Imagine living your fabulous gay New York party-promoter life and suddenly discovering you have a 10-year-old son.
That is the wonderfully chaotic premise behind Club Kid, the new A24 comedy from Jordan Firstman.
And judging by the newly released first trailer, surprise fatherhood is not going to turn this particular club kid into a suburban dad overnight.
Gay Nightlife Meets Dad Life
Firstman plays Peter, a hard-partying New York club promoter whose life revolves around nightlife, friends and the kind of decisions that probably make more sense at 3 a.m.
Then a 10-year-old boy named Lucas, played by Reggie Absolom, unexpectedly enters his life.
Lucas is the son Peter never knew he had.
Suddenly, a man who has built his life around queer nightlife has to figure out what being somebody’s father is supposed to look like.
The answer, at least initially, appears to involve bringing the kid directly into Peter’s existing world rather than immediately transforming Peter into somebody else.
That gives Club Kid a premise that is very funny on the surface.
But the trailer also suggests something considerably sweeter underneath all the chaos.
Peter already has a community around him.
Now that community may have to make room for a 10-year-old too.
Jordan Firstman Does Almost Everything
Firstman isn’t simply the star of Club Kid.
He also wrote and directed the movie, marking his feature directorial debut.
Firstman became widely known through his viral Instagram impressions before moving into increasingly prominent acting roles, including his memorable turn in the gay comedy Rotting in the Sun.
For Club Kid, however, he has assembled quite the supporting cast.
Diego Calva, Cara Delevingne, Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Colleen Camp all appear alongside Firstman and Absolom.
Yes, Diego Calva is involved.
We felt that deserved its own paragraph. 👀
There’s Something Sweeter Underneath The Party
Club Kid premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival in May, where its mix of outrageous comedy and unexpected tenderness earned strong early reviews.
That combination may be what makes the movie particularly interesting for queer audiences.
The setup could easily have become a simple fish-out-of-water comedy about an irresponsible gay party boy suddenly being forced to grow up.
But the more interesting possibility is that Peter doesn’t need to abandon his queer life in order to become a father.
Instead, fatherhood might expand his definition of family.
Queer people have spent generations creating families that don’t necessarily follow the conventional blueprint.
Friends become family.
Communities help raise and support one another.
And sometimes, apparently, a biological son unexpectedly walks straight into the middle of all of it.
From Club Kid To Dad?
The trailer doesn’t suggest Peter will become Father of the Year immediately.
Thank goodness, because that would be a much less entertaining movie. 😂
Instead, Club Kid appears interested in what happens when two completely different lives suddenly have to make room for each other.
Peter gets a son he never expected.
Lucas gets a father whose world looks nothing like the conventional family life he might have imagined.
And Peter’s fabulous queer circle may be getting its youngest new member yet.
Club Kid arrives in U.S. theaters November 6.
Gay nightlife, queer chosen family, unexpected fatherhood and Diego Calva?
Fine, A24.
You have our attention. 😂🌈❤️
📷 @a24 @jtfirstman
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