Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
'80s robot-becomes-human story falls flat.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
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D.A.R.Y.L.
What's the Story?
Daryl (Barret Oliver), a young boy suffering from amnesia, is placed in foster care with the Richardsons (Michael McKean, Mary Beth Hurt) until his parents can be found. The Richardsons notice some peculiar things about Daryl, such as his amazing ability to hit home runs and the fact that he keeps his bedroom spotlessly clean, but they quickly grow to love him for his earnest, caring ways. When his real parents are eventually found, Daryl is whisked away from the people he's grown to love and taken to a high-security military facility, where the truth about his past is revealed. Meanwhile, the Pentagon staff responsible for the D.A.R.Y.L. experiment decide it's time to end it -- and to put an end to Daryl, too. Can he escape and make his way back to the only real family he knows?
Is It Any Good?
D.A.R.Y.L. is a movie with its heart in the right place that almost succeeds where it counts but never really delivers genuine emotion. The script is flat and relies on overly broad strokes that lack realism to lay out the story. It also leans heavily on cliché to get through the quieter, personal moments we know the veteran cast is capable of delivering when the material is there.
Big kids will get some laughs out of Daryl's relationship with best friend Turtle, who schools him in the ways of kid-dom, and they'll easily relate to Daryl thanks to Barret Oliver's surprisingly charming performance. But they may get restless as the plot drags on, especially in the third act, which takes too long to resolve without delivering much in the way of action or suspense.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why movies about robots are so popular. Why do we find them so fascinating?
Do you agree that "a machine becomes human when you can't tell the difference anymore"?
Do you think robots that could pass for human might really exist some day? Do you think we should try to develop that kind of technology? Why, or why not?
Movie Details
- In theaters : January 12, 1985
- On DVD or streaming : October 19, 2004
- Cast : Mary Beth Hurt , Michael McKean , Barret Oliver
- Director : Simon Wincer
- Studios : Paramount Pictures , World Film Services
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Topics : Friendship , Robots
- Run time : 99 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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