# Kids (1995)

### reviewed by
Ryan Kohler

                                                 "Kids"

    by Ryan Kohler

"Kids" portends to inform America what their kids are "really" like. To do this, screenwriter (?), Harmony Korine, and director (double ?) Larry Clark, have created the dumbest characters since those poor, dumb clods who didn't follow Gene Hackman up the Christmas tree in "The Poseidon Adventure." These characters include Telly (Leo Fitzpatrick), a would-be lothario whose idea of safe-sex is to do only virgins. As it turns out, he is HIV positive and has infected Jennie (Chloe Sevigny, a truly horrid actress). The movie then takes two paths: it follows Telly and his friend Casper (Justin Pierce) as they roam New York City, drinking, doing drugs, drinking, beating up a guy in the park, and drinking. It also follows Jennie as she attempts to keep Telly from infecting anyone else. Captivating stuff, isn't it? I didn't think so either. Perhaps things could have been better if Clark and/or Korine had a clue about film making. Clark, a photographer who evidently enjoys taking pictures of teens, shows the skill of Ed Wood in working a camera. I would assume, since "Kids" tries to have a documentary feel about it, that Clark wanted the viewer to feel like he was with these punks. Shame it didn't work; he is unable to make the images on the screen create any emotion other than anger: not anger at the characters, anger that he and his writer, Korine, foisted this upon us. There is not one appealing character in this film, not even the alleged protagonist, or, perhaps, conscience, Jennie. Since much of the film revolves around Jennie attempting to stop Telly from infecting anyone else with HIV, Jennie's actions near the end of the film range on the pathetic and pointless. Chloe Sevigny (who almost single handedly ruined "The Last Days of Disco") brings a glazed look to her role as Jennie. She carries no emotions whatsoever: not as she waits for the results of her HIV test, not as she finds out she is HIV-positive, not as she talks to her girlfriends about things like sex. If an actress of some skill or talent had taken the role, perhaps Jennie would not have remained such a blank character. Telly is nothing but a one-dimensional idiot. He shows no remorse, nothing of any redeeming value, he is just a walking fuck machine, always on the look out for another virgin. Leo Fitzpatrick does nothing with the part. As his partner, Casper, Justin Pierce is just as crude and unbelievable. Harmony Korine's screenplay was, I guess, supposed to be a shocking expose. Shame it wasn't. Oh, it is shocking, alright: shocking in its ineptitude. There is no real structure, no reason for characters actions. It seems Korine just threw in whatever shocking events he could think of: rape, assault within an inch of a man's life, thievery, breaking into a public pool (okay, breaking into a pool isn't all that shocking, but still. . .) Maybe Korine should have heeded this lesson: shocks for sake of shocks generally don't work. It is well known that there are plenty of teenagers who think they are God's gift and can do no wrong, but, in truth, are complete frickin' idiots (my high school had a football team, so I can talk from experience.) There is certainly a film to be made that explores today's teenagers with frank honesty; perhaps that is the film "Kids" was trying to be. What comes out, however, is a pointless, meandering mess. "Kids" shocked me. It shocked me that a screenplay like Harmony Korine's could get bought. It shocked me that a studio would allow a director to spend their money without even demonstrating an ounce of skill or ability in film making. It shocked me to consider that, outside of Sharon Stone's body of work, there has rarely been such bad acting captured on film. Perhaps dear Casper said it best with the film's concluding line: "What happened?" My thoughts exactly, my friend, my thoughts exactly.

Rating: Not even worth a letter grade.

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    7 October 1998

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