Jojo Rabbit

It's no surprise that there have been media over the years that have taken on hilarious portrayals of Adolf Hitler and Nazis such as both versions of Mel Brooks comedy film The Producers (insert Springtime for Hitler sequence here) and Charlie Chaplin in The Great Dictator. The nature of sensitive back in those days is pretty different compare to our modern age where divisiveness over media, opinions, and serious subject matter are unavoidable, which brings us to Jojo Rabbit, a satire black comedy from filmmaker Taika Waititi that deals with this topic. The marketing campaign intrigued many due to the controversy with its weird premise. I wasn't very familiar with the directors style as the only thing I had seen from him at the time was the studio franchise entry Thor Ragnarok, which I wasn't a fan of. I checked out his previous work in Hunt for the Wilderpeople and I understood that the qualities he processes shine much better in his own projects, not any big studio project. With the amount of positive buzz/divisiveness emerging about it in the film festival circuits, I went in ready for something bizarre as well as endearing and left it glad I checked out this ambitious feature.

What's it about? Set during World War II, the story follows a Hitler worshipping boy who finds himself at odds with his own beliefs when he discovers his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home. There's definitely a light tone and it blends well here since we're viewing these events from this youngsters naivety, which also includes an imaginary friend as a childish Hitler. The Nazis, while still harsh, are mostly goofy in their interactions with one another, which leads to humorous moments that can get a hit or miss at times. There are moments that will catch some off guard when you think it's going too safe for its own good with the characters. A surprising aspect that makes the story even more endearing is how the quality really spikes up in quiet scenes where one on one conversations pack some emotional investment during hard periods.

How are the actors? A strong aspect holding this well are the performances of Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, and Scarlett Johansson. In his acting debut, Roman is excellent in this lead role as his energy in balancing the comedy and dramatic sides of his character arc work very well. Thomasin is great in using a mix of quick thinking and anxiety on her side of the story where the state of things are against her. Scarlett is the most surprising out of the cast since she gives one of her best performances in a long time as a caring mother where she use all of her screen time to amazing effect. As for Taika Waititi as imaginary Hitler, he's about as goofy as you would expect from the marketing but his screen time is very limited. Honorable mentions out of the actors as Nazis go to Stephen Merchant and Sam Rockwell for the formers usage in a standout tense scene along the with latter being a fun on screen presence. A dishonorable mention goes to Rebel Wilson for being very miscast in a Nazi role to where she can't pull off the accent well (thankfully small screen time).

Overall Consensus: Jojo Rabbit is an ambitious anti-hate black comedy that's strengthened by great acting, light hearted tone, an intriguing premise, the directors quirky style, and great dramatic scenes, despite hit or miss humor. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/4🎟 Runtime: 1 hour 48 minutes PG-13

Reasons to watch it: You enjoy any of the aforementioned actors. You have seen the directors previous independent comedies and like his work. You are drawn to media depicting Nazis in a funny manner. You want to see a bizarre anti-hate feature.

Reasons to avoid it: You dislike any of the aforementioned actors. You have seen the directors previous independent comedies and don't like style of his work. You aren't drawn to media depicting Nazis in a funny manner. You don't want to see a bizarre anti-hate feature.