Ron's Gone Wrong Movie Review: Excitement of being in the Now

Ron`s Gone Wrong. Picture courtesy//PR

Ron's Gone Wrong
Cast (Voices): Jack Dylan Grazer, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Olivia Colman, Rob Delaney, Justice Smith, Kylie Cantrall, Ricardo Hurtado, Cullen McCarthy
Directors: Sarah Smith, Jean-Philippe Vine, Octavio E. Rodriguez
Rating: 3/5

This animation, action, adventure family movie strikes the right notes as a cautionary tale on digital overreach and the psychological impact thereof, on young impressionable minds. The storyline takes off imitating the humble origins of IT and how new age entrepreneurship and Gen Next kids pitchfork its usage to a level that drives young ones away from direct human to human contact rendering them dysfunctional in the ‘real' world.

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The advances in technology has reduced much of the world a slave to tiny digital screens - to the extent that kids prefer to make digital friends over real ones. Devices have rendered meaningful connections moot and social media tends to promote a narcissistic ideal rather than meaningful engagement. Ron's Gone Wrong has smartphones replaced by autonomous little droids manufactured by "Bubble". The droids called the B-Bot, and AI-powered, are "your best friend out of the box", designed by robotics wunderkind Marc (Justice Smith) for the company run by CEO Andrew (Rob Delaney). Designed around the "friendship algorithm," it learns about its owner child and suggests other children with whom they could be friends. Likes and followers rule.

The focus here is on Barney (Jack Dylan Grazer), a socially awkward nerd at Nonsuch Elementary School. His widower father (Ed Helms) is not very successful and grandma Donka (Olivia Coleman) is just a homemaker so money is scarce. He has no friends, no B-Bot, is teased by kids in school including his former besties Rich (Ricardo Hurtado) and Savanna (Kylie Cantrall). His father finally gifts him a damaged B-Bot in the hope of getting him back into the thick of things but Barney's B-Bot Ron( Zach Galifianakis) doesn't work like the other B-Bots. Barney tries training Ron about what he expects from it. Ron has to be obsessed with everything Barney likes but the faulty Ron can't function in that way. So then it becomes imperative for Barney to learn from Ron about friendship.

Strong on thematic content, the film pinpoints the pitfalls of becoming addicted to the digital screen. It acts as a reminder to kids that friendship involves give and take. It's not a one sided relationship. Despite the lessons in communication and human bonding, the film never strays from its path of providing amusement, entertainment and excitement. Ron's malfunctions provide the grist for humour while the backdrop of the social media age gives the narrative currency and likeability. The animation is efficiently workmanlike and the dialogues (crafty and succinct) mirror the dilemmas faced by today's generation. Worth a watch surely!