I'll tell you why so serious

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Acting was good, soundtrack was good (though at times more uplifting than the moment deserved), tone was good, but overall it was too gritty for what it was, and there wasn't enough character growth or reason for the character growth. I don't know, maybe that's just the way "slice-of-life" movies tend to be. But it seemed possibly too overtly brutal - my dad watching it with me just walked away half way through when it became clear this was going to be just a lot of violent bullying, uncomfortable teen coed angst/drinking/fighting/smoking etc. Overall I respect the movie - it was well done and I'll tell people about it, but I'm not about to full-heartedly recommend it or watch it again.

Like everyone who saw it said a surprise film from a debutant writer, director. It is a powerful title, but the film was different. Like it focused to tell the story of a teenager named Jack who is regularly picked to bully by some older guys from the school. The film opened with a payback act by Jack, but soon they get him back. This time it gets more serious than ever, and how it ends comes in the latter half of the film.This is a short film and a good screenplay too. Initially I did not like much, it looked like another same old themed teen film. But the second half of the film completely changed, especially about bullying and how others see it, apart from the victim and offender. An awareness film, though the end drawn as what a cinematic storytelling required than the social message.The kids did well, particularly Jack, Ben and a few others. There's no obscene materials, but in a sequence it gets bold like how normal teenagers are obsessed with those stuffs. That does not mean it is bad for them to watch. It is a much better film on this theme, and gets better while progressing narration. It is one of the under noticed good film of the year. It's not a must see, yet worth giving it a try.7/10

I went into this expecting something really good from the high Netflix rating. What a disappointment. This might be a realistic-looking slice of life, but we don't experience much that is truly original or valuable. It's kid-on-kid violence (emotional and physical) and not much more. Life can be brutal but I don't particularly want to watch it, unless, of course, it's great art. The Japanese masterpiece The Human Condition (Ningen el Joken) is a trilogy of films that depicts the worst aspects of human brutality, but you can take it because you are also aware that you're experiencing something profound. With King Jack I watched a kid get bullied and then finally learn to "take it like a man." It's trite and frankly a little disgusting.The film wants to impart a message of some kind. I think the scene at the very end is supposed to be seen as a happy ending. We're to believe Jack has evolved emotionally and overcome--or started to overcome--unbelievable obstacles in his life. It feels flimsy and tacked on and I didn't buy it.I understand why many people liked this film. It has a seductive quality, the actors are good, and the action looks real. And it's pitched as an art movie. But it isn't a good one. If you were sucker punched into liking this movie, I can only suggest you expand your cinematic horizons to find out how much you've been missing.

A well acted drama about life in a American small-town for a teenage boy outcast.What I like is that it holds nothing back, the characters feel very much real and the dialog is explicit and the darker themes are portrayed as ugly as they are in real life.So although it is a movie about kids, it's not necessarily FOR kids. In fact some scenes are rather disturbing and of adult matter so one could argue the complete opposite.The style of the movie is a bit reminiscent of David Gordon Green's indie-dramas and it will be interesting to see what the director Felix Thompson will do next, hopefully this movie will be his big break, it's certainly worthy of attention.Good soundtrack as well.