Taika Waititi is just my kind of weird. That said, a film about a little German boy who has Hitler as an imaginary friend had even me scratching my head. There’s weird and then there’s WTF? Is this movie going to be just too much?
Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) is a little boy in World War II Germany with Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi) as his imaginary best friend. His world is turned upside down when he finds a Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) hidden by his mother (Scarlett Johansson) inside their house.
Jojo Rabbit is a film that is definitely not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Attacking fanaticism and xenophobia with satire is a risky gamble, but the movie manages to hit just the right balance. The Nazis aren’t humanized. They’re portrayed as over the top and ridiculous buffoons.
There’s a surprising amount of heart in Jojo Rabbit, with more than a few scene-stealing moments delivered by Jojo’s friend Yorki (Archie Yates), another member of the Hitler Youth. You’ll find a lot of “cute” stuffed into a film about Nazis, and the over-saturated sweetness is bound to rub some viewers the wrong way.
The ensemble cast of Jojo Rabbit elevates the film as a whole, with every member delivering award-caliber performances. While the movie is unlikely to change any hearts and minds, Taika Waititi has delivered a film-for those willing to embrace the weirdness-that is as smart and thought-provoking as it is entertaining.
Catch Jojo Rabbit in theaters on October 18, 2019.
About Jojo Rabbit
Writer director Taika Waititi (THOR: RAGNAROK, HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE), brings his signature style of humor and pathos to his latest film, JOJO RABBIT, a World War II satire that follows a lonely German boy (Roman Griffin Davis as JoJo) 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.