In Ron’s Gone Wrong, 13-year-old Barney Pudowski (Jack Dylan Grazer) is a young asthmatic loner who lives with his widowed father (Ed Helms) and eccentric Bulgarian grandmother (Olivia Colman), who finds companionship and confidence by way of a malfunctioning B-Bot (an egg shaped robot that mines all of his online data in order to become his best friend) that he gets as a birthday present.
When Barney first unboxes Ron (Zach Galifianakis), he discovers that the B-Bot (which quite literally fell off the back of a truck) is damaged and lacking the algorithms necessary for them to become pals, and the both of them set about on an adventure that leads them to discover the true meaning of friendship. But don’t let the movie’s simple premise fool you. Despite being thematically similar to The Mitchells vs The Machines, Ron’s Gone Wrong delivers a far more insightful take. It is a clever and delightful romp that puts forward a nuanced and scathing rebuke of consumerism and big tech. It is also a much funnier movie.
Umapagan Ampikaipakan: I feel like this movie gets so many things right. From the anxiety of having to navigate life as a teenager in 2021, to the stunning influence that technology has on our everyday lives, to just how much our idea of “childhood” has changed over the years.
If there is one message in Ron’s Gone Wrong, it is a call for us to put down our devices and rediscover what it means to have fun offline. And what I loved most about this movie is how it makes that case without being preachy or didactic. Simply by showing us how much fun Barney and Ron have together, it makes us yearn for the days when we could just go outside and play.
That’s some real subversiveness right there.
Bahir Yeusuff: And it does all that without ever reverting to the all too simplistic argument that all tech is bad and that running around outside is good. Yes there is subversiveness in Ron’s Gone Wrong but there is also nuance. Barney wants a B-Bot because he wants to make friends. Sure, people may say just go out and make friends, but there is a type of politicking that happens in school playgrounds that makes it hard when you’re a kid like Barney. This is a movie that doesn’t ever just say a bully is just a bully or that influencer mean girl in school is just that.
I, B-Bot
BY: I think the comparison with The Mitchells vs The Machines is appropriate because both movies tried to tell stories that do the whole “perils of technology” thing, but only one truly succeeded in not making it a one note big bad. Ron is just a much better story that’s told in a much better way.
I also really want a B-Bot.
UA: And that’s it right there! I want a B-Bot too! Which speaks to just how balanced this movie is. B-Bots aren’t symbolic of the end of society as we know it. They’re merely a symptom.
While Ron’s Gone Wrong tells us to take a moment to disconnect and appreciate the world around us, it also acknowledges how technology is now forever embedded in our lives. It’s how everyone communicates. It’s how Barney’s dad makes a living. It’s how Barney eventually cracks the code for having a successful social life. The movie calls out all the ways technology has failed us, but does so without ignoring all the good it has brought about.
What’s more, we all know how long it takes to make an animated movie, and unlike The Mitchells vs The Machines, or The Emoji Movie, and even Ralph Breaks the Internet, this one doesn’t feel dated in any way. The jokes are current and well observed. Its critique is clear. And despite featuring two tech CEOs that look suspiciously like a cross between Gates, Balmer, Jobs, and Zuckerberg, by keeping their stories rooted in their humanity rather than cliched character quirks, the movie manages to avoid the obvious pitfalls.
BY: I found myself really invested in Barney and Ron’s story. The way the writers built their relationship was truly inspired. Barney teaching Ron how to be a friend in the shed, and all the hijinks they get into, truly moved me.
In fact, Ron’s Gone Wrong has that one thing that I find the hardest to describe.
This movie has heart. It’s an ephemeral thing that I can’t figure out the formula to. It’s not just the ticking of boxes. It’s not even the ticking of ALL the boxes. It’s something you get when you tick the right boxes, in the right way. And this movie has it. It’s not just a matter of being invested in the characters or the relationships. It’s not about moments of levity or love. It’s about all of it. At the end of this movie, I was tearing up and that could only have happened if I was completely invested in the characters and the relationships that were built in these 106 minutes.
Do B-Bots Dream of Electric Sheep?
BY: I often justify and quantify animation in a way that is a little demeaning I think. I find myself adding the caveat that it’s a movie the parents would enjoy too. Ron’s Gone Wrong feels like an animated film that transcends the “movie for the kids” genre and into the “family movie” space. It is fun, and funny, and heartfelt, and also a little heartbreaking. It is a good story that has been executed very well.
UA: This is a very adult story that’s told by way of a children’s film. It’s what Disney and Pixar have always done so well. And it’s such a joy to see Locksmith pull it off so well in their debut feature.
Yes, there are important messages here for kids about the pressures of social media, about knowing your limits and when to switch off, about how your worth isn’t determined by views, or likes, or followers, but all of it applies just as much to grown ups. Yes, this is a movie that parents will enjoy, but I think it’s something they will be able to relate to as well. God knows the toxicity of the school playground can manifest itself in a variety of different ways in our adult spaces as well.
BY: And in this day and age, with the toxicity of social media and that chase for likes and engagement, that playground is now always with us on social media.
But to get away from the existential threat that is social media, this movie is also a lot of fun. I was just as enamoured with the B-Bots when they swapped “skins” or were able to communicate with other B-Bots for games and contests.
Also those B-Bot parking bays outside classrooms? Genius. I’m waiting for someone to actually implement *some* of those B-Bot features into a new style tamagotchi thing that I can buy. It would be so cool.
The B-Bots of Dawn
BY: ALSO, OLIVIA COLEMAN AS THE EASTERN EUROPEAN GRANDMOTHER? WOW! JUST WOW!
UA: That woman has range! She was also Pal (the Siri like personal assistant) in The Mitchells vs The Machines. I think she just really has a penchant for animated movies about tech. It’s period dramas about the queen and this!
But I digress.
I really loved the design aesthetic of the movie. On the one hand, you have a world that looks like it is reflective of a far more innocent time, while on the other, you have this influx of modern technology that is a cross between Apple and Wall-E. The animators and production designers really use this contrast in appearance to drive their story. By infusing Barney’s home life with an analogue sensibility and so much brightness and colour, they foreshadow the idea that real connection exists in those human moments. Something that Ron too evolves to understand as the movie progresses.
BY: There is so much to love in Ron’s Gone Wrong. I remember us worrying about how this movie may have trouble finding an audience seeing as how, at the time of the press screening, the government had yet to allow patrons under 18 into screenings. But now that is has opened up, I think everyone who is willing to go, should go and watch this at the cinema.
It might not be Dune, but seeing this movie with your kids on a big screen may be one of those great memorable moments you have as a family. If anything it’ll introduce your kids to the idea of good cinema being more than just colourful cartoons. There are so many teaching moments in this movie that can spark conversations about online safety, and expectations of other people, and friendships, and relationships, and family.
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