People adapt their lifestyles to the needs and responsibilities they have, which may require major changes, compromises, and sacrifices. Not everyone makes a deliberate choice to be a parent, but once that’s a reality, it can be a jarring and not entirely welcome shift. Club Kid opens on a man who is by no means in a position to care for a child and whose day-to-day (or, more accurately, night-to-night) rhythm leaves absolutely no space for one. Watching him grow and quickly fall in love with a child he didn’t know he had is entirely heartwarming and sweet, marking a tremendous feature directorial debut for Jordan Firstman.
Peter (Firstman) spends every night partying in the club scene. A blackout night of sex with an overzealous Brit nicknamed “Innit Babes” results in a visit a decade later from her friend Edison (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) introducing Peter to his ten-year-old son Arlo (Reggie Absolom) after the suicide of her mother. Peter doesn’t know the first thing about caring for a child, but when Edison drops him off and heads back to London, he has no option other than to figure it out. The two quickly take a liking to each other, but elements of Peter’s regular life and routine threaten to put Arlo in harm’s way and to make it clear that this arrangement couldn’t possibly work long-term.
This film’s premise is in its title, and, if handled improperly, could have felt like a very forced story. Instead, it comes off completely naturally, with Peter purely confused about the fact that he would ever have slept with a woman but pivoting to accepting that he is this boy’s father as soon as a memory comes flooding back that suggests it could indeed be true. He never tries to deny his paternity and argues that Arlo shouldn’t stay with him only because he couldn’t possibly care or provide for him, and that straightforward recognition of the situation is a boon for the flow of the film, which wastes no time on Peter complaining about this predicament or trying to find a way to get out of this truly unexpected responsibility.
Just as that first meeting goes quite smoothly and establishes a warm connection from the start, so too does this film firmly set up who Peter is and how he operates. The expository club scenes at the beginning communicate plenty, and the sight of a disheveled Peter stumbling out of an all-night party to go straight to a noon business meeting indicate all that’s necessary for how seriously he takes himself. It’s sweet to see him bond with his kid, but the more rewarding piece is watching him grow fonder of himself and actually put some effort into how he spends his time.
This film is all Firstman’s, and so it makes sense that he would play the lead. He succeeds in making him into quite a personality but toning him down at the right moments so that he does feel like a real person who’s capable of having an adult conversation every once in a while. In his first feature film role, Absolom astounds, playing perfectly off the older actors and radiating cuteness in his use of off-color expressions and other words he’s hearing from his father’s crowd. The entire supporting cast is phenomenal, showcasing a community of people who are often over-the-top but do care for Peter. In her limited appearance, Howell-Baptiste absolutely kills it, delivering a hilarious summary of what’s going on with an immutable and fantastically chaotic energy.
Club Kid at once feels distinctly familiar and completely fresh, and its effectiveness is due mainly to its smart choice not to heighten or overplay a number of moments, allowing them to be more subtly funny in their execution rather than staged to force comedy. For a film about a man who’s never really had to grow up, it’s surprisingly mature. Firstman, who recently has spent time as a different kind of man-child on I Love LA, has a true eye, folding a beautiful portrait of New York City into this wonderfully endearing father-son story. He also knows just when to end it, closing out a delightful and winning tale of growth, connection, and making the best of a situation for which nobody could possibly have planned.
Movie Rating: 9/10
Club Kid makes its Canadia premiere in the Special Presentations section at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival and will be released theatrically by A24 on November 6th.
