Imagine being the life of the party one night and the reluctant guardian of a ten-year-old the next. That jolt — from neon-soaked hedonism to the quiet, awkward work of parenting — is the engine behind Club Kid, Jordan Firstman’s first feature film.
Firstman wrote, directed, and stars in this dramedy as Peter, a onetime underground party impresario whose peak is firmly in the past. When Arlo, a boy he never knew about, shows up in his life, Peter is forced to reconcile a carefree persona with responsibilities he has spent years avoiding. The premise sounds simple. The execution is unexpectedly tender and frequently hilarious.
The film surrounds Firstman with a strong ensemble: Cara Delevingne and Kirby Howell‑Baptiste add texture and warmth, Vicki Pepperdine and Colleen Camp lend seasoned support, and Diego Calva brings quiet intensity. Club Kid premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2026 and even landed a Caméra d'Or nomination — a notable nod for a director stepping from short-form and online notoriety into full-length storytelling.
Critics have been largely enthusiastic. On Rotten Tomatoes the film sits at a rare 100% from 75 reviews, while Metacritic aggregates an 85 out of 100 from 18 critics. Those numbers tell part of the story; the nuances are in how reviewers describe the film’s voice: sharp, playful, and surprisingly sincere.
100/100 — The Playlist (Elena Lazic) praises Firstman’s modern comedy for exposing the ridiculousness and hypocrisy of social interactions without sinking into cynicism. The humor, she writes, is playful but intimate, revealing instincts and desires that characters often keep hidden from themselves and others.
100/100 — Screen Daily (Wendy Ide) calls it an affectionate family drama that doubles as a razor‑sharp portrait of New York’s pleasure-seeking circles. It applauds the film’s warmth and the unforced tenderness between father and son.
91/100 — IndieWire (Ryan Lattanzio) suggests Club Kid could resonate well beyond its seemingly niche premise. He notes that Firstman steps away from online posturing and into a mode of storytelling that balances humor with genuine emotional stakes.
90/100 — Screen Rant (Brendan Zakary) argues the movie starts from a familiar template but quickly finds a distinct identity through assured filmmaking and an unmistakable tone — making the debut all the more impressive.
88/100 — RogerEbert.com (Clint Worthington) sees the film working on two levels: a moving tale of personal growth and a successful demonstration of Firstman’s transition from digital personality to filmmaker and actor.
80/100 — Variety (Guy Lodge) recommends coming for the film’s biting, social-media-savvy humor but staying for its unabashed sweetness. The aftertaste, he says, is the sense that Firstman offers more than a curated persona.
80/100 — The Hollywood Reporter (Richard Lawson) views Club Kid not as a vanity project but as a confident, stylish first feature that balances rhythm and restraint.
80/100 — The Guardian (Owen Myers) finds the movie uproariously entertaining, noting that jokes land with real effect and the visual gags rarely miss.
75/100 — Slant Magazine (Kyle Turner) praises the film’s spirited energy and vibrant portrait of its world, even if it doesn’t reinvent the well-worn trope of adults who never quite grew up.
70/100 — TheWrap (Zachary Lee) admires the film’s honest look at parenting and the warmth found in unconventional lifestyles, but also suggests Firstman occasionally uses the movie as a platform for image management rather than letting the story breathe purely on its own terms.
Club Kid is not a reinvention of the coming-of-age tale. It doesn’t need to be. What Firstman delivers is sharper: a character study wrapped in glitter and late-night music that slowly reveals a softer, more human center. If you go expecting only satire, prepare to be surprised by how often the film chooses to feel.
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