nothing like his character in the film...Telly tells it like it is, or like he THINKS it is. His life is nothing but fulfilling animalistic urges...sex, drugs, more sex, alcohol, more drugs, sex...he lives for the orgasm and virgins...I think this sums it up:

Telly: "Fucking is what I love. Take
that away, I have nothing."

[Raena]

A few years ago I took this class and made a friend. That friend just so happened to be best friends with Chloe Sevigny. At the time, no one knew who the hell Chloe Sevigny was. Guess that has all changed.

Yeah, I saw KIDS. All I can say is that the flick kept me interested in what was happening all the way through. If the flick left an impression on me, however, that impression didn't last too long. I got the message though.

[JoBlo]

This is one film that the Arrow and I vehemently disagree on. I thought it was actually quite powerful when I first saw it, an EXCELLENT anti-AIDS flick, with some decent insight into the lives of some NY street kids, but the Arrow always blew it off as a pretentious, soft-porn flick made by a closet pedophile (or something to that effect).

I "kinda" see what he means, but to me, the movie hit home.

On a side note, didn't one of this film's cast members kill himself last month? I think it was the dude who played Casper.

[laurajade]

I just read your replies to my Kids inquiry, you were all very helpful and insightful. Keep the postings coming. Thank you.

[The Arrow]

I hate Kids...its exploitation disguised as art.

The director can't stop filming the underage bodies of his cast and that made me sick!

The movie itself doesn't shine any new light on anything: Teens have sex and do drugs??? Wow thanks for the info.

The only thing the flick forgot to slap in there is that teens are not all a-holes like the ones portrayed in the flick. I am actually a NICE GUY that has lots of sex and does drugs...

Kids is pure shit and Larry Clark should go to jail...

[laurajade]

Thanks to everyone who replied, it's great to get feedback,KEEP IT COMING!

[VidGirl]

Yep, shit is what it is. We know that horrible stuff goes on in the world, and I don't see why we should pay to see it as entertainment. No moral, no point, and only shock value for the most naive of parent.
Pornography - and not even good pornography.

[laurajade]

VidGirl, Arrow, ever seen a porno? Kids does not fit ANY of the criteria for a porno!

[Tuukka]

If I remember correctly, Kids didn't even have any nudity in it. Makes it pretty hard to think it as a porn flick... Besides, none of the main actors were underaged.

I though the film was fine. It was very realistic and extremely well acted, but I hoped that the story would have been stronger.

[laurajade]

Stronger story? Agree whole heartedly, I wish the story had been tighter too. Good to hear from you Tuukka!

[R. P. McMurphy]

Tuukka, it had a touch of nudity (and a lot of sexual content). When the "Kids" were in the pool, you could see through the girls shirts, and their nips were hard. Wow, big deal.

I liked this movie as well. And it was pretty much a documentary film (the camera rarely panned away from the kids). It had to be realistic and scary, mainly because thats what lots of teens respond to.

I also liked one of the main messages this film gave out: You can have sex wih 10, 15, or even 100 people, and you might not catch a disease. Then again, if you do it once without using some kind of protection, you could get AIDS. the disease has no pity or mercy.

Am I the only one here who thinks this movie should be watched with parents and their teens?


[This message has been edited by R. P. McMurphy (edited 12-30-2000).]

[PackBacker]

I was disappointed. When it first came out there was a stink in my hometown because someone claimed that it was a documentary. The Baptists didn't want it released on those grounds and so on...

Anyway, I found it ridiculous. I'm sure some kids may live their lives that way. I'm not too far removed from those years and I couldn't name you more than two kids I knew that could hold a candle to the ones in this film. Sure it is a completely different culture than where I'm from but the whole film seemed to be a hyperbole and a dangerous one at that. Yeah it does have an anti-aids message but it also screams 98% of kids are fucked up satan worshippers who want to have sex with any organic object, shoot up 23 hours a day, and have no respect for anyone or anything. I don't think it has gotten that bad...yet.

[laurajade]

R.P. McMurphy, PackBacker, thanks for posting and giving me your thought's. I did like the doco feel the film had, but like I said before the story could have been alot tighter. As for being a porno, it does not matter if any of the cast were underage or not and I think it's obvious alot of them were, what is important is that ALL the sex in the movie was quite plainly simulated.