Jojo Rabbit Review
A World War II satire that follows a lonely German boy named Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a young Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their attic. Aided only by his idiotic imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi), Jojo must confront his blind nationalism.
PG-13: Mature thematic content, some disturbing images, violence, and language
Studios: Fox Searchlight Pictures, TSG Entertainment
Runtime: 1 Hour and 48 Minutes
Writer/Director: Taika Waititi
Cast: Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Taika Waititi, Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant, Alfie Allen, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson
Release Date: October 18, 2019
Taika Waititi, one of the stylish and distinctively weirdest filmmakers of today, is back with his highly anticipated anti-hate satire Jojo Rabbit. After the deserved praise of Thor: Ragnarok, it's great to see the writer/director return to his roots: indie comedy. His latest is kind of his weakest effort yet—not to say it's not good though.
Childhood, the most innocent time in a young person's life. One can be so easily influenced by anyone with undisputed power, especially during the most hateful time in history, which is the case for a 10-year-old German boy named Jojo who, during the time of WWII, is desperate to follow the in-crowd of his Nazi peers. With an extensive idolization of Adolf Hitler (who appears as his imaginary friend), Jojo finds himself in a Nazi training camp. The problem is that he has an innocent, positive morality, but his blinded persistence leads him to something that physically damages him. As he heals from home, Jojo’s curiosity leads him to a hidden door in his deceased sister’s room. Through it he finds a young Jewish girl being hidden by his mom, and that marks the beginning of this young kid’s coming-of-age adventure.
One incredible aspect about Taika Waititi’s power as a filmmaker is how he casts young no-name actors and turns them into superstars who deserve nothing but the world. Look at Julian Dennison. His career blew up after Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople where he was charming, funny, and had perfect comedic timing. This led him onto Deadpool 2 and the upcoming Godzilla vs. Kong. Now, with Jojo Rabbit, you got newcomer Roman Griffin Davis who is adorable as hell, delivers a fantastic first performance, and deserves nothing but the world. Is it weird to say that Davis, a child, captures the childlike innocence of a child well? Is it redundant?
Eureka! I know the angle in which to spin it. Through Waititi’s writing, being able to understand the innocent and ignorant mind space of a child benefits Davis’s performance as Jojo. The kid gets his just desserts because of how much of an asshole he can be, but can you blame him for being influenced by his war-obsessed peers? It doesn't take much to blow the mind of a child. Kids are innocent, stupid, and mean-spirited, but Davis truly treads through those lines magnificently with his down-to-earth energy that never goes over the top. His ability to bounce dialogue off his co-stars makes him an impressive breakout performance that leaves you eager to see where he'll go from here. Plus, he's really funny. Some of the funniest scenes happen when he's interacting with Waititi’s goofy and high-spirited portrayal of Hitler. While you must specifically be a WWII buff to catch all the referential humor in his dialogue, the onscreen chemistry between the two is hilarious. His comedic, idiosyncratic take on the figure who embodies the spirit of a child’s imaginary friend plays as both your companion and your conscience. Even though it's Hitler (I can't believe I'm starting a sentence with that), the way that Jojo imagines this supportive, idolized version of the hateful figure is charming and so are their scenes. Just don't drop him off at Foster’s Home ‘cause that would be awkward.
Waititi's vibrant, bizarre, and demented humor is visibly present, and the running gags often garner big laughs. Yeah, there are minor tone disruptions here and there where the humor is injected immediately after significant dramatic moments, but it’s effective in the areas where they’re balanced.
Another element that made me chuckle throughout was the supporting cast of non-German actors appearing throughout as German characters donning a thick German accent, because who gives a shit about authenticity in a comedy set on Nazi Germany? You got Australian actress Rebel Wilson with a thick German accent, English actor Stephen Merchant with a thick German accent, and American actor Sam Rockwell who I'll get to in a minute. Also, Scarlett Johansson who, say what you will about her as a person, is an incredible performer whose role made me both smile and sob immensely. She portrays Jojo’s mom who, instead of enabling his blind fanaticism, tries to lovingly raise him and reminds him to act his age by being playful towards him. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree as you realize, through his mom’s eccentric nature and imagination, that Jojo inherited the same qualities from her. She tries to guide him to act his age while he's pent up on politics and war.
While Jojo Rabbit is thoroughly entertaining with enough witty humor to keep it running at a fast pace, the film falls short in areas of effective storytelling. The first 30 minutes is pretty rough where the story is slow-paced and is constructed as a series of vignettes. Albeit very funny, the narrative doesn't get proactive once Thomasin McKenzie enters the picture. The dynamic she shares with Davis is the emotional centerpiece of the story.
Waititi’s Hitler impersonation often gets laughs, but that gag runs out of gas quickly. The movie is an anti-hate satire, but it doesn't aim too high and is inconsistent with its overall message, for it’s scattershot on what it's trying to say. It's relevant when it comes to basic topics like, “make love not hate” and yadda yadda yadda. After that rough 30 minutes of “meh” storytelling the movie does become much stronger and exceedingly entertaining. The humor finds its footing in the second half and it becomes a rather great movie, for they deliver bigger laughs and drama with a few unexpected moments.
In the climax, Waititi attempts to dramatize a subliminal message centered on how poorly nationalism affects the nation’s youth, which is a relevant lesson that America needs for sure, but the story told prior to that being significantly different from his ambitions doesn't make it feel earned at all. It just happens on a whim. It doesn't make it better, for they play one of those songs that remind you of Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel” from those manipulative PSAs.
Out of all his efforts, Jojo Rabbit is Taika’s Waititi's weakest feature to date, but that's not to say it's not good. It's like Wright and Baby Driver or what Flushed Away was to Aardman (before Early Man came out) where it is flawed and has problems in its storytelling, but is overall an entertaining and enjoyable romp nonetheless.
Hollywood, this better be your last time casting Sam Rockwell as a racist. I'm goddamn tired of it. I’m done with it. I honestly love this actor and his charismatic personality in film, but for God's sake I'm fucking exhausted of seeing him portray characters who represent hate with a redeemable arc. Three Billboards, Best of Enemies… Jojo Rabbit. I'm tired of seeing Rockwell as this figure whose characters are just flat out racist but also undergoing an arc of redemption. I love when Sam Rockwell plays a character with complexity and wit. Please stop typecasting Rockwell as a racist. I beg of you.
Jojo Rabbit might not be Waititi's strongest feature, but this vibrant and entertaining coming-of-age comedy ends up being both an enjoyable time and a great breakthrough performance by Roman Griffin Davis.
Rating 3.5/5 | 76%
