Jojo Rabbit

Taika Waititi is truly one of the most talented directors in Hollywood right now, particularly with comedy. 

Between What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and Thor: Ragnarok, he's made us laugh at the mundane nature of vampires, a boy's adventure in the bush, and a completely revamped and re-energized Marvel property.

The amount that he's accomplished in just a short time is admirable. And he's already tapped to continue the Thor franchise onward likely for as long as he wants to. Between all the Marvel projects, he made Jojo Rabbit; a film that shocked with its initial trailer of Waititi himself playing the imaginary Hitler inside a boy's mind. 

Given all the times in cinematic history that Hitler has been parodied it probably shouldn't have been so shocking, but a significant reason for that is likely due to the nature of our world these days with heightened focus on political and racial divides. Because of that, Jojo Rabbit immediately garnered attention, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and won the People's Choice Award, and then...seemingly not much. It gathered a handful of middling reviews in addition to the highly positive ones from TIFF and has had a weird release schedule without much buzz (or at least that's what it seems like to me). It's currently only playing in 1 or 2 cinemas in the Denver area, making it difficult to go see with packed showings. 

Rather than beating around the bush, I'll get right to it. I adored Jojo Rabbit, just as much as I have any of Waititi's other films. It's shocking to me that it runs the gambit on reviews from scores of 100 to even 0. So I guess the preface to my glowing review is this: Jojo Rabbit isn't going to speak to everyone the same. Some are likely particularly sensitive to the subject matter and some may just not get the message, likely making it a very weird film. I have my personal opinions about both of those groups, but it's not important. You should know before you see the film how comfortable you are on the spectrum of humor and if you're going to be triggered. 

This kid had me rolling

Lots of memorable characters here...

Given that Thor: Ragnarok was Waititi's last film, I forgot the amount of heart he can achieve in something like Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Jojo Rabbit's secret weapon that hits very hard in certain moments, is that it's not just a comedy. There is a lot of genuine and authentic heart here and it's what makes Jojo Rabbit so effective from start to finish. It recognizes that it occurs during one of the nastiest times in human history and - particularly within its final 30 minutes - says a lot about war, power, and the human spirit. It makes certain that all the jokes and Waititi dressed up as Hitler weren't for nothing and ensures that, while you've had fun during the film, you're leaving with the intended message. 
Other than the wonderful screenplay that unfolds like a novel, a significant reason for its heart lies with the performances. The central character, Jojo, features a fantastic child performance from Roman Griffin Davis who is able to act far past his years in terms of comedic timing and emotional range. Sam Rockwell offers up a smaller, but fun performance as a Captain in the Third Reich. Of course you have Waititi himself as Adolf and his comedic timing/delivery is as good as it's ever been. The true heart of the film however is Scarlett Johansson as Jojo's mother, Rosie. She also gets to deliver a handful of good laughs, but as her story unfolds too you can see that she's just a mother struggling to grow this boy who thinks he's a Nazi, while the father is away at the war. She's a particularly endearing character whom you become attached to throughout the film.

Of course Jojo Rabbit is also downright hilarious, particularly in its lighter first hour. The opening sequence is a riot and Waititi's script and screenplay offer up a lot of innocent laughs from the kids and situational humor given the context of the time period and location. He's got a lot of talent on board, but it's still impressive how much comedic timing the entire group has, particularly the children. It's not Waititi's funniest film but that's less because of a lack of jokes hitting their mark and more because of a lower quantity in the back half of the film. He's still able to achieve the remarkably high hit rate that he's accustomed to. 

Laugh out loud hilarious

Jojo Rabbit may have some small issues that hold it back from absolute perfection - it does struggle to balance tone in some transitions from funny to more emotional scenes and it probably could have used a 10 minute trimming - but I'm still thinking about it a lot a day later and, much like Waititi's previous films, I believe it will stay with me for a while after seeing it. Whether that's laughing at some of it's wonderful humor or thinking through the message it wanted to convey about life in general. 

CONS

• Meanders a bit in the middle and near the end, probably could have used a trimming
• Not surprising given the subject matter, but sometimes (only slightly) struggles to balance the tone its looking for

PROS

• Far more emotional and heartfelt than you may be anticipating. Will definitely leave you in tears from both laughter and sadness
• Overall a well balanced screenplay given the subject matter. Be open to the things that are being made fun of, but also focus on the message the film wants you to take away. It's there
• A cast that all provide memorable and authentic performances. All deserve a shoutout, but Scarlett Johansson leaves the biggest impact
• Hilarious, as you've come to expect from Waititi. Smart dialogue, expert delivery and timing, and even some entertaining physical comedy
• A movie with a message, wrapped around a dark moment in history, that likes to have fun but also strive to grow its audience along the way

Rath's Review Score | 9.5/10