The B*Bot squeezes a hen so thoroughly that she lays an egg; in another scene, it looks like the B*Bot has accidentally killed a chicken. A goat causes mild destruction. A group of boys bullies Barney. Barney and his crew must escape from the tech company's security. The security team tries to grab Ron so that they can have him destroyed.
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"Hell" used infrequently. "You're such a freak," "sucks," "freakin'," "poop," "stick it to the man," "I hate kids," "kill me now," etc. Middle schoolers make fun of Ron, follow him, and even bother him while he's in a bathroom stall. Jokes and a meme about a girl who gets pooped on; they call her "Poop Girl." A plastic unicorn toy "poops" glittery slime.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.
Encourages parents and kids not to rely too heavily on technology for friendship and happiness, while also acknowledging positive aspects of technology and social media. Stresses importance of real-life friendships, of accepting others who aren't like you, of family-wide compassion, empathy, and teamwork.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Barney is loyal and loving but also lonely. Ron is quirky and mischievous but has Barney's best interests in mind. Barney's father and grandmother want him to be happy and safe. Marc is a thoughtful CEO who wants his devices to help his customers.
Educational Value
a little
Mostly intended for entertainment, but viewers will learn a bit about marketing and technology use, as well as teamwork and communication.
Diverse Representations
very little
Barney and his family aren't racially diverse, but they are intergenerational, with his Eastern European-born grandmother having a prominent role in his life. The extended ensemble includes a Black tech genius and characters with different backgrounds.
Parents need to know that Ron's Gone Wrong is an animated adventure about an 11-year-old boy named Barney (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer) who receives a "defective" robot named Ron (Zach Galifianakis) as a birthday present. Together, they write their own code about friendship that makes Ron one of a kind. The movie explores issues of class (Barney is the last person in his school to get a B*Bot) and the proliferation of technology, social media, and screen time among tweens and teens. While there's little in the way of violence or scariness, you can expect instances of school bullying (a boy is even ridiculed while on the toilet) and brief moments of light peril as a team infiltrates a company to save the day. There's also some rude language ("sucks," "freakin'," etc.) and bathroom humor, including a meme about a "Poop Girl" and a toy plastic unicorn that "poops" glittery slime. The movie stresses the importance of real-life friendships, of accepting others who aren't like you, and of family-wide compassion, empathy, and teamwork. Olivia Colman co-stars as Barney's grandma, and Ed Helms voices his dad. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
This movie was so disturbing to me as a parent and I'm very liberal. There is no redeeming quality to this movie or beneficial message here. It only reinforces the notion that social media doesn't lead to good things (except hopefully this post persuading others not to watch this movie) and when are we going to learn that it's not OK for kids to be so dependent on devices. It is normal in the movie for kids to have robots follow them around at school (not for school related learning) but to be constantly connected to social media, have an all access pass to bully other kids, play video games and spend every free minute of their lives commenting on other's instead of having genuine relationships and experiencing real life. I was really hoping at the end for the movie to redeem itself and offer a beneficial lesson, or at least get rid of the robots, which basically were moving iphones, but no such luck. The viewer watches the modern day outcast kid, Barney, go through the classic theme of struggling to fit in at school by not having friends, getting bullied, having parental figures that are not in touch with his reality, pretending he's OK all the while. At the end you're hoping for that big, in your face message to the kids watching that you're better off without all this noise of social media, apps, likes/dislikes, having others track your every move, but it falls way short of that. Somehow the robots magically make everything all better and make it easier for people to be friends that normally wouldnt be. It made no sense to me. I left the theater wanting to move to a remote island to shield my kids from the impending talk of why can't I have a phone, everyone else has one. So sad we wasted our day off from school watching this junk instead of taking a hike. One last comment... again I'm not super conservative, but why does a kids movie have to use the word Hell twice? Next time writers, please use your device's thesaurus to come up with something more creative.
Lots of objectionable content in the first 20 mins - we turned it off
Our family (including 8yo) tried to watch this , and the adults ended up being offended and annoyed, feeling like this was a waste of energy. We turned it off early.
It seemed to have a lot of promise at first, but the caricatures of the eastern euro family members (father and grandmother) were a bit much -- felt rather unkind vs. good natured humor -- and truth be told, were the factor that led us to turn it off.
But there was plenty that led us to doubt the movie alongside that part. For example, the everybody-has-robots part and the glorification of the company who introduced it to the world is a satire on the way the modern world is, but for the audience of kids, it's presented as an accepted and acceptable norm. There were also some interactions that unnecessarily introduced concepts and language ahead of its time, for the 8yo.
Yeah -- kids are actually mean in real life sometimes, and school can be a tough environment that is worth acknowledging and dealing with in stories... especially if kids are already familiar with it in real life.
But, despite the promise of the high quality production and a rough understanding of it having decent ratings, too many wince-worthy moments within the first 20 minutes added up to a dud, for us.
What's the Story?
In RON'S GONE WRONG, Bubble, a giant tech company, releases an AI robot called the B*Bot that's the perfect friend for its young target users, since the robots' personality and appearance can be customized based on the user. Soon, awkward 11-year-old Barney (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer) is literally the only kid at his school who doesn't have one. When Barney's salesman father, Graham (Ed Helms), and Eastern European grandmother, Donka (Olivia Colman), secure an "irregular" B*Bot at a discounted price as a birthday present for Barney, he's initially thrilled with the gift. But it quickly becomes obvious that "Ron" (Zach Galifianakis) wasn't coded properly and therefore doesn't look or act like the typical B*Bot. Without proper programming in place, Barney and Ron have to create their own formula for best friendship -- while simultaneously landing on the company's "kill" list for Ron's atypical (and unpredictable) behavior. Barney and Ron team up to avoid capture ... or, worse, reprogramming.
This animated tale is an entertaining mix of kid-friendly adventure, quirky buddy comedy, and cautionary schoolyard drama. Barney starts out as a somewhat sad character; he doesn't even hand out his birthday party invitations because he's sure no one will want to attend. Aside from Donka and his father, Barney's only "friend" is the family's goat. After Ron arrives, he quickly grows into the best friend Barney has longed for, because they're writing the rules for friendship together. Writer-director Sarah Smith (Arthur Christmas) again follows a clumsy but kind, lonely but lovable protagonist. She keeps the focus on Barney's family and friendships, even as Ron causes chaos when he inspires the other kids to instruct their B*Bots to rid themselves of their Bubble programming.
Kids will find Barney and Ron's partnership amusing, especially all the silly banter as they get to know each other. Galifianakis is ideally cast as Ron, with his voice performance making the dialogue even funnier. Colman stands out as Donka, who simultaneously dotes on Barney and encourages him to be self-sufficient. Her love of Old World cooking (she offers Barney tripe soup) and superstitions (she believes a relative died from a "demon inside a cashew" instead of a nut allergy) will endear her in particular to anyone with an immigrant grandparent. The incident with Barney's former friend, Savannah (Kylie Cantrall), who ends up a poop meme, shows how easy it is for someone's social media presence to turn ugly. But the "big reveal" about companies wanting access to kids for their marketing power shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who's gotten a merchandise tie-in or watched kids' programming with ads. Ultimately, the movie's technology messages are important, but even more vital are the reminders about the importance of unconditional friendship and close family bonds.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Ron's Gone Wrong reveals the ways that tech companies market to and influence kids and teens. Do you believe that companies look for ways to target children and teens? How do you feel about that idea?
What can families do to take advantage of technology without getting consumed by it? How does your family use technology together? How do you balance screen time with real-life experiences?
Some have mentioned that the movie's messages are uneven, since the kids still play with B*Bots in the end. What's the difference between Ron and the other B*Bots, and how does recess change from the beginning to the end?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.