Jordan Firstman Grows Up on Screen in 'Club Kid,' an NYT Critic's Pick

Jordan Firstman writes, directs and stars in "Club Kid," a New York Times Critic's Pick that runs 2 hours 2 minutes and reaches theaters rated R. The film marks his directorial debut, and the Times review calls it "confident and exuberant."

Plenty of movies share the plot, the review notes: a man who will not grow up is thrown into responsibility because a child appears in his life, and he is better for it. Firstman, the review argues, "injects buoyant new life into this familiar story." The verdict is direct: "Snarky, sweet and ultimately heartfelt, 'Club Kid' proves Firstman's chops as a filmmaker, too."

Who is Peter?

The film opens in 2016. Peter, played by Firstman, overcrowds an Uber with friends, including Sophie, played by Cara Delevingne. The two run a budding party-promotion business. They sing Rihanna at the top of their lungs, ecstatic about being young in New York and partying all night, mostly with the aid of various drugs. Each morning, the review writes, last night's dancing and sexual encounters are bathed in a hazy glow of memory.

The parties Sophie and Peter throw draw queer kids euphoric to be in the prime of their lives together, watching the sun come up. For Peter, this is the life he always dreamed of as an awkward gay boy growing up in New York. Now, finally, he is cool.

What does a decade of partying change?

Time marches on even when you are partying. The film jumps forward, "a decade or so later," and Peter still spends nearly every night in the club. Ten years on, it is considerably less invigorating. He runs himself ragged, but escaping the hamster wheel of drugs, sex and all-night ragers seems impossible.

Then one morning an ebullient British woman, played by Kirby Howell-Baptiste, arrives at his door with a 10-year-old boy. She announces that this is Arlo, played by Reggie Absolom, and that he is Peter's son. This seems impossible, since Peter cannot remember ever having sex with a woman.

Except, the review adds, "oh no."

How does the film shift?

With Arlo's arrival, "Club Kid" changes gears, moving from a swirling party film to a lively character study. The comedy lands, the review says, "mostly because Firstman can land a great line and do physical comedy when necessary, all within the very believable person of Peter."

Firstman became well known in 2020, during the Covid pandemic, for his comedy sketches on Instagram. He is prolific, directing short films and appearing in HBO's "I Love LA," FX's "English Teacher" and Sebastián Silva's "Rotting in the Sun," in which he plays a version of himself.

The Critic's Pick designation signals that Firstman's move from Instagram sketches and short films to a feature debut has paid off, and it positions him as a filmmaker to watch beyond acting.