Ron’s Gone Wrong Movie Review

Here’s what was going on in my mind while I was viewing this fun, animated film. As you might, as well, I couldn’t help but think to myself that “Ron’s Gone Wrong” is a precursor of what’s to come. It was made to get us used to the idea that the movie we’re watching is actually the next generation phone on the way. It’s an ad! Okay, maybe not, but after they watch, every child will want a Ron, a “Bubble Bot” (B-Bot for short) of their own.

This film encapsulates everything good and bad about what has happened to society because of technology. It’s all here wrapped inside this B-Bot, which is your “Best Friend Out of the Box.”
Youngsters watching won’t get the negative social media message, but the adults will, especially when the creator is introduced. He’s a tech guy named Marc who creates an algorithm… for friendship. The Facebook likeness will not be lost on you either.

Anyway, his pitch is, basically, that never will you feel alone again with your own B-Bot. The robot that you name yourself has been concocted to know everything about you. Once the owner touches it, it installs everything about you and uploads it to the Bubble Network (Google much?). It then finds people who are like-minded and sends them friend requests for you. Think about it, kids! When you’re lonely, not only will you have a friendly, egg-shaped robot around, but he’ll get you all the pals you need. The robot records your every move and posts videos for you, Insta-style. Children fall in love with the B-Bots at once. Sales skyrocket.

But Barney (Jack Dylan Grazer), a middle-school student from the poor side of town, doesn’t get a B-Bot. Of course, everyone else in school has theirs, which makes him feel more of an outcast than ever before. The situation has actually depressed the child and he’s teased about his misfortune. Barney’s low-income father (Ed Helms) can’t afford a B-Bot, but he and Barney’s grandmother (a treasure trove of comedy that comes from the voice of Olivia Coleman), get him one for a low ‘scratch and dent’ rate when it’s found on the street.

A B-Bot can never hurt anyone, and they have many safety features built into them. However, Ron was never quite finished. This isn’t good. Well, not only do many negative features come from his particular design but positive ones, too. He has zero safety features which isn’t suitable for anyone who upsets Barney, nor is it good for the company. It turns out that he isn’t connected to the “Cloud,” so he doesn’t have restraints that other B-Bots have. Oddly, some of what he can do is also closer to what Marc originally had in mind for his creation; something that can learn independently.

There are a lot of messages that I think could sink into the impressionable minds who watch the story. It’s a sweet tale of friendship and love and about the struggle of making things work, not letting go and that friendship is a two-way street. The ending is filled with surprises.