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Kids

Play trailer Poster for Kids Released Jul 28, 1995 1h 30m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
47% Tomatometer 57 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Amoral teen Telly (Leo Fitzpatrick) has made it his goal to sleep with as many virgin girls as possible -- but he doesn't tell them that he's HIV positive. While on the hunt for his latest conquest, Telly and his best friend, Casper (Justin Pierce), smoke pot and steal from shops around New York. Meanwhile, Jenny (Chloë Sevigny), one of Telly's early victims, makes it her mission to save other girls from him. But before she has a chance to confront him at a party, everything goes horribly wrong.
Kids

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Kids isn't afraid to test viewers' limits, but the point of its nearly non-stop provocation is likely to be lost in all the repellent characters and unpleasant imagery.

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Critics Reviews

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Lisa Jervis Bitch Media The parallel seductions serve to show the audience that male sexuality is predatory and female sexuality is passive and victim-based. Dec 17, 2020 Full Review David Ansen Newsweek Kids is stunningly anti-erotic, though not untainted by sensationalism. By condensing all this inflammatory material into a 24-hour time frame, Clark and Harmony Korine create an overwrought narrative that's sometimes tedious in its relentlesshess. Feb 16, 2018 Full Review Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: C+ Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Common Sense Media This savagely controversial, deeply brutal movie, the debut of many notable talents, was notorious in its day and still is. 'Kids' is definitely not for "kids," but it's an unsettlingly effective cautionary tale. Rated: 4/5 May 18, 2024 Full Review Sheila Reid Women in the Life [Kids'] rough, in-your-face approach to exposing the perils of teenage promiscuity teaches a harsh lesson. May 13, 2022 Full Review Jas Keimig The Stranger (Seattle, WA) The film's lack of thesis and use of realistic sex/rape scenes provides no medicine to the wound it gives the viewers, offering nothing interesting to declare about the problems it presents to us. Instead it only sticks the knife in deeper. Dec 9, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Sergio A It hasn’t aged well. While the attempt to portray a generation with raw honesty is acknowledged, the film lacks artistic clarity. The script is predictable, the performances are unconvincing, and the direction feels scattered. Not everything should be considered art just because it’s provocative. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 06/15/25 Full Review Kyle C Kids: 3/5 More of a mood than a movie. There’s a little bit of plot, and the parts that are good are really good, but there’s also at least 45 minutes of watching obnoxious teenagers be insufferable. It simply doesn’t add anything after a certain point. That being said, it does a great job of capturing the timeless experience of being a teenager, despite being wrapped pretty tightly in 90s garb. It powerfully explores the terror of the AIDS epidemic and how it impacted social circles, and it always stays respectful of these sensitive topics. I also like the way it framed the differences in how society expects women and men to handle challenges. But despite a strong start and tackling some really intense topics, it’s simply not a very pleasant experience to watch. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/28/25 Full Review Armin A Simply brilliant, reality is always the most shocking Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/16/25 Full Review Chris C For the most part, yes, people can act like this in real life but that isn't the only problem. The problem is that the movie hardly ever actually touches the topic and handles it in the most boring way possible. The cast is filled with nothing characters and easily the most unlikeable main character I've seen since Evangelion. The only interesting and likeable character was Casper but, SPOILER ALERT, at the end of the movie he decides to uncharacteristically and randomly rapes a side character. Only good thing about this movie now is that it gave us Rosario Dawson, but aside from that I honestly can't recommend this movie. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/14/25 Full Review Mobi C Definitely a rough movie, people for sure act like this in real life. Its a raw look at things, they notch up the "hit home" to 100 for "But I only did it once". This is a raw look at reality and how life decisions while seemingly safe to the naive mind can eat you whole then just spit you out without a care in the world if your number is up. You wont enjoy it, likely wont want to watch it again. If you've ever made a decision that landed you with the devastating prize of bad decisions, you can and will surely relate. Do not watch with your family, this is a trip for the mature mind that understands the carelessness, invincibility and waste that is youth. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/25 Full Review Isadora A it didnt feel like a movie, the cinematics just wernt there, just felt like i was watching an avarage nwew yorkians teenagers day Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/09/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Kids

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Movie Info

Synopsis Amoral teen Telly (Leo Fitzpatrick) has made it his goal to sleep with as many virgin girls as possible -- but he doesn't tell them that he's HIV positive. While on the hunt for his latest conquest, Telly and his best friend, Casper (Justin Pierce), smoke pot and steal from shops around New York. Meanwhile, Jenny (Chloë Sevigny), one of Telly's early victims, makes it her mission to save other girls from him. But before she has a chance to confront him at a party, everything goes horribly wrong.
Director
Larry Clark
Producer
Cary Woods
Screenwriter
Harmony Korine, Jim Lewis, Larry Clark
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
Miramax Films, Independent Pictures
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 28, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 28, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA)
$5.4M
Runtime
1h 30m
Sound Mix
Stereo