‘Buddy’ Once Again Proves Parents Do Not Take the Time to Research a Movie Before Letting Their Kids Watch One
Oh great, here we go again. I thought and hoped people would have learned their lesson after a teacher made the unforgivable mistake of letting a class of fourth graders watch “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” without researching it to see that it was a full-blown horror film which Walt Disney would never have approved of.
This past weekend saw the release of “Buddy” which marks the feature film directorial debut of Caspar Kelly. On the surface, it looked like an innocent motion picture with a main character who seemed reminiscent of Barney the purple dinosaur or other children shows from the 1990’s. But upon closer inspection, particularly after reading through the movie’s description on its Wikipedia page, it is actually a “supernatural comedy horror film” in which a group of children find themselves trapped inside a television program designed for their age group, and they spend the length of it trying to escape the murderous clutches of the show’s seemingly lovable host.
Reports came out over the weekend that parents took their kids to see “Buddy,” thinking it would be the perfect cinematic outing for the whole family. These kids ended up coming out of it traumatized, and their parents have been demanding refunds in the aftermath. Many of these parents have blamed the theaters and their employees for not warning them of the film’s content. Those who work at these same theaters say it is not their fault, and they are absolutely correct.
For the record, I have not seen “Buddy” as of yet, but I did take the time to research what it was about in ways those parents never bothered to. For those who actually took the time to do the same, we can all agree that this movie, which currently has a certified fresh score of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, is most definitely not for kids.
Seriously, look at this poster below for a second:
On one hand, it features a lovable looking bright orange unicorn, but something seems off as the image looks fuzzy as if the television showing this program has bad reception. This should be your first indication that something is off about this particular character as images can be deceiving. And, as Bo Diddley one said, you can’t judge a book by looking at its cover.
Now let us take a look at what is billed as the movie’s final trailer:
As this trailer begins, it does make “Buddy” look like an innocent family flick as it invites kids to “face their fears” among other things. But the closer you look at the images presented here, you see that the kids surrounding that bright orange unicorn look scared as hell and are looking to escape that creature’s clutches. Plus, you have that image of mother screaming her lungs out, and that has got to be of a parent experiencing their worst nightmare.
But perhaps the most definitive mark in this trailer for “Buddy” comes at the very end when the narrator announces that this film has been rated R for “graphic violence and gore.” And in taking a closer look at the MPA rating, it states the rating is for “sequences of strong bloody horror, violence and gore, language and weaponry.”
Or perhaps you need to look at these movie trailers to realize that your children might not come out of this motion picture in one piece:
Seriously, do I need to say much more after you have watched this?
Still not convinced? Then perhaps the most persuasive piece of evidence can be found on the Common Sense Media website which has a Parents’ Guide to “Buddy.” They have left the following sentence for all to see:
“Bloody horror tale looks like kids’ TV but definitely isn’t.”
And then there is the “Parents Need to Know” section which states the following:
“Parents need to know that Buddy is a dark horror comedy that’s reminiscent of a 1990s-era children’s TV show, featuring a costumed character of an orange unicorn (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key) that exhibits sinister tendencies. Violence includes children in peril and being roughly handled (as well as harmed off-screen), death, blood and gore, stabbing, impaling, a strangling, punching, head bashing and cleaving, intense violence involving costumed characters (head ripped off, gruesome burns, slicing bloody slabs off their own body, and more), a jump scare, a monster, and much more. Language isn’t frequent but includes “f–k,” “s–t,” “t–ty,” “bitch,” “hell,” “penis,” “poop,” etc.”
Seriously mom and dad, isn’t this enough to convince you that your children are better off watching “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” for the seventh time instead of taking them to see “Buddy?”
When all is said and done, I have absolutely no sympathy for the parents who took their children to see “Buddy” without knowing what it was about. No, I am not a parent, but even I would check a cinematic endeavor ever so thoroughly before sending any youngling I know into a darkened movie theater. You may yell at me saying how I don’t know what it is like to guide children through nightmares and psychological trauma, but isn’t that your job as a parent? Feel free to tell me what you think about this in the comments.
Granted, no one is perfect. My father let my brother rent “Uncommon Valor” from Nino’s TV and Video in Thousand Oaks, California years ago, but he did not know this film was rated R. I told my dad that it was rated R, but this was mainly because I was pissed my brother got to watch such movies with this rating like “Caddyshack” and “Risky Business” while I was denied such privileges. My brother was super pissed at me for pointing “Uncommon Valor’s” rating out as he was forced to take the VHS copy of the movie back to the video store, cursing me all the way over there. Well, at least one person was watching out for others!
While I am at it, are there not images of “Buddy’s” bright orange unicorn with his, or their, face half burned off? Doesn’t this tell you something. Like Chucky from the “Child’s Play” movies, this one takes a lick and keeps on ticking. Seriously, think about it!
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