Good Boys

It's been a while since we've had a really memorable, quotable, raunchy film.

Some may say Booksmart was that film and, while I really enjoyed it (and its aged well in my memory), I also remember that not all the jokes landed in my theater or for me. To be fair, it had a lot of other value than just laughs too. 

And sure, there have been really funny films in the last year or more (The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part and certain Marvel films come to mind)...but damn...is it weird to think that the last time I truly laughed so hard at a film that I almost couldn't breathe was Sausage Party? Perhaps I'm not remembering specific films - and that's not to downplay some of the great comedies I've seen since - but I feel like it's genuinely been a long time since I laughed so hard in a theater that I knew I'd need to watch a film again because I missed so much. 

Good Boys, much to my enjoyment, is one of those films. Ever since I saw initial trailers for it that made me nearly cry at certain jokes ("How many husbands does she have!?!") I've been cautiously optimistic about this one. In the back of my mind I was positive that it had shown all the funny parts and that the "joke" of these tween boys running around, cursing, and getting into trouble wouldn't be funny for the whole film. Luckily that skepticism was for naught because most of the funny parts in the trailers were red herrings/deleted scenes of sorts and there are still a TON of laughs to be had with Good Boys. I would say that mileage will vary with how "okay" you are with 12 year olds doing certain things - none of it is truly that bad in my opinion - but my entire theater was in stitches for the majority of the short and sweet 90 minute runtime. 

Through the cacophony of belly chortles, scream laughs, and my own boisterous chuckles (with some snorting), I quickly realized that Good Boys was one of the funniest films I'd seen in quite some time. And it rarely lets up or loses its momentum.

Three 12-year-olds in a frat house. What could go wrong? 

Stuck between a soft place and a softer place...

Good Boys gets a lot of mileage because of its approach to these three main characters (in order of the poster above, left-to-right): Lucas, Max, and Thor. Despite their foul language, they really are good boys and likable characters. Lucas' best friend is his mom, Max sticks up for his friends, "The Beanbag Boys", and Thor loves to sing. These aren't annoying little twerps getting a bunch of screen time, they're genuinely innocent and unique characters that just so happen to get into R-rated hi-jinks. I believe that to be one of the main reasons the film works so well and it was a smart choice because the easy answer would have been to make them R-rated children who get into R-rated trouble. Their innocence about a lot of things is the base of most jokes, which sounds like it would get old, but thanks to the willingness of these three young actors and a surprisingly quick-firing script, I was continuously howling about them "learning" facts (e.g. that a nymphomaniac is someone who has sex on land and water. Who knew?).

Some may quickly decide they don't like this film. It's definitely "dumb" in a lot of spots, which sometimes made it funnier in my mind, but despite 100% of my theater losing it for the majority of 90 minutes, I do think mileage will vary. Good Boys goes for a lot of the low hanging fruit from a joke perspective, but it does it with such aplomb and these kids are so willing and innocent that it truly works wonderfully. From Lucas' high pitched screams of fear in key moments, to Max's inability to beat the child lock on any pill bottle, to Thor's attempts at being a mini bad-ass, the film just has a lot of laughs to offer. Lucas in particular is the gift that keeps on giving with some of the film's best jokes/gags based around him.

Like many good comedies, Good Boys also has an admirable amount of heart. It's message about being who you are and that you don't have to do everything with your friends is sweet, though I'm not sure many of us actually have a problem with the latter piece of that so its good advice for a 12 year old but perhaps just nostalgic for anyone over 16 when they look back at their child-hood friend group. The heart also requires some better acting chops than these kids can give naturally so some moments it's clear that their cries are fake (which is almost funnier in its own right) and they're awkward 12 year-olds when trying to be sentimental. But still, the fact that the film wanted to have a heart is nice. 

A purse full of drugs with 3 boys looking to keep drugs
out of their community. What could go wrong? 

Perhaps a portion of my humor is juvenile and I liked this film far more than I should have. Perhaps it's not going to make people double over in laughter the same way. But I doubt it. Yes, Good Boys has some dumb moments and jokes, but it's also consistently throwing these hilarious kids at you with new situations, one-liners, and gags. And I was laughing nearly the entire 90 minutes, which is not a feat that many films can accomplish.  

CONS

• I could have done without the aggressively vulgar soundtrack. I get what they were going for, but if anything, the music would ruin the mood here
• I'll be curious to see if the laughs are sustained through multiple viewings or if seeing 12 year-olds in crazy situations is funny once, and then old afterwards
• Not all the heartfelt moments stick the landing, mostly held back by the acting chops of these young actors or the fact that the message doesn't really resonate

PROS

• Admirable that the film has a heart and wants to try and say something past it's R-rated nature
• Capable and willing child actors in Jacob Tremblay, Keith Williams, and Brady Noon. They've definitely got comedic chops
• These kids aren't annoying, their genuinely good-natured little boys and unique individuals. This helps the film get a lot of bonus points because it makes us willing to hear their story out
• Uproariously funny for nearly the entire runtime. Any moment of lulls in laughing is actually a blessing so that you can take a breather
• Good mix of, yes, vulgar humor, surprisingly funny "innocent" humor ("This skate park is lit!" [cut to a kid doing a very small trick on a scooter] comes to mind), and physical humor
• Citizens arrest in the park is probably the funniest scene of the year. I'm surprised someone in my theater didn't pass out from laughter
• Short and sweet, it knows not to overstay its welcome

Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10