Director: Jordan Firstman
Writer: Jordan Firstman
Stars: Jordan Firstman, Cara Delevingne, Kirby Howell-Baptiste
Synopsis: A hard-partying New York City club promoter sees his whirlwind lifestyle upended by the arrival of the 10-year-old son he never knew he had.
By the end of Club Kid, Jordan Firstman’s directorial debut, the title has taken on two meanings as far as it is concerned: on one hand, it refers to its main character’s brash and loud nightlife where all he is doing is going from one party to another, one club to another and living it up without any hesitation. The other meaning is the literal kid at the center of the story, whose life for all intents and purposes, takes form in the club through his experiences. What is most unexpected about Club Kid, however, is just how emotionally powerful it ends up being, and some of the places it goes to in realizing its central relationship. Also, in extremely funny directions.
The plot is simple: Peter (Firstman) is a party promoter and partygoer in New York who lives for the night scene and the company it brings. Along with his crew of close friends, they hit every major club in town, every other night, all the way till the wee hours of the morning. Things take a drastic turn, however, when Peter finds out about Arlo (Reggie Absolom), a son that he didn’t know he had–doubly surprising to him, given he is gay, which the movie does address, yes–and suddenly, he has to be a father to him and get his act together. As the movie progresses, this bond becomes stronger, and Peter finds himself balancing not only being better with Arlo as a father, but being better in his professional life as well.
From its very first minute, Club Kid is bursting with a tremendous amount of energy and vibrance. Dazzlingly brought to life by Adam Newport-Berra’s terrific cinematography, who is two-for-two this year after equally brilliant work on The Invite, Firstman’s New York feels as much a character of the movie as the rest of the cast does as you head into one loud nightclub after another, with the experiences being increasingly more booze and drug-addled with each passing night. Firstman’s direction throughout is incredible, confidently bringing the story to life with a hand that feels more learned than the debut work it is. Being how so much of the movie revolves around clubbing and partying, the needle drops that accompany many of those thumping moments are expertly chosen, making up a wonderful soundtrack to sift through long after the credits have rolled. It is also a testament to the screenplay that almost every scene is loaded with visual and spoken gags, and not a single one of them zips by, each bit further cementing their memorability.
What is also rather effective throughout Club Kid is its celebration and embracing of the movie’s queer characters and nightlife presented throughout. Every scene highlighting these aspects–of which there are many–is done in such a colorful, accepting and loving manner, giving each character a chance to shine in the overall narrative and leave a lasting impression, such as Peter’s roommate Nicky (Eldar Isgandarov), a writer from Azerbaijan who wants desperately to be a famous philosopher, who walks away with some of the funniest moments of dialogue in the entire movie, and even some charming moments from some of Peter’s friends like Saffron (Saturn Risin9), a DJ who even teaches Arlo a bit about her work, and Almi (Miss Benny), who has some of the movie’s funnier line deliveries. Other memorable supporting turns from Diego Calva, Cara Delevingne and Kirby Howell-Baptiste are equally well-captured.
At its core, the story of Peter and Arlo is beautiful, packing an emotional punch to balance its humor seamlessly. Firstman is exceptional at writing and acting out the scenes where he begins to connect with his son, understanding that he needs to put in his best efforts to care for him, which means putting much of his clubbing life on hold and coming to terms with all the things keeping him from maturing. These moments are often hilarious too, with more than one joke highlighting some of the less kid-friendly aspects surrounding Peter’s home (watch out for one Bjork t-shirt one morning) and the conversations between him and Arlo that are filled with quick back-and-forth moments of comedy. Absolom is sensational in the role, bringing a sweetness and charm to every second of Arlo and his time with his father. Eventually, he brings his own knowledge and love of music to the table as well, even creating a playlist with Peter that has a slew of excellent tracks to bop your head to.
Is Club Kid entirely unpredictable and surprising? Perhaps not. At its core, a father-son bonding storyline where the two learn to be better from each other after connecting for the very first time, is one many have seen before, and some of its plot turns in later parts of the movie are somewhat expected given some of the preceding events that lead to them. By the end, however, it hardly matters. There is so much energy and heart in Firstman’s script and each performance beat from the cast, that it more than overcomes some of these minor gripes that arise throughout its 2+ runtime, which moves at a very brisk pace till the end. The result is an exceptional debut from Firstman as a director, and one of the most impactful and heartwarming/heartwrenching movies of the year, and one that comes highly recommended.
