Jojo Rabbit: Film Review

Synopsis

Jojo Rabbit follows Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis), a 10-year-old boy in the Hitler youth, who finds out that his mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johanssen), is hiding a Jewish girl, Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie), in their attic. While Jojo doesn't like this, his imaginary friend, Adolf (Taika Waititi), hates it. The film follows Jojo as he deals with both situations, and has a change of heart along the way.

Review

Overall, this film is very well done. Behind the camera and in front of the camera there is work that should be celebrated immensely. Let me start by saying that this film was one of my highest anticipated movie of the year. I am pleased to say, it exceeded my expectations. I did have apprehensions going in, wondering if it would be funny enough to balance out the severity of the topic or if I would end up sympathizing with the Nazis. This movie could've gone wrong in so many ways, but I'm so glad that it didn't. I love Taika Waititi's sense of humor (if you haven't seen What We Do In The Shadows, please do). It's so gleeful and heartfelt, and I feel like that is the type of humor needed to effectively execute this film. He is very bold to do a Nazi comedy but the film has such a big heart, it justifies the film's existence. Keep in mind also: Taika Waititi is half-Jewish (I apologize for f*ckin' y'all up on that one). I thought it was very sharply and carefully written and directed. The film is quite hilarious although not every joke lands. A couple of things didn't meet the level of humor that this movie needs to succeed (my only qualm with the film). I enjoyed the satirization of the Nazis: the buffoonery exerted by all of them (they are quite stupid), and the sheer mockery that the film makes of them is very entertaining. Also, the production design cannot go without mentioning. Roman Griffin Davis, Scarlett Johanssen, and Thomasin McKenzie were standouts for me. (Johanssen and Davis' mother-son dynamic seemed genuine). Also, I have to say that my two favorite scenes were Hitler's introductory scene in the beginning and the scene with Stephen Merchant. The former is just the perfect setup for what the film is, but the latter shatters all of that. It is tense and just beautifully executed. The film tows the line of severity, humor, and heart excellently. There are moments in this movie that will make you cry (two words: Rosie’s shoes). Also, the film's end is a bit drastic in terms of tonal shift but that is overshadowed by the film's heart. I mean, it's just so heartfelt (and original too), it's hard to dismiss. As previously stated, Jojo Rabbit is very well done and is one of my favorites of the year.