My review of Kids:
I've been watching it while posting today. Wow. According to the RT it's at 55%, basically a split. This is not surprising to me because the movie paints a very disturbing picture of the youth of America.
One of the first things I noticed is that the title of the movie is quite fitting, for there are only a handfull of adults in the entire movie; out of that handfull, one parental figure is shown. The problems with the youth can always be traced back to the home structure; perhaps this is why so many (presumably) adult critics found the movie so disgusting. In some ways it points a finger at them, but it's done through the movie's essense instead of being overt.
The film is shot almost like a documentary, and it feels as if you're truly viewing a snapshot of something that is going on right now in cities across the country. It's a powerful, raw view. While that view is indeed disturbing, it never feels manipulative. I know people like this. I've been in situations where I've seen this behavior, so perhaps it wasn't a huge shock to me. When I was younger it and would see my peers acting signifigantly different than me, of course it was something "new". But as a 20 year old guy I can honestly say the movie struck home with me.
Yes the movie featured rather amatuer acting, but it struck me as raw - like the rest of the movie. I thought it actually made the movie feel more authentic. The writing also struck me in the same way. If you've ever taken a bus with a bunch of kids you know what's up.
Overall my reaction to the movie is the complete opposite to Mupepe's. I thought it was a good movie, one that should be seen by as many people as possible. It's always tough to look in the mirror and see your faults, and perhaps many people hate the movie because it depicts a path they went down, and still haven't escaped.
7.5/10
How is that a bad thing?
