May 16, 2026 5:48am PT

‘Club Kid’ Review: Jordan Firstman Cleans Up His Act in a Sweet, Surprisingly Old-Fashioned Heartwarmer

The first feature directed by the ultra-online comedian is dressed up in the spiky style and slang of New York's queer party scene, but the core of this father-son bonding tale is pure Hollywood.

Guy Lodge

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Guy Lodge

Film Critic

@guylodge

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Adam Newport-Berra

Jordan Firstman‘s first Cannes premiere began with him gleefully twerking on the red-carpeted steps of the festival’s Debussy theater, before expressing in his onstage intro how thrilled he was to be “in de bussy.” So far, so expected from the most recognizable gay comedian of his generation, who shot to fame during the COVID lockdown period with a viral run of drolly absurdist impressions and sketches, drenched in queer-coded humor and reference points. Perhaps intentionally, it proved a misleading way to introduce his winning, accomplished debut feature “Club Kid,” which certainly begins as an exhaustingly antic, coked-up rush through the highest, lowest, lewdest reaches of the New York queer club scene — before surprising its audience and protagonist alike with a drastic tonal about-face.

'Club Kid' Review: Jordan Firstman Cleans Up His Act in a Sweet, Surprisingly Old-Fashioned Heartwarmer