It would be all too easy to dismiss Jordan Firstman’s Club Kid as an LGBTQ-oriented take on Big Daddy, the 1999 comedy in which Adam Sandler plays an unmotivated slacker who unexpectedly becomes a kid’s guardian, because that’s basically what it is.
Which isn’t to say Club Kid is a bad movie. Far from it. But if you’ve seen the Sandler film — or any of the countless other movies about a commitment-phobic or immature adult suddenly thrust into a parental role — you basically know what to expect.
And that’s part of what makes this new film — Firstman’s, ahem, first time as a feature film writer and director — so compelling: It takes a story we’ve seen a hundred times before and gives it fresh energy, style, and emotional punch.
Firstman stars as Peter, a fixture and promoter of New York’s queer club scene, whose life revolves around partying, hookups, and taking and selling a lot of drugs. His carefully cultivated chaotic lifestyle is upended when a woman shows up at his apartment with Arlo (Reggie Absolom), a 10-year-old boy she says is Peter’s son — the result of a random encounter with a woman (!!) he met a decade earlier during a particularly wild night out.
Arlo’s mother is recently deceased, so Peter suddenly finds himself responsible for a kid he never knew existed. Turns out, more than a decade of partying comes with some unexpected consequences.
Now, if this were me, I’d immediately get a DNA test after meeting Arlo. Why Peter doesn’t have the same thought is questionable. And the speed with which Peter accepts this enormous change to his life — bumps and all — is surprising. But nitpicking misses some of what makes Club Kid work.
Indeed, watching Peter adjust to his new role as father to this precocious young boy quickly wins you over.
Firstman, a memorable supporting player on FX’s English Teacher (a show I loved) and HBO’s I Love L.A., makes an impressive leap into leading-man territory. He’s funny and engaging, but he’s also a surprisingly solid dramatic performer. His chemistry with Absalom sells the growing affection between Peter and Arlo, making their relationship feel earned even when the plot takes a few shortcuts.
And then there’s the world Firstman builds around them. Filmed at actual queer hangouts across New York’s five boroughs, Club Kid captures underground party culture with an authenticity that’s hard to fake. Most of the supporting characters feel less like actors delivering lines than people who actually exist in this space. (That includes Cara Delevingne, who plays Peter’s friend and promotion partner, Sophie.) The movie knows this scene, loves this scene, and (heads up) isn’t interested in sanitizing it for outsiders.
The filmmaking itself has plenty of juice, too. Early on, Peter and his entourage pile into an Uber on their way to a club as the camera spins a full 360 degrees around the car. Music blares, the image grows increasingly hazy, and the whole thing becomes a dizzying rush. It’s a terrific little sequence that drops you right into the experience — and suggests these characters have been enjoying nights like this long enough to know exactly how it all will end.
That energy gives the film a pulse that its conventional coming-of-age story might otherwise lack.
There are sweet moments, too, such as a scene in which Peter and Arlo sit at a piano and sing Ethel Cain’s “Thoroughfare.” It’s the kind of unexpectedly tender beat that makes you root for these two, even though you can often see the next plot development coming from a mile away.
To be sure, Club Kid won’t be for everyone. Its distinctly queer sensibility and underground club setting will likely turn some viewers off. But Firstman clearly has his heart and soul invested in this world, and that enthusiasm is contagious.
The story may be familiar, but the details are alive. For a debut feature, that’s an awful lot to celebrate.
I’m giving Club Kid a B+.
What say you? Leave a comment here.