It won't take long for 20th Century Animation's newest release, Ron's Gone Wrong, to draw some comparisons to other recent family-friendly movies. By opening with a presentation at an Apple-esque tech company and featuring a plot that relies heavily on A.I., it's hard not to recall Netflix's The Mitchells vs. the Machines (Olivia Colman even has roles in both!). The titular Ron feels a lot like Big Hero 6's Baymax at times. And yet, underneath these familiar elements, directors Sarah Smith and Jean-Phillipe Vine, along with co-director Octavio E. Rodriguez, manage to find a real heart within Ron's Gone Wrong. It'll win over kids with its humor and sweet friendship, but it just might also appeal to their parents too. Ron's Gone Wrong doesn't follow through with all of its ideas, but the odd pair at its center do more than enough to earn smiles and laughs.
The movie opens with a tech presentation hosted by brilliant inventor Marc (Justice Smith), who wows the audience by unveiling the B*Bot, an advanced robot that is programmed to act as the ideal best friend. By uploading their online profiles to their B*Bots, kids have a walking, talking companion that is perfectly suited to their interests and needs. Every kid in the world soon seems to have a B*Bot... except for awkward middle schooler Barney (Jack Dylan Grazer), who has no friends. Barney's luck seems to change when his dad (Ed Helms) surprises him with a B*Bot for his birthday, but it quickly becomes apparent that Ron (Zack Galifianakis) is damaged beyond repair. Forced to find his way forward with a malfunctioning bot, Barney will soon learn the meaning of true friendship, provided Ron doesn't get himself destroyed first.
While perhaps not one of the most original family movies out there, Ron's Gone Wrong has a lot working in its favor. The central friendship between Barney and Ron is, predictably, the heart and soul of the story, and that it manages to take some surprising turns comes as a welcome discovery. Barney is initially disappointed in Ron's inability to grasp even the basics of friendship, but as the two spend more time together, he learns some valuable lessons about being a good friend. Grazer, having already notched a great voice role in Pixar's Luca earlier this year, continues to cement his place as a talent to watch by perfectly capturing Barney's exasperation, vulnerabilities, and passion with just his voice. Galifianakis inspires plenty of laughs through his matter-of-fact delivery of Ron's many errors, though the true MVP is perhaps Colman, who puts in an unrecognizable vocal performance as Barney's enthusiastic grandmother Donka.
Ron's Gone Wrong falters somewhat in the themes that move beyond friendship. A world where every child is glued to a piece of tech that dictates their social lives seems ripe for commentary about the increasing reliance on cell phones that comes with this era. While a kid's movie doesn't need to delve too deeply into the thorny issues regarding privacy and the rise of big tech, Ron's Gone Wrong flirts with those issues enough for there to be a case that it actually should dig into them a bit more. The actions of Marc's partner, Andrew (Rob Delaney), certainly warrant more scrutiny than the script from Peter Baynham and Smith allows. Ultimately, the movie avoids the messages about tech and plays up those about friendship. Again, not a bad thing for a kid's movie, but the adults in the audience might hope for more.
The adults also might find themselves growing tired by the end of Ron's Gone Wrong. Though the movie only clocks in at an hour and 46 minutes, it goes through multiple endings by the time the credits roll. Most of Ron's Gone Wrong is an unlikely buddy comedy, but then it swerves into survival movie territory, only to turn into a heist. That's a few bold swings too many and it leaves the overall story feeling a tad overstuffed. The sweet friendship between Ron and Barney was already enough to sustain the story.
Despite everything, Ron's Gone Wrong has a lot of heart. It's funny, too, with jokes that don't always settle for the lowest hanging fruit. Anyone who has ever struggled with their laptop's connection or phone's battery life will get a chuckle or two out of Ron's initial mishaps. In fact, it'll be hard for anyone to resist Ron's quirks; in between botching Barney's name and thoughtfully jotting down details about his life, Ron wiggles his way into the viewer's heart. He might set fire to all of Barney's underpants, but he's a friend for the ages. Therefore, families looking for some warm entertainment would be smart to check out this adorable picture.
Ron's Gone Wrong is playing in theaters as of October 22, 2021. The film is 106 minutes long and is rated PG for some rude material, thematic elements and language.
