RICH KIDS

US, 1979,
Trini Alvarado, Jeremy Levy, Kathryn Walker, John Lithgow, Terry Kiser, Paul Dooley.
Directed by Robert M. Young.

Rich Kids is directed by documentary and feature maker Robert M. Young under the auspices of Robert Altman's production company. This is an offbeat comic/sentimental look at two representative children, boy and girl, trying to cope with growing up and not untypical mixed up parents who live ordinarily by the usual double standards, are selfish, deceive, fall in and out of love and think they ought to do the right thing by their children. This film is wryly humorous and perceptive on the mess that we are prone to get ourselves into. So often the vulnerability is underestimated and emotional havoc is wrought on partly suspecting children - and one hopes the damage is not irreparable. Other features by Young include Allambrista and Short Eyes.

1. The focus and tone of the title? The ironies of the children presented -wealth, neglect? The focus on the kids themselves and their growing up? Parents? The contrast between rich kids and poorer kids in happiness, education, future? How well did the film observe? Could audiences identify with the characters, situations?

2. The production qualities: colour photography of New York, the atmosphere of the city, apartments. business, schools, recreation? The contribution of the songs, their being used dramatically throughout the film, the focus of the lyrics?

3. The framework of the teacher with the children? The audience being asked to identify with the education situation - the teacher and her role, the formation and education of the children? The teacher not knowing the backgrounds of the children? Family and background being so importance? The film's focusing on particular kids and generalising - how accurately?

4. Franny as the focus of the film? An attractive young girl, her age, her experience? Her parents and her father's deceit? Her knowledge of this, reaction? His promises? The broken communication with her parents? Their cover-up? Her experience at school, her friends? Reading the sex book? Her pretending to be asleep when her father came in and the effect of this on her? Her clinging to her parents, her perceiving the truth? Her worries? How well drawn her character, how credible? Typical of a young girl in these circumstances? Her strengths to cope with her difficulties?

5. The contrast with Jamie: his age, an attractive young lad, parents and their divorce? His relationship with his mother and her protectiveness? His stepfather and the psychologising? His father and his business, talk, false fronts, women? The contrast with his mother's apartment and the lifestyle of his father? The effect of the broken marriage on Jamie?

6. The friendship with Franny? Talking together, sharing experiences, predicting what would happen about Franny's parents and their taking her out to dinner to discuss their separation, its fulfilment? The sleep-over visits? The mimicking of adults relationships, sexuality? The innocence of children - the imitation of adults and the forming of behaviour patterns,?

7. The portrait of the parents - in themselves, their fights, strengths and weaknesses? Franny's parents and their talk, her father's deceit? The exasperation of her mother? The lawyer and the plans for the separation? The caution as regards Franny going out, phoning? How did Jandel’s parents influence him? His mother and her over-protectiveness? The distance of the stepfather? Jamie seeing through his parents? His real father and his women? The final hubbub - after the sleep-over, the authentic behaviour of the children compared with the raucousness of the parents?

8. Franny's parents and their separation, divorce? Her mother's care for Franny? Her father's deceitfulness? The couples meeting at the street corner and the ironies and embarrassment? Taking Franny out to dinner, her throwing up as predicted? Madelyn and the talk? Communication, lies?

9. The importance of showing children growing up, learning from each other, aping adult behaviour, their vulnerability? Their ability to cope? The parent generation reaction to the behaviour - especially sexuality e.g. the two children in the bath and the reaction?

10. The film's focus on parent reaction - the double standards for themselves, their imposition of standards on others? The hubbub in the apartment, the arguments? The irony of the film and its satiric criticism of double standards?

11. The final pursuit, the final night, the talking over of things - and the possibility for a future?

12. The future of such rich kids? The influence of their growing up on them and their attitudes, their parents and their squabbles, divorce? Education? Interior strengths helping kids to build on their previous difficulties? Franny and Jande as the symbolic boy and girl? The American setting - but its universal application? The insight films like this give as regards family relationships, sensitivity, vulnerability?