Customer Reviews:

• Kids exposed me to the wonder and the horror of my own humanity...
  The movie "Kids" exposed me to the wonder and the horror of my own humanity. The youth captured in the film were foul, offensive, jaded, destructive, and all too much like me underneath it all. While their outward practices, language, and behavior I must admit are mostly foreign to me today, there is something within their culture that is more like me than I care to admit.
  
  While watching this film, I felt that in many moments these `kids' were having a better time than I was. How can I compare sitting in classroom full of strangers, to skinny dipping with a bunch of good friends? These youth have a camaraderie together that is rare in my world. They literally fight for one another without question or judgment.
  
  Although many of their actions are unhealthy, I can feel they are reacting to the same human longings for acceptance, community, authenticity, and love that I desire myself. These `kids' just happen to act on their overly sexualized and abusive compulsions; blatantly saying and doing the same things that I think about, but hide from everyone else. Beneath it all, they are not just an embarrassing cross-section of our society, they are human beings. They are not stupid. They are spirits like me who are trying to get by with the best options that we are aware of.
  
  I have hopes of planting a missional church that proclaims Jesus in every relevant way possible. As it stands today, I am completely irrelevant to these `kids'. If I was them, I would not want to be friends with someone like myself. I am so far removed from their world there is no way that I could ever get `in' with my natural presumptions and civilized front. Reflecting on this film has helped change my view of them. However it is only the beginning, and not enough, because I still see these at risk youth as `them'.
  
  My ministry must move beyond simply awareness of `them'. I cannot see transformation happening without real, intentional, friendship involved. My faith community must know them as fellow human beings on the journey through life. Their rampant sexual behavior must be gently won over with persistent and extraordinary love. Their violence must be overcome with a people with an even more violent desire; a community that would rightly fight on behalf of them for their futures.
  
  The film was a snippet of what God sees every day, both on our streets and in our hearts. If these children are merely a reflection of my own humanity and God still chooses to give hope and a future to me, then I must choose to give hope and a future to these children. ...more info
• Punks...HIV...and life goes on
  This can be a very distubing movie if you allow yourself to get into the real theme and don't pay attention to the horrible acting. Rosario Dawson and her girlfriends were a lot more beleivable than the boys wild almost orgy scenes. The think i remember about this movie is the ending...Telly has just broken in another virgin and given her HIV...his life is about to be hell and he doesn't know it...and in the end life goes on in the city. Buisness as usual and nobody really is going to notice unless it's you or your that has this monster disease. Telly is badly in need of an A @ @ kicking and that goes for the whole lot of the boys like Casper. This is disturbing because there is so lil' interaction from adults in this film that at times it seems as if it's a documentary...Like Thirteen and Bully, Also Alpha Dog...this is an explosive world and this is one of the scenes behind "Door # 1"...thank god my kids biggest problems are picking up their clothes...! I don't care at all for the poor acting as in the afore mentioned movies the acting is all superb...this is the biggest shortcoming in this lil' movie with a big kick in the head....more info
• Kids for Real
  A must see for every mature teen. So realistic and so real. A lot of kids are good and can't relate but a lot of people can relate and this movie is everyday life for a lot of teens who are just out livin life.
  So real it's scary....more info
• Eww
  I have never seen this movie and never will. First of all, i ain't aloud(I'm 11). Second, based on other reviews this movie sounds so disturbing. kids as young as 10 smoking illegally, drinking, swearing, having sex, beating, and getting and delivering sexually transmitted diseases just AIN'T right! i mean there are some things i do and can't stop because of habits(swearing) and it is not so bad but this kinda stuff is WRONG!there are some things i will encounter in my life that are wrong and i won't do like the kids in this movie that I'm reading about in reviews. this movie is a true wake up call....more info
• Not to bad!
  This movie wasn't to bad it actually had a pretty good story line. It's a little scary because this is reality of what some teenagers face today. I wasn't disappointed with this at all....more info
• Realistic niew of adolescence
  Ever wonder what your kids are doing when they say they're staying at a friend's place over the weekend? Ever think to yourself "Im sure i had another $10 in there"....This movie is not only entertaining, but educational to both parents and adolescents. My only quam is that in some cases it glorifies the life these kids are living. No doubt in their own mind they are living in glory, however, the stark reality is quite the opposite, and i think this message gets blurred at times....more info
• Wow! Really Bad Kids!
  This review is from; Kids
  
  If kids like this are our future, then we are all doomed! Maybe we will live in a futuristic, badlands world like in "Road Warrior". Forget global warming, maybe our youthful generation will end mankind. "Kids" follows the stories of Jenny & Tellie. Tellie is a teenage boy who craves sex with virgins. He craves it so much that he goes on his own personal quest to get as much virgin girls as he can. Jenny is one of Tellie's former flings and she has contracted the HIV virus from Tellie. Throughout the film we witness a gang beating (about ten guys against one), drug use, shoplifting from a store, stealing from a parent, a rape between two teenagers involving Jenny and a wild, alcohol party with kids as young as 10 drinking! The film ends as Jenny pursues Tellie to tell him about the HIV virus and possibly stop him from affecting more unsuspecting victims.
  
  This is quite a shocking film induced to shock. It has a redeeming realism to it because chances are you may have passed by "kids" like this on a daily basis. We can see kids like this in a mall, bus station, school or just by walking by. Maybe you just wish some of these kids will go away and grow up, but some cannot. Let this movie be a wake up call to parents. This movie can be a parent's worst nightmare. I think this is the type of movie parents & teenagers should watch together.
  
  There is one scene that surprised me in the movie. In the subway, Tellie and his friend, Casper are talking boastfully about sex and profanity. A man with no legs enters the subway car and sings repeatedly "I have no legs". As he passes the two boys, they slump and stare quietly. Tellie's friend reaches for some change to give to the handicapped man. A single moment of humanity among many troubled and disrespected moments with these very troubled teens. Maybe all hope is not lost?
  
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• This film is rough and brutuall honest.
  I love this film and have for years. I know alot of people were disgusted by it... "that's not how kids really act!". Sadly that is how some do... and some don't. It wont be an easy pill for some to swallow--- and for others it may be all to familiar.
  The recording is shakey... but that's sort of a signature of the directors.
  
  Basically if you can't handle the thought of kids on drugs, having sex, dealing with hiv, being in gangs... dont watch this....more info
• Is there more
  The movie was incredible! The actors did a bang up job and everything fell perfectly into place but my only small concern was that I heard a lot of awesome music in the movie but NONE of it was on the soundtrack....more info
• amazingly real
  "Kids" was very controversial when it first came out 13 years ago, and it still packs a punch today despite the rise of the internet age and reality TV. This story of a day in the life of a group of NY teenagers is so gritty, so immersive in its delivery, that it really does feel like a documentary. After watching I was struck by the thought that this was the best ensemble acting performance I had ever seen. Not one of the actors (other than perhaps Chloe Sevigny) seemed like they were acting. They projected 100% authenticity in re-creating the carefree energy, immaturity, and menace of adolescence. As a film, "Kids" doesn't really succeed, but as a look inside the world of urban teenagers from the wrong side of the tracks, it is painfully realistic. If you are a very sensitive person it might be difficult to watch it all the way through, but if you appreciate fine acting and truth in film-making, give "Kids" a try. In terms of the DVD, the only extras are a couple of trailers. The lack of a commentary track with the director and the performers is unfortunate, but we'll just have to hope they put out a special edition one day. "Kids" deserves that much....more info
• Better when I was younger
  I watched this many years ago, and at the time it was really good because that's how I was as a youth. You also thought it was a real documentary which made it more disturbing. Now that I watched it as an adult, it's pretty sick and twisted and you realize now that it was acted out. There really isn't much of a plot other than the one storyline. It's kind of all over the place with a overemphazising of how young teens act. I would rather have rented but it's very hard to find....more info
• An Artist documents America The Doomed
  Kids
  Sex
  Dope
  . . .repeat
  Kids
  Lies
  Theft
  . . .repeat
  Kids
  Rape
  Brutality
  . . .repeat
  
  This is today's American youth? We're doomed; this is moral implosion.
  
  My generation, and we weren't particularly thoughtful or polite, used words such as: peace, please, love, thank-you, welcome. . .I don't think I heard any or those words here. (Sorry, "love" is used in the film, but only as a personal lubricant.)
  
  These KIDS are subhuman. They beat; they rob; one--and this is his goal?--tries to claim two virgins in one day.
  
  Quit moralizing, you might say; this is only a movie and these are only actors. But--really--this is a documentary. In the ending credits, Clark claims credit for "original story". But there is no story here; it's just kids let loose. (Sorry: 21st-century American kids let loose.)
  
  About as depressing a movie as I have ever seen....more info
• They're bringing up the next generation?!
  I did feel this movie was a bit weird to give as a Christmas present, after watching it, but considering I'd never heard of it, when I opened it, I was just a bit curious. It sounded just a tad depressing (how wrong was I????) to watch on Christmas Day, so I decided to watch it the next night.
  
  What's ultimately shocking about Kids is how realistic it is. How many times have you seen a group of kids walking towards you, and crossed the road to avoid them? How many times have you seen a couple openly snogging at a bus stop and stopped to think, "They're too young?" How many times have you read in the press about the latest 12 year old getting pregnant, cos her boyfriend told her he loved her? Or am I just getting old? It could also be because I never experienced that when I was young. I was still playing with Barbies when the kids in this were out getting drunk and doing god knows what. What's also realistic is the language. I actually went to put the subtitles on whilst watching this, cos I couldn't understand a word the kids were saying. (I'm only 22!) And as it turned, there weren't any subtitles to understand Telly or Casper, so I had to gather as much as possible.
  
  Telly is the main character; with a face only a mother could love, and has a thing for deflowering virgins. He also has HIV. But does he know? Personally, I didn't find the actor playing him that attractive, and he got girls into bed, by telling them that he "liked" them. At least they didn't fall for the "I love you, now come to bed" line. There are some attractive scenes of Telly at it in bed, with the unlucky girl. His best friend, Casper, doesn't seem to get the girls as much, at least, until the end.
  
  Jennie and her friend, played by a really young Rosario Dawson, go to a clinic to get tested. No pregnancy tests are ever mentioned, but an HIV test is. And Jennie has it. The only guy she's ever slept with? Telly.
  
  Jennie decides to catch up with him, to confront him, to do god knows what, but fatally, only just catches up with him when he's already found himself another virgin. She also gets caught up the whole nonsense, when she passes out drunk, and Casper, hungover (or still drunk) and horny, decides he needs a piece of her.
  
  This should really be shown to any irresponsible parents out there. The ones who don't care about their kids, and care about their job/toyboy/favourite child etc. The parents who give their kids too much pocket money, which will ultimately be spent on cigarettes & booze, rather than a decent lunch.
  
  It's probably not a good idea to watch this film if you're easily affected by this kind of thing. I couldn't forget about it, and a day later, am still thinking about poor Jennie, and ultimately, Casper too. The kids are set on self-destruction, and this movie shows how. Afterwards, I felt like I needed a cuddle, just some general love & affection. It's a really hard movie to watch and also a hard movie to forget about. It will probably haunt the viewer for the rest of their life, if they've got a haunt. The film needs to be taken seriously. Pick it up if you see it for a lesson in life, and how NOT to bring your children up....more info
• Wake up call indeed!
  Its would be hard to add anything to what's already been posted. There is one observation I'd like to share.
  
  I live in New York City, and frequent many of the neighborhoods where "Kids" was filmed. While walking through one of those areas about a year ago, I saw one of the actors from the film. His appearance was unmistakable.
  
  Keeping in mind that this movie was made in 1995, what do you suppose this guy was doing? Hanging out on the streets, getting high and drinking with other kids. 13 or so years later, and this is still how he lives his life.
  
  "Kids" isn't a drama; it's a documentary....more info
• It's in my all-time top 10 for sure.
  I actually got kind of sick when I first saw this movie. Even though I knew that this was how teenagers really acted (I'm 19 myself), it was still shocking to see in such graphic detail. The movie had a lot going for it, but I still vowed never to watch it again. But it just stayed in my head. When I watched it again a few weeks later, I didn't get squeamish at all this time around, the good aspects were heightened, and I really enjoyed it. This is great cinema, period. I have a very hard time believing that there was a script for this because the dialogue is the most real I've ever heard in a movie. Major credit to writer Harmony Korine (who also wrote and directed Gummo). Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pearce, and Chloe Sevigny give great performances as the main characters. True, this movie isn't for everyone - some people can't handle the fact that this is real life and not some fake suburban setting, so they'll just write it off as garbage. That's fine, they don't know what they're missing. I won't say that the film depicts the kind of life I wish I have, but it's great that a talented filmmaker like Larry Clark had the guts to show it. At this cheap price, the DVD is a major steal. If you haven't seen Kids yet, don't get offended easily, and/or really like films about young adults, do what I did and blind buy this sucker....more info
• Real life Movie!!!
  I watched this movie years ago and thought it would be best to purchase it. This movie is a wake up call for parents and young adults. There is a lot of vulgar language used in this movie but when you understand what the movie is all about then you will see why the language is used. If you are not from a urban city then you will not be able to understand the mindset behind this movie. This movie is not for kids despite the title of the movie.
  
  ...more info
• kids
  well I bought this because a friend said it was a very sick movie sick being a horrible movie so I bought it lol. Anyway its something you watch once and are like wow im nver watching this again. The seller shipped very fast on the positive side...more info
• "When your young, nothing matters. When you find something you care about, that's all you got."
  Kids is the story of unrestrained teenagers living in the grim atmosphere of poverty-stricken New York in the 90s and their empty, morally wayward lives. It's a controversial movie, featuring extremely graphic yet causal conversations about sex, ten-year olds taking drugs, brutal gang beats, and rape. Though there's naturally subplots, the movie can just as easily be taken as a whole, a film showing the character's typical routines and experiences.
  
  At the center of the story is Telly, a pale, gangly boy with a "addiction" for virgins and who enjoys the act of deflowering them. His friend is the vulgar Casper who is as sexually deviant as he is, and the two regularly socialize with drug-dealers, gangster skateboarders, and all-around degenerate losers. One of Telly's previous girls, Jenny, discovers she has acquired AIDS through Telly, and urgently sets out to find him before he passes the disease to other girls whom he may coerce into intercourse with. Telly and his clique have their own criminal adventures, climaxing at a wild, drug-laced party while Jenny searches the city with increasing hopelessness.
  
  This movie has some of the most realistic dialogue I've ever heard despite its explicitness, and nearly all the slang is up to date. The scenes of downtown New York, the interactions of the characters, and its sheer relentlessness create powerful, resonant feelings upon viewing. It's pessimistic, but you know that there really are unfortunate people like this, some made the way they are due to their terrible environments, others simply vile people whose situations augment their own corruption. It's just a great movie, and thankfully not so simply because it has a reputation.
  
  ...more info
• Real life Movie!!!
  I watched this movie years ago and thought it would be best to purchase it. This movie is a wake up call for parents and young adults. There is a lot of vulgar language used in this movie but when you understand what the movie is all about then you will see why the language is used. If you are not from a urban city then you will not be able to understand the mindset behind this movie. This movie is not for kids despite the title of the movie.
  
  ...more info
• KIDS, the movie of education
  I think of this movie of a education video to teenage girls, for it teaches them safe sex and how to spot horny teen boys, that all they are looking for is sex, I shown this to my 4 teenage cousins and they now have a brighter side of life. I would hope even they show it in schoolfor sex ed, this movie is a great one and the best of the least, and it would never get old....more info
• Definitely controversial. Interesting original story, but pretty graphic.
  I remember when this came out, and I was just a few years older than the kids portrayed in this film, and I thought this was just crazy, nobody I knew ever did this junk. But, older and wiser looking back, and looking at kids these days, I am guessing that this kind of stuff does take place, I just am sheltered. This movie has the HIV scare tied into it, teen sex, and rampent drug use, stuff people, myself included, don't often associate with young to mid teen-agers. But, bad habits start somewhere, and this film portrays it well. As I now now, this behavior is more common than I ever could have immagined. Just speaks volumes about maintaining a good relationship and communication with your children, and maintaining a solid household. Check it out, still eye opening to this day....more info
• Disturbing & Painfully Accurate
  As much as this movie may disturb it's audience, it's a painful reality of the world we live in today. I watched this film for the first time a few years ago, and I truly forgot how disturbing it was. I recently watched a TV show that mentioned it and I decided to buy it, and give it another shot. I definitely think a few years made a huge difference because the next time I watched it, although still disturbing, I realized what a powerful, and painful film KIDS is.
  This is a movie that is definitely not for young children. It is very graphic, and the constant reminder that the characters are in fact, Kids, is at times very off-putting and upsetting. However, it is an accurate depiction of how over-sexualized teens & young teens are today. It is a true testament of our society today. This movie deals with various issues like drug use, violence, STDs, AIDs, and even rape.
  KIDS is a painful, but amazing movie.
  ...more info
• A Definite Must-See Among Teenagers
  I started watching "Kids," written by Harmonie Korine and directed by Larry Clark, in a class at school, but I found it so compelling that I couldn't wait for the next class to finish or continue it. So I rented it and finished it tonight.
  
  Be warned: "Kids" is an EXTREMELY disturbing movie about Telly (Leo Fitzpatrick) who wants nothing more to de-virginize any virgin he can find. One girl, Jennie (Chloe Sevigny), who was one of Telly's sex toys, finds out that she's HIV positive, and has to stop Telly from having more unprotected sex.
  
  Although "Kids" is a bit uncomfortable (I felt like I had to take a shower in the first fifteen minutes), extremely disturbing and very graphic, it is a riveting film. It is intense, suspenseful, and is a PERFECT example of everything that happens when teenagers do the kind of things portrayed in this film
  
  "Kids" might be the best movie I've ever seen for many various reasons: 1) It's a wonderful example (like I said before) of what happens when teenagers use this kind of stuff.
  2) It revolves around teenagers
  3) It takes place in an area where a lot of the things in this movie are very prone to happening, and where a lot of teenagers and younger children live
  4) The acting was very good
  5) Although the camera looked a little shaky, it wasn't dizzying, and it helped the film
  6) It is entertaining, and that's always good
  7) It mixes a variety of different genres (horror, romance, suspense, comedy, etc., etc.)
  
  There were plenty other phenomenal things about this film, but I won't name everything or else this review would last forever. All I am saying is that it is a brilliant, brilliant movie. A must-see among teenagers, and, with parental guidance, even younger viewers, because it is a very good movie that shows teenagers how NOT to live their lives.
  
  Anyone who says that this movie is garbage probably doesn't know what it is like to live in an area of New York City (or who don't even live in the Big Apple) that is very poverty-stricken, and don't know how easily teenagers can get into this kind of stuff. It's a great way to educate teens about not doing this kind of things.
  
  "Kids" is one of the best movies I've ever seen because of it's brilliant message and the wonderful acting. It is a must-buy and a must-see, and will not disappoint....more info
• sensationalistic nihilism
  WOw, I would say that these kids are a carefully selected bunch of losers. They have nothing going for them but their reckless youth, meaningless promiscuity, and semi-affluence, combined with indifferent parents and a complete lack of interesting minds, not to forget low self esteem. Those are all the buzzwords designed to shock: all of the buttons are pushed, even rape and violence. Oh, then there is HIV/Aids. The execution of this film is also clunky, while some of the acting is good, though I suspect the actors may be exctly what they are portraying.
  
  While there are certainly subcultures likes this - pseudo-sophisticated, selfish, and arrogantly fearless - I must admit that I doubt my kids hang out with kids like these or ever would. Of course, there but for the grace of God go we all, but we listen to our kids, they enjoy achieving, and they are developing interests that possibly are pointing in career directions; they rebel, they experiment, and we talk with them.
  
  So I don't think the sick kids here reflect much about the youth of today, except for a very small group. Most kids understand basic limits, and it is our job as parents to make sure they do.
  
  Not recommended, except for those parents who need this kind of shock, utterly lacking in nuance and subtlty as it is....more info
• Just Wow.....
  This movie brilliant, beautiful, and sick. I think it can only be descibed by the last line of the film, "Jesus Christ, What Happened". If you want a film about life, this is it. KIDS continues in the same steps as movies like 'This Is England' 'American History X' and of course 'Girl, Interrupted'. ...more info
• 3 stars out of 4
  The Bottom Line:
  
  Kids can be difficult to watch at times, but it's not exploitative and offers a searing look at the ennui of modern youth as only Larry Clark can deliver....more info
• A definate good choice
  I saw the movie suggested on a Behavioral Health Site, to see what children actually do when they are in the city and don't have many activities to do for school, sports, etc. I took this movie as a way to see kids grow in there element. I would suggest this movie to anyone, it was a great movie. Yes it could be considered controversial, but I considered it a documentary that was a great A+ Production. ...more info