Parents' Guide to

Ron's Gone Wrong

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Animated adventure explores friendship, tech use, bullying.

Movie PG 2021 106 minutes
Ron's Gone Wrong Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 8+

Based on 33 parent reviews

QuinnyB
QuinnyB Parent of 9-year-old
November 6, 2021
age 9+

So disappointing... don't waste your brain cells

This movie was so disturbing to me as a parent and I'm very liberal. There is no redeeming quality to this movie or beneficial message here. It only reinforces the notion that social media doesn't lead to good things (except hopefully this post persuading others not to watch this movie) and when are we going to learn that it's not OK for kids to be so dependent on devices. It is normal in the movie for kids to have robots follow them around at school (not for school related learning) but to be constantly connected to social media, have an all access pass to bully other kids, play video games and spend every free minute of their lives commenting on other's instead of having genuine relationships and experiencing real life. I was really hoping at the end for the movie to redeem itself and offer a beneficial lesson, or at least get rid of the robots, which basically were moving iphones, but no such luck. The viewer watches the modern day outcast kid, Barney, go through the classic theme of struggling to fit in at school by not having friends, getting bullied, having parental figures that are not in touch with his reality, pretending he's OK all the while. At the end you're hoping for that big, in your face message to the kids watching that you're better off without all this noise of social media, apps, likes/dislikes, having others track your every move, but it falls way short of that. Somehow the robots magically make everything all better and make it easier for people to be friends that normally wouldnt be. It made no sense to me. I left the theater wanting to move to a remote island to shield my kids from the impending talk of why can't I have a phone, everyone else has one. So sad we wasted our day off from school watching this junk instead of taking a hike. One last comment... again I'm not super conservative, but why does a kids movie have to use the word Hell twice? Next time writers, please use your device's thesaurus to come up with something more creative.
hownowbrowncow
hownowbrowncow Adult
January 29, 2022
age 10+

Lots of objectionable content in the first 20 mins - we turned it off

Our family (including 8yo) tried to watch this , and the adults ended up being offended and annoyed, feeling like this was a waste of energy. We turned it off early. It seemed to have a lot of promise at first, but the caricatures of the eastern euro family members (father and grandmother) were a bit much -- felt rather unkind vs. good natured humor -- and truth be told, were the factor that led us to turn it off. But there was plenty that led us to doubt the movie alongside that part. For example, the everybody-has-robots part and the glorification of the company who introduced it to the world is a satire on the way the modern world is, but for the audience of kids, it's presented as an accepted and acceptable norm. There were also some interactions that unnecessarily introduced concepts and language ahead of its time, for the 8yo. Yeah -- kids are actually mean in real life sometimes, and school can be a tough environment that is worth acknowledging and dealing with in stories... especially if kids are already familiar with it in real life. But, despite the promise of the high quality production and a rough understanding of it having decent ratings, too many wince-worthy moments within the first 20 minutes added up to a dud, for us.
See all 33 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In RON'S GONE WRONG, Bubble, a giant tech company, releases an AI robot called the B*Bot that's the perfect friend for its young target users, since the robots' personality and appearance can be customized based on the user. Soon, awkward 11-year-old Barney (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer) is literally the only kid at his school who doesn't have one. When Barney's salesman father, Graham (Ed Helms), and Eastern European grandmother, Donka (Olivia Colman), secure an "irregular" B*Bot at a discounted price as a birthday present for Barney, he's initially thrilled with the gift. But it quickly becomes obvious that "Ron" (Zach Galifianakis) wasn't coded properly and therefore doesn't look or act like the typical B*Bot. Without proper programming in place, Barney and Ron have to create their own formula for best friendship -- while simultaneously landing on the company's "kill" list for Ron's atypical (and unpredictable) behavior. Barney and Ron team up to avoid capture ... or, worse, reprogramming.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (33 ):
Kids say (36 ):

This animated tale is an entertaining mix of kid-friendly adventure, quirky buddy comedy, and cautionary schoolyard drama. Barney starts out as a somewhat sad character; he doesn't even hand out his birthday party invitations because he's sure no one will want to attend. Aside from Donka and his father, Barney's only "friend" is the family's goat. After Ron arrives, he quickly grows into the best friend Barney has longed for, because they're writing the rules for friendship together. Writer-director Sarah Smith (Arthur Christmas) again follows a clumsy but kind, lonely but lovable protagonist. She keeps the focus on Barney's family and friendships, even as Ron causes chaos when he inspires the other kids to instruct their B*Bots to rid themselves of their Bubble programming.

Kids will find Barney and Ron's partnership amusing, especially all the silly banter as they get to know each other. Galifianakis is ideally cast as Ron, with his voice performance making the dialogue even funnier. Colman stands out as Donka, who simultaneously dotes on Barney and encourages him to be self-sufficient. Her love of Old World cooking (she offers Barney tripe soup) and superstitions (she believes a relative died from a "demon inside a cashew" instead of a nut allergy) will endear her in particular to anyone with an immigrant grandparent. The incident with Barney's former friend, Savannah (Kylie Cantrall), who ends up a poop meme, shows how easy it is for someone's social media presence to turn ugly. But the "big reveal" about companies wanting access to kids for their marketing power shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who's gotten a merchandise tie-in or watched kids' programming with ads. Ultimately, the movie's technology messages are important, but even more vital are the reminders about the importance of unconditional friendship and close family bonds.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Ron's Gone Wrong reveals the ways that tech companies market to and influence kids and teens. Do you believe that companies look for ways to target children and teens? How do you feel about that idea?

  • How do the characters demonstrate compassion, empathy, and teamwork? Why are those important character strengths?

  • What can families do to take advantage of technology without getting consumed by it? How does your family use technology together? How do you balance screen time with real-life experiences?

  • Some have mentioned that the movie's messages are uneven, since the kids still play with B*Bots in the end. What's the difference between Ron and the other B*Bots, and how does recess change from the beginning to the end?

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