The reaction to this film has been fascinating - traditional RT critics have been positive, but not extravagantly so, the general audience seems to absolutely love it (Reddit’s movies subreddit has it ranked third for the year) while the woke Letterboxd crowd generally despises it.
Last 10 Movies Seen
(90+ = canonical, 80-89 = brilliant, 70-79 = strongly recommended, 60-69 = good, 50-59 = mixed, 40-49 = below average with some good points, 30-39 = poor, 20-29 = bad, 10-19 = terrible, 0-9 = soul-crushingly inept in every way)
Run (2020) 64
The Whistlers (2019) 55
Pawn (2020) 62
Matilda (1996) 37
The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1976) 61
Moby Dick (2011) 50
Soul (2020) 64
Heroic Duo (2003) 55
A Moment of Romance (1990) 61
As Tears Go By (1988) 65
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A simple story that's enjoyable from beginning to end. When it's funny, it's especially funny. When it's emotional, it really is. I liked everything about it.
I was expecting a total Wes Anderson ripoff, and it wasn't. Phew.
One of my faves for the year.
Wincing because I'm directly following E's post ... but ...
I expected this to be dumb and obvious --- and it is --- but I didn't expect it to depress me so thoroughly. It's thoughtless and reductive and waaaaay too pleased with itself.
Poorly told, too, because the hero is inert and the premise remains unexplored. Even without that terrible premise and the horribly broad, unimaginative gags, the way the movie cheerfully elides history in some places and repeats dumb myths in others, I don't think it works as a movie. As a simple story.
Only someone who was maddeningly arrogant or deeply stupid would have attempted this, and since I can't say Waititi has ever struck me as the former he must be the latter. The movie makes him look like a simpleminded hack.
At least we agree it's simple!
Love Scarlett here. The bit where she pretends to be the father was great.
This might have worked better if it sticks more strictly to kids’ point of view rather than conceding too many tonally clanging scenes to adults, with Scarlett Johansson’s wonderfully warm character/performance excepted. Knowing now that the original book is serious, maybe Taika Waititi should go for a lighter Hope and Glory rather than full-blown comedy, because the humor not borne out of the kids is at times exasperating, especially in this ghastly historical atrocity context (although Rebel Wilson’s “go hug an American” is a dark strong bit that works for me; that and the Beatlemania opening scene are what I expected from this when I heard of the concept, rather than the eventual tweeness).
But Waititi continues to work wonder with kid actors, and enough of the kid stuff at the story core remain sharp and perceptive in how a kid’s interaction with the world works to almost compensate, from Jojo’s tentative relationship with Elsa (especially her trolling of him) to the scenes with his best friend (which nearly steals the film with how pure and on-point it nails very young boys’ friendship, even with all the indoctrination around them). A wild swing and an intriguingly half miss. 6/10
Also, Sam Rockwell’s character arc here makes me yearn for the relative nuances of his Three Billboards one, which (considering his character writing is the biggest problem I have with that film) I never thought I would ever say; between these two films, Vice, and The Best of Enemies, intervention soon please.
Midnight Run (1988) - 9
The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) - 8.5
The Adventures of Robinhood (1938) - 8
Sisters (1973) - 6.5
Shin Godzilla (2016) - 7.5
The tonal changes KILLED this for me. Was loving it up until the third act reveal; right after we are given a wonderful Nazi Routine House Check. And right before that our child protagonist tries to convince someone he is definitely a Nazi; "I'm massively into swastikas so I think that's a pretty good sign right there." The comedy is right up my ally. It's when we hit the reality wall is where the film becomes less about brilliance of Sam Rockwell and Taika Waititi in their roles and more trying to fit this fairy tale world into reality.
I'm still giving this a yay, because 3/4 of the film worked, I just wish it ended on a more consistent note.
Can't rep you again so soon, and while I didn't like the movie, I thought this was a good take.Quoting Dukefrukem (view post)
I'm middling like you (though I voted nay), and the tonal shift complaint is dead-on. I liked a lot about the film and thought that if I just grit my teeth through yet another bigot-with-a-heart-of-gold Sam Rockwell character I would be fine, but then the film saves its messiest, cringiest tonal "oof" for its last scene:
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Midnight Run (1988) - 9
The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) - 8.5
The Adventures of Robinhood (1938) - 8
Sisters (1973) - 6.5
Shin Godzilla (2016) - 7.5
*Shrug* I thought this was great. I didn't mind the shifts and I liked the awkward humor. The cast helped it a lot.
BLOG
And everybody wants to be special here
They call your name out loud and clear
Here comes a regular
Call out your name
Here comes a regular
Am I the only one here today?
One of those where I was close to giving it a Nay, but it would be unfair since it's not actually a bad movie, just one that falls woefully short of its ambitions. The best thing about it are the performances (from the wonderful and unexpected ones from both kids to the expected greatness of Rockwell and one of the best Scarlett Johansson turns ever) and the first ten minutes, but I have to agree about the tonal shifts - those early Hitler camp scenes prepared me for an irreverent, darkly funny film that never materialized afterwards. I think if we compare this to other comedies about Nazism (from The Producers to Life is Beautiful and To Be or Not to Be, it seems it's still an appealing combo for creators) I think we'll find it's the only one that really attempts to say something about growing up fascist and the Nazi mindset, and yet, in the end, it's easily the shallowest, most ready-to-digest out of all the films I mentioned.
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