By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Taika Waititi
Starring: Roman Griffin Davis | Sam Rockwell | Scarlett Johansson | Taika Waititi | Thomasin McKenzie
Country: czech_republic, new_zealand, united_states
Year: 2019
Running time: 108
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2584384/reference
Thom says: “Again, too much information in my head, for I went into this well-received film supposing I was unfamiliar with director Waititi (from New Zealand) but research proved I’ve already seen all of his feature-length movies: EAGLE vs SHARK (2007), BOY (201 0), WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (2014), HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE (2016), & THOR (RAGNAROK) (2017). I feel I must admit that the two friends I went with both liked the film much more than I did and the innumerable people I’ve talked to were also more praiseworthy. It did win an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay & it’s been nominated for Best Use of Music In a Film for the work of Michael Giacchino by Chlotrudis. The film is a satire taking place in Germany near the end of WW II. Jojo is a young boy who is a strong nationalist due to the heavy propaganda of the Nazi war regime. Jojo is bullied at school and at the military training camp he attends but his imaginary friend is Hitler who talks him through his doubts and problems. And then he discovers a Jewish girl that his mother (Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson) has hidden within the walls of his home. To say that he is terribly conflicted is putting it mildly and the film is about his catharsis through this major crisis. Whil e the film brings major chuckles if not outright guffaws and the overarching sweetness can be compelling, I had some minor quibbles. Imagining an imaginary friend in Adolf Hitler for Jojo is like a young lad in today’s frightening world imagining an imaginary friend in Donald Trump. Could anything be more disgusting? So I found zilch humour in the character in the overacting performance from the director himself. Roman Griffin Davis is mostly good as Jojo but only nails around 75% of the admittedly difficult role. The greatest thing about the film, & I’m not talking about Johannson’s Oscar nomination (she’s fine but not worthy of such an accolade), is the young actor Archie Yates who plays Jojo’s best friend Yorki. I’m afraid I don’t understand Rebel Wilson’s star status. She portrays the exact same character in every film I’ve ever seen her in with few differences. Sam Rockwell fares much better as the sympathetic training camp director. Stephen Merchant falls more into the Reb el Wilson category but his characters bring much more laughs than her juvenile approach. 4 cats“