Product: Kids (1995)
Rating: 3.0
A "documentary" that falls flat
Kids has gained notoriety since its 1995 release for its controversial view on the life of kids today. Some of the subjects that this movie covers are very real, indeed. Praise should also be given to the casting director for this movie, Alysa Wishingrad, who was able to choose actors who looked very real and actually appeared to fit the part that they were chosen for--the role of kids.However real they may have looked, there is just something about the performance of Leo Fitzpatrick as Telly that doesn't work. He seemed to fit into the role far too well, and at times it seems that he is overacting the part as a cocky sex fiend. For this reviewer, Telly just grated on the nerves after a few minutes.Praise should be given to the late Justin Pierce in his role as Casper, as he no doubt was created to be a very likeable character, and he succeeded with flying colors. In this movie, he appears to be the most realistic male kid on the cast, as many young teenagers could likely identify with the personality that Casper conveys.As far as the females go, it should first be noted that Kids was the first role for both Rosario Dawson and Chlo Sevigny, who played the roles of Ruby and Jennie, respectively. Sevigny's performance was stellar, as her emotions felt real, her plight was understandable. She was given all the sympathy in this film, and she earned it with excellent dramatic acting.Unfortunately, the performances of Pierce and Sevigny are outweighed by Telly, who overexaggerates his role and ultimately ruins the movie. By the end of the film, however, things will have picked up, and the climax thankfully delivers a disturbing, yet satisfying ending.The sad truth is that this movie is merely kids play (pardon the pun) compared to the things that kids are getting involved in today. Still, the events that these kids go through seem very real, and they are very real. All in all, Kids is a movie that should be seen only once or twice, to understand the controversy that this movie has rightfully garnered with its headon attack at kids' issues.