Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson , based on child development research. How do we rate?
Graphic sex, gore in strange, slow, but funny anthology.
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Kinds of Kindness
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 7 parent reviews
What's the Story?
KINDS OF KINDNESS tells a trio of stories. In "The Death of R.M.F.," Robert (Jesse Plemons) seems to be entirely under the control of Raymond (Willem Dafoe), who dictates every single detail of Robert's day, including what he wears and eats. He's eventually tasked with crashing his vehicle into another, but he fails in his task. When Raymond insists that he try it again, Robert refuses for the first time, leading to new problems. In "R.M.F. Is Flying," Liz, the wife of police officer Daniel (Plemons), has gone missing. When Liz (Emma Stone) eventually turns up again, she no longer seems like her old self. And in "R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich," Emily (Stone) and Andrew (Plemons) are members of a cult who are asked to find a special woman with healing powers. When Emily becomes "contaminated" and is kicked out, she'll stop at nothing to find the woman and win her way back into the group.
Is It Any Good?
Due to its slow pacing, this strange, dry, and very long comedy doesn't quite achieve the punch that its three stories could have pulled off, but it at least manages more than a few offbeat giggles. Co-written and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos—who's no stranger to either excess or strangeness—Kinds of Kindness feels more like an offhand tribute to David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick than it does Lanthimos' previous works Poor Things or The Favourite. The actors' performances are deliberately stilted, as in Lynch's movies, and the plinking piano score and eerie chanting chorus recall Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. And while Lanthimos usually guides his casts to Oscar nominations, these characters are too thin to really be memorable.
Still, his loyal favorites Stone, Dafoe, and Margaret Qualley (all from Poor Things) return, and—along with newcomers Plemons, Hong Chau, and Mamoudou Athie—seem to simply offer themselves up for whatever Lanthimos suggests, no matter whether it involves nudity, stunts, odd wardrobe options, or what have you. And yet there's something that really clicks about Kinds of Kindness's humor, much of it centered around the "R.M.F." character, whose name is in each of the three titles but is only marginally involved and never even speaks. Stone also elicits laughs with another memorable dance routine. Above all, Lanthimos and co-screenwriter Efthimis Filippou are wise enough to not give anything away at the beginning of each story, so that they immediately intrigue viewers with their peculiarities. The movie's slow pace unfortunately gives viewers time to occasionally get a few jumps ahead of the storylines, but there's still a savory satisfaction at the end of each one.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in Kinds of Kindness. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
How is sex portrayed? What values are imparted? Is there consent? Is there trust? Why does that matter?
How are drinking and smoking depicted? Are they glamorized? Are there consequences? Why does that matter?
What do you think the movie is really about? Are the stories about identity, or nothing at all? Do the choices we make help create the people that we are? Why, or why not?
What do you think the title, Kinds of Kindness, means? How does this film compare to the director's other movies? What makes him a divisive filmmaker?
Movie Details
- In theaters: June 21, 2024
- On DVD or streaming: August 27, 2024
- Cast: Emma Stone , Jesse Plemons , Willem Dafoe
- Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Searchlight Pictures
- Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 165 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: strong/disturbing violent content, strong sexual content, full nudity and language
- Last updated: August 27, 2024
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