Kids (1995)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Lucas M

  
  Heavy and shocking, Kids is a portrait of the mentality, and social behavior from New York City teenagers in the beginning of the 90's. With a bold screenplay by Korine, just like the Clark's direction, this film presents a strong subject, that it's to be reflected and… More
  Heavy and shocking, Kids is a portrait of the mentality, and social behavior from New York City teenagers in the beginning of the 90's. With a bold screenplay by Korine, just like the Clark's direction, this film presents a strong subject, that it's to be reflected and discussed by all society. The unknown actors and they outstanding performances are terrific, what make the movie more realistic. Some critics say that Kids is pure pornography and pedophilia. But the thing is, the strong scenes and the language are unfortunately the real true about some teens, not just of New York suburb, but also of whole world. Kids, is not a film easy to watch, especially for the views too sentient. But is very good to know the dark side of the adolescent sexuality, drugs, culture situation, the beginning of AIDS in the cult pop, AIDS transmission, sex experience talk and much more. An contoversial picture, very recommentable and present. Fresh.

• Unknown H

  
  While I understand why this movie was made and what it was trying to put across, I felt that it missed a couple of notes and in actual fact painted the lives of the teenagers a lot lighter than they should have been. However, it may have lacked sufficient depth for the core components… More
  While I understand why this movie was made and what it was trying to put across, I felt that it missed a couple of notes and in actual fact painted the lives of the teenagers a lot lighter than they should have been. However, it may have lacked sufficient depth for the core components of the story, but still I think Kids is a wake up call to its title audience and offered a more honest apporach to many movies of a similar disposition.

• paul o

  
  This movie goes hard. Deflorations to HIV, there is just so much chaos in this world for youths. The story was fantastic and the acting was somewhat real! Probably one of the most underappriciated films of the past decades.

• Coxxie M

  
  Its very hard for me to watch kids repeatedly not getting their asses kicked, when i want to see them get their asses kicked.

• Conner R

  
  It's creepy, disgusting, sad, and shocking. Whether or not you like the characters for being so outlandish and terrible or hate them for it, this isn't very far off from some lifestyles in New York. It's easy to regard this movie as trash or even pornography, but when… More
  It's creepy, disgusting, sad, and shocking. Whether or not you like the characters for being so outlandish and terrible or hate them for it, this isn't very far off from some lifestyles in New York. It's easy to regard this movie as trash or even pornography, but when faced with the reality of the film-making; everything was intentional. This creates an atmosphere that is nearly unmatched, half the time you feel more disgusting and revolting than the characters in the movie. Being shot like a documentary certainly helps that, also the fact that none of the actors were famous at the time and that everything looks and feels so realistic. It's an important movie, probably the most important movie about sex to ever exist.

• Randy T

  
  How does director Larry Clark expect anyone to care about his characters when they don't care about themselves?

• Anthony L

  
  Overhyped and contrived. Not a great film, quite the opposite in fact, is actually quite nasty.

• Chris W

  
  Before anything, yes, I am giving this a mild recommendation, even though it may not seem like it. I didn't mind the fact that this was a fictional film that felt more like a documentary. It added an uncomfortable and alarming sense of realism. I also tend to enjoy films that… More
  Before anything, yes, I am giving this a mild recommendation, even though it may not seem like it. I didn't mind the fact that this was a fictional film that felt more like a documentary. It added an uncomfortable and alarming sense of realism. I also tend to enjoy films that are "slice of life" or "a day in the life of..." but I don't think this film is quite as good as the critics who lauded it do. I don't think this film is nearly as pretentious, meandering, or shitty as Rachel Getting Married, but it's no Clerks either. The I couldn't relate to it and the fact that it already seems dated is probably why. None of what I'm saying hasn't already been said before, but that's no matter. Despite that it is a little too unfocused and indie for it's own good, it's not a bad movie. Bottom line: many kudos for being gutsy and unflinching and still getting a fair amount of respect.

• jd c

  
  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 know… More
  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 know 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!" <img src="http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm89/JDHallowEEn/KIDS.jpg"> "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

• Arash X

  
  So what's the point? A warning to the parents? Anyway good perf from Pierce

• Tsubaki S

  
  Kids like to drink and fuck, pretend to be shocked for a moment.

• Derek D

  
  Whether it's Clark's excuse to film child porn or his attempt to portray the "real lives" of teenagers, this film fails on all fronts. While the acting is pretty good, that can mostly be attributed to the actors pretty much portraying either themselves or people… More
  Whether it's Clark's excuse to film child porn or his attempt to portray the "real lives" of teenagers, this film fails on all fronts. While the acting is pretty good, that can mostly be attributed to the actors pretty much portraying either themselves or people they have known. It's an ambitious bit of filmmaking, but it's certainly not a wake-up call to the world; it's a wake-up call to parents and gives such people a reason to be even more restrictive on their kids. As a kid watching this, it was interesting and a good movie. As a parent myself, it's scary and unneccessary in a lot of ways.

• Dean M

  
  Most shocking and very weird of the reckless teen (under 18s only) I ever watched. Director Larry Clark made an impact in 1995 with this confronting controversial look at American youth, and has since crafted a body of work capturing portraits of troubled teens with uncomfortably… More
  Most shocking and very weird of the reckless teen (under 18s only) I ever watched. Director Larry Clark made an impact in 1995 with this confronting controversial look at American youth, and has since crafted a body of work capturing portraits of troubled teens with uncomfortably voyeuristic detail. This is the film debut for Chloë Sevigny and Rosario Dawson.

• Christopher M

  
  After seeing Larry Clark's film Bully for the first time a few years ago, I bought into the stuff on the internet about him being perverted/exploitative, etc, and wrote him off as a filmmaker. Upon seeing Bully again several months ago, I shed the burden of such claims and… More
  After seeing Larry Clark's film Bully for the first time a few years ago, I bought into the stuff on the internet about him being perverted/exploitative, etc, and wrote him off as a filmmaker. Upon seeing Bully again several months ago, I shed the burden of such claims and realized it really is a great film. So now that I'm past that, I decided to check out the film he is most known for, Kids. Like Bully, Kids is an unflinchingly honest look at the lives of American teenagers in the 90s. Sure, it also has its fair share of teenage sexuality, but it's not arbitrary nor is it exploitative. The film involves a HIV-positive teenager (Leo Fitzpatrick) who is on a mission to deflower virgins in his area, carelessly endangering them. A girl (Chloe Sevigny) who slept with him in the past discovers she is now HIV-positive and sets out to find him. It's an unsettling and disturbing story, no doubt, but Clark shows us what intrepid filmmaking is about by presenting the sad reality of these kids' lives, refusing to shy away no matter how ugly the subject matter, which is as close to reality as possible, becomes. Several actors started out in this film who have gone on to be successful in the business, including stars Fitzpatrick (who also appeared in Bully, and was a recurring character in the amazing HBO television series The Wire) and Sevigny (who has appeared in several wildly successful films such as Boys Don't Cry or American Psycho), and also Rosario Dawson (Sin City, Clerks 2). One of my favourite characters in the film was Casper, who, I've just discovered from his IMDB page, sadly committed suicide at 25. The film had a pretty cool soundtrack, also. This is a landmark cult film, and a very interesting one, and it's worth seeing for that alone.

• Drew S

  
  Enough to give you a bit of pause in those few precious pre-coitus seconds. Before you attack her, wrap your whacker! What makes this movie work and not Alpha Dog? No overwhelming attempts at manipulation. Alpha Dog said "this is how it is! Look! Aren't you ENRAGED?… More
  Enough to give you a bit of pause in those few precious pre-coitus seconds. Before you attack her, wrap your whacker! What makes this movie work and not Alpha Dog? No overwhelming attempts at manipulation. Alpha Dog said "this is how it is! Look! Aren't you ENRAGED? Protect your children!" Kids just kind of says "this is how it is", sighs, and lets you see and feel for yourself. It's almost all negative but such is a life drenched in poverty.

• Curtis L

  
  Started to watch it and got bored.

• Jason S

  
  This was pretty crappy. The only reason you may have heard of it was because people thought it was edgy. It wasn't. Just really crude.

• Summer W

  
  disturbing.

• Michael S

  
  Larry Clark's masterpiece. Some People say this movie is exploitation, but they're just to scared to admitt how truthful and real this film is.

• danny d

  
  interesting but trashy and sad

Read all 20 featured audience ratings