Jojo Rabbit (2019)

[Eric Duncan]

People used to say a lot of nasty things about me. So let's discuss this movie instead!

[filmlover]

This was sweet, but at the same time very disjointed. Gotta agree with the comparisons that this felt like a wannabe Wes Anderson joint (with a touch of Life is Beautiful thrown into the mix). I feel like this would've been better served if it had committed more to either the satirical side or the serious side completely: while I enjoyed Taika Waititi's clownery at times, the imaginary Hitler tends to be forgotten for long stretches and the satirical tone (which isn't always as sharp as it could be) ends up undercutting some of the more obvious attempts of pulling at the heartstrings. Definitely feels like he bit off more than he could chew. But I can't say I wasn't moved at times, and when it works it works very well (which ends up making the parts that don't work all the more frustrating). Waititi has assembled a fantastic cast too: young Roman Griffin Davis is an utterly delightful discovery, Thomasin McKenzie proves her breakthrough turn in Leave No Trace wasn't a fluke, Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell are wonderful (especially the former, who provides such a warm presence to all of her scenes), while Rebel Wilson and Alfie Allen act like they're in cartoons. This is a reasonably charming movie that I can easily recommend, but I can't say I'll be thrilled if it really ends up becoming the Best Picture frontrunner. B-

[Kravetz]

I think this was a risk taking venture that came together and became a memorable film. I agree with the review above that there are hints of Wes Anderson merged with Life Is Beautiful. I think the comic use of Hitler is the initial draw to see this film, and the dramatic themes override the comic ones. Still, with heart at its core, this film will make people leave the theater with a dance step in their heart. I bet it will be on the wildcard list for an oscar nom for best picture or director. I would also consider best supporting actor or best screenplay as well. 

 

[Cmasterclay]

I liked it better than I expected actually, thought the tones were well balanced enough and all that, cast was just terrific, (and I don't usually like Johannson/Rockwell as of late).....but something about it felt it a little, I don't know, fluffy? It's a very charming movie. Too charming. Maybe I'm just too cynical these days. Like Green Book, I felt it was totally charming and very fun in the moment but something I can't place just isn't sitting quite right with me about the movie. It just feels like a really good McFlurry - really yummy at the time but a little fast food-y forgettable. Or maybe the feeling will fade and I will really end up remembering it. I did like it more than Green Book and was having a blast at times in the moment, but....idk.

[The Panda]

On 11/2/2019 at 11:31 PM, filmlover said:

This was sweet, but at the same time very disjointed. Gotta agree with the comparisons that this felt like a wannabe Wes Anderson joint (with a touch of Life is Beautiful thrown into the mix). I feel like this would've been better served if it had committed more to either the satirical side or the serious side completely: while I enjoyed Taika Waititi's clownery at times, the imaginary Hitler tends to be forgotten for long stretches and the satirical tone (which isn't always as sharp as it could be) ends up undercutting some of the more obvious attempts of pulling at the heartstrings. Definitely feels like he bit off more than he could chew. But I can't say I wasn't moved at times, and when it works it works very well (which ends up making the parts that don't work all the more frustrating). Waititi has assembled a fantastic cast too: young Roman Griffin Davis is an utterly delightful discovery, Thomasin McKenzie proves her breakthrough turn in Leave No Trace wasn't a fluke, Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell are wonderful (especially the former, who provides such a warm presence to all of her scenes), while Rebel Wilson and Alfie Allen act like they're in cartoons. This is a reasonably charming movie that I can easily recommend, but I can't say I'll be thrilled if it really ends up becoming the Best Picture frontrunner. B-

Agree almost entirely with this.  My main exception is I really didn’t care for Rockwell’s character or “arc”, not really to the fault of Rockwell, more to the fault of the screenplay of not properly exploring the nuances to make his ending moment work for me.

 

It’s a sweet film that entirely lacks any sort of social bite.  And while that’s not necessarily a bad thing for a film to be (I did enjoy it after all!), it really makes you wonder:

 

Should the descriptions “sweet coming of age comedy that lacks satiric bite” and “film about Nazis and the holocaust” go together?  I’m not sure they do.

Edited November 18, 2019 by The Panda

[Kravetz]

On 11/18/2019 at 9:34 AM, The Panda said:

 

 

Should the descriptions “sweet coming of age comedy that lacks satiric bite” and “film about Nazis and the holocaust” go together?  I’m not sure they do.

They have youth coming of age in every country at every time. This one is hard to do but it was done with risk. 

[The Panda]

32 minutes ago, Kravetz said:

They have youth coming of age in every country at every time. This one is hard to do but it was done with risk. 

The thing is the actual content in the film lacks any real boldness or risk.  So what’s the point?

[Webslinger]

Perhaps its mixed reception thus far lowered my expectations too much, but I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed Jojo Rabbit. It works in much the same way that writer-director-star Taika Waititi’s other films have worked: it’s creative and often laugh-out-loud hilarious, and also has a huge heart and hits its emotional beats with near-maximum impact. The central conceit – a boy learning to move past nationalism and his imaginary friend in the form of a goofy Hitler – is rife with potential to backfire, yet Waititi hits the right beats throughout the running time and does an excellent job of balancing envelope-pushing comedy with genuinely affecting drama. Some viewers may not be on board with the film’s lack of subtlety, but given the rising problems with hate movements today and the need to be as clear as possible about the stupidity and evils of hatred and blind nationalism, I actually think the broad approach is as appropriate as it is effective. As usual in Waititi’s works, the actors are in top form across the board. Roman Griffin Davis gives a solid performance as the titular character, tracing his arc believably and confidently. Thomasin McKenzie, whose talents were already plenty apparent from last year’s Leave No Trace, is moving and commands viewers’ attention as a girl whom Jojo’s mother is hiding. The friendship between Davis and McKenzie is plenty cute and feels reminiscent of the central relationship in Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom (as clear a stylistic influence over this film as any). Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell both do really strong work as Jojo’s mother and a jaded captain, respectively; both deliver some well-executed emotional scenes. On the denser and wackier side of the ensemble, Waititi is fittingly off-the-wall and goofy but never affable as Jojo’s projection of one of history’s most infamous monsters; the goofiness of his Hitler undercuts the actual man’s power within the narrative and treats him as a figure worthy of derision. Within the narrative, it’s clear that the imaginary Hitler is a quick fix and a detriment toward Jojo truly addressing his deeper problems, and the final scene between the two characters provides predictable but effective catharsis. The film has clearly proved divisive enough that not everyone will buy into what it’s selling, but I was taken with just how effective Jojo Rabbit ended up being; it’s obviously no Schindler’s List, but its thorough anti-hate sentiment is compelling, its humor hits, its character relationships work beautifully, and its emotional moments hit the right buttons. It’s another big winner for Waititi.

 

A-

 

Stray Thoughts:

- Loved the very last scene of the movie, even if it felt more reminiscent of Moonrise Kingdom than anything else in the entire movie.

 

- I was spoiled on Rosie's death going into the film (took a chance on reading a spoiler-marked Letterboxd review and got it wrong), but I was still caught off-guard with that shot of the shoes as our indicator as to what had happened.

[Avatree]

really really enjoyed it...

 

I have a real thing for films which balance humour and seriousness / emotion like that, where it has me laughing and then in an instant, sad or shocked or crying. It requires extreme talent/skill as filmmakers to pull it off and they succeeded here.

 

I understand the concerns about it being in Nazi germany when it could have been set other places. Well, yeah you are not wrong, you can have a boy growing up and mother could get hit by a car rather than be exterminated by Gestapo.. but you could say that about any film really "why does it need to be set in X setting"

 

It bills itself as Satire but didnt feel like satire to me apart from a couple of scenes with the nazis and the gestapo. But for the most part it is not satire. still thoroughly enjoyed it.

Sam Rockwell is brilliant as usual, rest of the cast is great too.

 

Also, I can't lie, the German Shepherd joke was so dumb that it had me laughing for a solid 5 minutes.

[lorddemaxus]

About 90% of this movie is garbage but I'm giving it a high 4 or low 5/10 just because of the performances and Johsansson's character. All the actors were great and I loved the warmth, beauty, and hidden pain (due to her lack of freedom) of Johansson's character. It's why her death scene felt like a gut punch. I thought her character was amazing and wished we got more of her. The rest of the movie was shallow and lacked any sort of depth. "Nazis are dumb" isn't criticism, espescially if the movie makes it looks like Nazis weren't actually that bad. And why does Rockwell keep getting typecast as "the good racist"? I find it odd that the only truly evil character in the movie was imaginary (not real life) Hitler.

 

The movie does a terrible job at being funny. "Heil hitler" jokes and "this clearly gay character is so gay" jokes aren't funny. Also does a terrible job at being emotional. That scene where Jojo gets right into the middle of the final battle and everything is in slo-mo and the melodramatic music starts felt more like a parody than something actually emotional. I'm probably leaning more towards a 4/10 right now even if I really loved some parts of the movie because there's so much bad in this movie. 

 

The first 10 minutes of Long Shot was a better anti-hate comedy than this film.

Edited January 2, 2020 by lorddemaxus

[Avatree]

On 1/2/2020 at 10:12 AM, lorddemaxus said:

About 90% of this movie is garbage but I'm giving it a high 4 or low 5/10 just because of the performances and Johsansson's character. All the actors were great and I loved the warmth, beauty, and hidden pain (due to her lack of freedom) of Johansson's character. It's why her death scene felt like a gut punch. I thought her character was amazing and wished we got more of her. The rest of the movie was shallow and lacked any sort of depth. "Nazis are dumb" isn't criticism, espescially if the movie makes it looks like Nazis weren't actually that bad. And why does Rockwell keep getting typecast as "the good racist"? I find it odd that the only truly evil character in the movie was imaginary (not real life) Hitler.

 

The movie does a terrible job at being funny. "Heil hitler" jokes and "this clearly gay character is so gay" jokes aren't funny. Also does a terrible job at being emotional. That scene where Jojo gets right into the middle of the final battle and everything is in slo-mo and the melodramatic music starts felt more like a parody than something actually emotional. I'm probably leaning more towards a 4/10 right now even if I really loved some parts of the movie because there's so much bad in this movie. 

 

The first 10 minutes of Long Shot was a better anti-hate comedy than this film.

What is the gay stuff? 

I've heard a few people claim that Sam Rockwells character is gay, but i didn't notice this in the film?

[Ninenin]

Wow this film took me by surprise, one moment i'm in tears of laughter then the next scene just literally in tears. Steve Merchant always has the ability to make me laugh and Sam Rockwell was such a sweet character by the end it left me with quite the smile on my face

 

Heil Hitler

 

A-

[Ninenin]

On 1/6/2020 at 11:37 AM, Avatree said:

What is the gay stuff? 

I've heard a few people claim that Sam Rockwells character is gay, but i didn't notice this in the film?

Yeah he is 100% gay, his Game Of Thrones co star made that very obvious. 

[Ninenin]

On 1/2/2020 at 10:12 AM, lorddemaxus said:

About 90% of this movie is garbage but I'm giving it a high 4 or low 5/10 just because of the performances and Johsansson's character. All the actors were great and I loved the warmth, beauty, and hidden pain (due to her lack of freedom) of Johansson's character. It's why her death scene felt like a gut punch. I thought her character was amazing and wished we got more of her. The rest of the movie was shallow and lacked any sort of depth. "Nazis are dumb" isn't criticism, espescially if the movie makes it looks like Nazis weren't actually that bad. And why does Rockwell keep getting typecast as "the good racist"? I find it odd that the only truly evil character in the movie was imaginary (not real life) Hitler.

 

The movie does a terrible job at being funny. "Heil hitler" jokes and "this clearly gay character is so gay" jokes aren't funny. Also does a terrible job at being emotional. That scene where Jojo gets right into the middle of the final battle and everything is in slo-mo and the melodramatic music starts felt more like a parody than something actually emotional. I'm probably leaning more towards a 4/10 right now even if I really loved some parts of the movie because there's so much bad in this movie. 

 

The first 10 minutes of Long Shot was a better anti-hate comedy than this film.

I think Taiki Waiti humour is very similar to British humour, it's not for everyone. Some people prefer subtle humour whilst other prefer more simple humour like Seth Rogan falling down some stairs....

[lorddemaxus]

Just now, Ninenin said:

I think Taiki Waiti humour is very similar to British humour, it's not for everyone. Some people prefer subtle humour whilst other prefer more simple humour like Seth Rogan falling down some stairs....

Saying Heil Hitler again and again isn't subtle humour. It's just childish. I generally like Waititi's comedy. It just doesn't work here.

[Ninenin]

11 minutes ago, lorddemaxus said:

Saying Heil Hitler again and again isn't subtle humour. It's just childish. I generally like Waititi's comedy. It just doesn't work here.

You can't praise the humour in long shot then turn around and tell me that Heil Hitler was childish. I guess some people just prefer slapstick 

[Avatree]

13 minutes ago, Ninenin said:

You can't praise the humour in long shot then turn around and tell me that Heil Hitler was childish. I guess some people just prefer slapstick 

and you can't tell other people what they do or do not find funny.

[Ninenin]

18 minutes ago, Avatree said:

and you can't tell other people what they do or do not find funny.

6 of one and half a dozen of the other here