October
18
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Ron’s Gone Wrong (PG)
Ron’s Gone Wrong (PG)
Director: Sarah Smith and Jean-Philippe Vine
Runtime: 1h 46min
Cast: Zach Galifianakis, Jack Dylan Grazer, Olivia Colman, Ed Helms, Justice Smith, Rob Delaney, Kylie Cantrall, Ricardo Hurtado, Marcus Scribner, Thomas Barbusca
Synopsis: Barney is a socially awkward schoolboy who receives a robot named Ron — a walking, talking, digitally connected device that’s supposed to be his best friend. Barney is excited to finally have his own robot — until his new toy starts to hilariously malfunction, drawing the attention of a shady executive who wants to protect his company’s stock price at all costs.
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lop88QaKwJM
Directed by Sarah Smith and Jean-Philippe Vine with a script by Peter Baynham and Sarah Smith, Ron’s Gone Wrong is the story of Barney, a socially awkward middle-schooler and Ron, his new walking, talking, digitally connected device, which is supposed to be his “Best Friend out of the Box.” Ron’s hilarious malfunctions, set against the backdrop of the social media age, launch them into an action-packed journey in which boy and robot come to terms with the wonderful messiness of true friendship.
Ron’s Gone Wrong features the voices of Zach Galifianakis, Jack Dylan Grazer, Olivia Colman, Ed Helms, Justice Smith, Rob Delaney, Kylie Cantrall, Ricardo Hurtado, Marcus Scribner, Thomas Barbusca.
In this animated adventure which explores friendship, tech use and bullying, Bubble, a giant tech company, releases an AI robot called the B*Bot that is 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 is 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) behaviour. Barney and Ron team up to avoid capture … or, worse, reprogramming.
The film has an outstanding voice cast and Liam Payne’s new single ‘Sunshine’ can be heard in the trailer and is featured in the film.
Overall the film strikes an entertaining balance between humour and heart, and children will find Barney and Ron’s partnership amusing, especially all the silly banter as they get to know each other.
The revelation about companies wanting access to children for their marketing power shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone nowadays. Ultimately, the movie’s technology messages are important, but even more vital are the reminders about the importance of unconditional friendship and close family.
Ron’s Gone Wrong is a film that gets it right.
In cinemas
Images courtesy of: Twentieth Century Studios
