Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Chloë Sevigny

An amoral, HIV-positive skateboarder sets out to deflower as many virgins as possible while a local girl who contracted his disease tries to save his next target from her same fate.

Flixster Users

79% liked it

44,105 ratings

Critics

51% liked it

51 critics

NC-17, 1 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: Larry Clark

Release Date: July 28, 1995

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DVD Release Date: June 11, 1997

Stats: 3,595 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (3,595)


  • September 23, 2009
    Overhyped and contrived. Not a great film, quite the opposite in fact, is actually quite nasty.
  • December 29, 2008
    Telly: "But like, if you deflower a girl man, man, you're the man. No one can ever do that again. You're the only one. No one, no one, has the power to do that again.
    Casper: Right. The way I see it. My outlook on the situation. It's like getting fame, you know what I'm saying?...( read more) Say you was to die tomorrow right, fifty years from now all the virgins you ever fucked are gonna remember you. Right? They gonna tell their grandkids about that shit."


    A bleak and uncompromising look at the dangerous world of New York street kids. The film focuses on the sexual experiences of Telly, a teen-aged seducer who desires only virgins. When Jennie -- who's had sex solely with Telly -- tests HIV positive, she frantically searches the city to tell him he's infected. Eventually, she finds him, but too late, for he's already deflowered his latest adolescent conquest. Street realism's been done before, such as in Mean Streets and Saturday Night Fever, only the era is different and the kids are younger. What makes people anxious is Clark's unadulterated presentation. The hand-held camera follows the characters in a documentary style: it doesn?' look staged. The camera makes us observe, and doesn't allow us to look away when the situation becomes uncomfortable. Clark shot on street locations, and used unknown actors who use authentic dialogue penned by 19-year old Harmony Korine (Gummo). The cast, all first-time actors, is superb.
  • December 16, 2008
    Filmed where I live. And not far from the truth...at all(at least for some people anyway). I remember at the time this was first released, and I remember me and all my friends not being shocked by this movie. Not the least bit. We just found KIDS to be...well...very truthful. I k...( read more)now it may sound despicable, and yes I now agree, but what part of "youth" is a fairy tale anyway?

    In fact though, "KIDS" is a SCARY movie. There's nothing scarier than the truth. And yes, now that I'm older, I watch KIDS and I find it to be...disturbing, raw, ugly, but always, and most of all, powerful!

    I'm also tired of people complaining about the "pornographic" part of KIDS. These are the same people who knew it was rated "NC-17", or who have heard of it's controversy, or knew of the film's subtext. If a film is "NC-17" or "UNRATED" or is known for being controversial, AND if "pornography" makes you squirm, than stay away from these kind of films in the first place. Because chances are it's going to really exploit something, whether it be sexuality or not, given the MPAA rating or such a reputation. So why even bother watching if you're going to overly judge something of that nature, and let that sort of material "alone" ruin the movie's overall significant theme? These are also the same people in which pornography, but won't admit it of course, is a part of their lives, in one way or another. So get over it! KIDS uses "sex" to tell a story, yes we see that. That alone is going to make you hate this movie? Listen, if the movie sucks than it sucks, but judge the movie by it's whole, not cause it has an element of being overly exploitive. A movie can exploit and still be a fantastic movie. If you can't see KIDS for what it is, than "sex" obviously bothers you that much, where you can't distinguish art from true, full blown, pornography. This is a movie right?...Or is it a porno?...Or am I mistaken?? Come on now, give me a break.

    Every artist has his or her own methods, and ways, of expression. Larry Clark uses sex. But this only makes his movies stand out and differ from others. That doesn't mean all of his movies all of a sudden suck. I mean, yes, it could suck. But just because he uses "sex"?? Sex aside, what about the story? Judge it for that. Judge it for it's technical standpoint, character development, it's own message and theme. Larry Clark is just telling the truth here, and because he tells his stories in such a horrifyingly honest way, than "sex" might just have to be a part of it.

    Here, let me make it easier on you...

    KIDS is NC-17...sex might be involved!(BUT THIS IS NOT A PORNO FILM) lol

    Now you know what you're getting into.

    I highly recommend this movie. Excellent film. Like I said before...it's "disturbing, raw, ugly, but always, and most of all, powerful!"



    "KIDS"
    "A wake-up call to the modern world."
    - New York Times


    Check out this video I made myself. A tribute to Larry Clark films. Just copy and paste this...
    http://www.flixster.com/conversations/1110888
  • June 18, 2008
    Kids like to drink and fuck, pretend to be shocked for a moment.
  • May 26, 2008
    Kids is one of those films about teenagers and is made for teenagers but doesn't seem to give a sh*t about teenagers. This problem relates directly to the director Larry Clark. So what does Clark care about? Letting people know how edgy he is and how he's willing to be so provoca...( read more)tive, which I like in a filmmaker when it's done to tell an honest story. Nope here Clark just wants to look edgy while showing the world that people my age are careless *ssholes (Not even the *ssholes I know aim to give girls AIDS.) While I give credit to the cast particularly Chloe Sevigny and Rosario Dawson for trying with the material they have, there's nothing about Kids that my grandmother couldn't tell me. So more or less thanks for nothing Larry Clark.
  • October 11, 2009
    All must see, hits you in the guts!
  • September 26, 2009
    Ainda que da década passada, retrata com vigor as atitudes do jovem contemporâneo. Mesmo necessário para o enredo, há muita exploração do sexo com pouquíssima inteligência. O filme realmente obteve exito no retrato, poém o tom de alerta é claramente ofuscado pelo erotismo/heroism...( read more)o com o qual as personagens são tratadas. Boas atuações, nada mais de especial.
  • September 25, 2009
    The story of a teenager whose sole mission in life is to deflower as many virgins as possible. A strong young cast leads this powerful drama which is billed as one of the most important films of the 1990's. It challenges the viewer with moral issues and situations, whilst tacklin...( read more)g the view of sex in the minds of the young. The lead, Telly, doesn't care who the girl is, nor does he care about the consequences of his actions. He lives for sex and is prepared to say whatever it takes to get it. Unbeknown to him, he has HIV and is willing to spread it. Unlike him, one of the many girls he has slept with isn't willing to stand by and let some other girl suffer the same fate. However, the final words from this disturbed young man sum up the entire film and epitomise his out-of-control addiction, "That's just it - fucking is what I love. Take that away from me and I really got nothing."
  • September 20, 2009
    Larry Clark sheds light on the disturbing events in everyday kids' lives.
  • September 10, 2009
    Horrific and gratuitous...

Critic Reviews


January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Kids is the kind of movie that needs to be talked about afterward. full review

View more Kids reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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