Ron’s Gone Wrong (2021) 20th Century/Sci-Fi-Comedy RT: 106 minutes Rated PG (some rude material, thematic elements, language) Director: Sarah Smith and Jean-Philippe Vine Screenplay: Peter Baynham and Sarah Smith Music: Henry Jackman Cinematography: David Peers and Hayley White Release date: October 22, 2021 (US) Cast: Zach Galifianakis, Jack Dylan Grazer, Olivia Colman, Ed Helms, Justice Smith, Rob Delaney, Kylie Cantrall, Ricardo Hurtado, Cullen McCarthy, Ava Morse, Marcus Scribner, Thomas Barbusca. Box Office: $23M (US)/$60.7M (World)
Rating: ***
I know, the computer-animated comedy Ron’s Gone Wrong is meant for children and tweens, but I actually enjoyed it. Why? It reminds me of a movie I love, the underappreciated Electric Dreams, a light-hearted comedy from 1984 about a man and his oddball personal computer. I’ll never understand why it crashed at the box office: I thought it was absolutely delightful.
Ron’s Gone Wrong tells a sort-of-similar story about a middle schooler and his “B-bot”, a robotic Internet-connected device that’s kind of cross between FaceBook and Alexa. It’s the latest fad in technology and every kid at Nonsuch Middle School has one. Everyone, that is, except Barney (Grazer, It), a socially awkward loner who lives in a constant state of anxiety. Recess is a daily reminder that he has no friends, human or otherwise. At home, his well-meaning novelty item salesman dad (Helms, The Hangover) is completely oblivious to his misery while his Eastern European grandmother Donka (Colman, The Favourite) acts like she never left the old country (Bulgaria, I think). Naturally, he’s embarrassed by them.
As a belated birthday present, Dad and Donka go to buy Barney a B-bot only to learn there’s a three-month waiting list. Fortunately, they happen upon a delivery driver selling a slightly defective one out of the back of his truck. Initially elated about finally having his own B-bot, Barney is frustrated upon learning it doesn’t work right. A run-in with a playground bully and his flunkies reveals to the powers-that-be at Bubble (the tech giant behind the bots) that something is wrong with “Ron” (Galifianakis, The Hangover). The young, idealistic inventor Marc (Smith, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) is amazed that it’s becoming self-aware while the profit-minded CEO (Delaney, Deadpool 2) worries about bad publicity. He orders it destroyed, but Barney isn’t about to let that happen so he rescues Ron and hides him in his shed with the intention of teaching him how to be a friend. It goes without saying that Ron will teach his human a lesson about friendship as well.
It also goes without saying that Ron’s Gone Wrong contains messages about the pros and cons of technology and social media. We’ve heard it all before, but maybe the kids in the audience need to hear it. Like all social media platforms, B-bots were created with the best of intentions. They were designed to bring people with similar interests together. They do that, but at the expense of personal interaction. These kids are so addicted to their electronic devices; they don’t actually talk to each other IRL. They’re preoccupied with getting likes on their TikTok videos. The nature of social media is fickle though. It’s scary to think how quickly somebody can go from TikTok celebrity to target of ridicule. It only takes seconds. This is what happens to one of Barney’s classmates, a secretly sad popular girl who gets hit with the moniker “Poop Girl” after a humiliating incident with a giant B-bot thing.
Ron’s Gone Wrong isn’t shy about showing the evils of social media (e.g. on-line bullying) and insidiousness of the big companies behind the platforms. With every click and LIKE, users give up more of their privacy until Big Brother knows every single thing about us. Why? So they can sell us stuff and make more money. It’s always the big corporations, isn’t it?
At the same time, Ron’s Gone Wrong is a delightful story of friendship with Barney and Ron connecting with each other even though the B-bot has a tendency to take things literally. This is where the humor lies. In one funny sequence, Ron rolls around town handing out “friend requests” (written in crayon on Post-It notes) to random people and ends up causing mayhem on the schoolyard.
Directed by Sarah Smith and Jean-Philippe Vine from a script by Smith and Peter Baynham, Ron’s Gone Wrong is a breezy, humorous piece that borrows freely from the likes of E.T. and Big Hero 6. It’s surprisingly pointed for a kid’s movie. It can’t decide which side it’s on, but it’s nice to see both sides of the social media debate. The animation is colorful and vibrant. It moves at a sprightly pace. Ron is a great creation. The design, a smooth white body with a smiley face, is simple but irresistible. He’s like an innocent child with a mischievous streak. Galifianakis is the perfect choice to provide the voice. In fact, all of the voice talents do a fine job. I got a real kick out of Colman’s character. I’ve met my wife’s family in Romania and Donka is right on the nose!
In short, kids should like Ron’s Gone Wrong and parents might enjoy it too even if it’s old hat to them. Is it worth a trip to the movies? Yes, if you see a bargain matinee and bring your own treats. It’s fun, but hardly earth-shaking.
