Jojo Rabbit (2019)
During the waning years of WWII in Germany, a rabid 10 year old Nazi (Roman Griffin Davis) has an adorable wild and wacky Adolph Hitler (Taika Waititi) for an imaginary pal. Things get complicated when he finds out his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jew (Thomasin McKenzie) in their home. Based on CAGING SKIES by Christine Leunens and directed by Taika Waititi. I don't think I've hated a movie this much since A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)! I literally had to force myself to watch it all the way to the end. It thinks it's daring and shocking in its humor but it's really a dumb and stupid movie. It's not just that all the actors have bad German accents or that Hitler is a cartoonish Nazi right out of HOGAN'S HEROES or that the dialog is anachronistic but that the film reeks of self importance and smugness. While the movie pats itself on the back for its "originality", it offers us cliches like a battle with people dying shot in slow motion while an ethereal chorus plays on the soundtrack. Yeah, we've never seen that before! Oh, I don't want to waste another breath on this piece of shit other than to say young Roman Griffin Davis is quite good. With Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson and Archie Yates.
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I enjoyed it a whole lot more than you. I know it is hard to find the vile, monstrous likes of Adolf Hitler, Donald Trump, Jacob Zuma, Richard Nixon or John Vorster funny, but painting them as idiots and showing us the "banality of evil" is a good thing. JOJO RABBIT made me laugh, and it made cry. Best of all, it provided me with food for thought. Taika Waititi is, IMHO, one of the most exciting and original filmmakers working today. JOJO RABBIT isn't as intriguing and wonderful, or as hilarious, as his HUNT FOR THE WILDER PEOPLE or BOY, but it is a one-of-a-kind satire that worked for me. BTW, your blog is excellent and I find your reviews hugely worth reading. Obviously, I don't always agree with your opinions, but I enjoy reading them. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words. I understand my opinion of JOJO RABBIT is a minority one. I have several friends of have chastised me for not "getting it". I got it, I got it, I just didn't want it. But then again, I'm not a fan of some some critically admired Nazi comedies like Chaplins THE GREAT DICTATOR or Lubtisch's TO BE OR NOT TO BE (though oddly enough, I quite like the 1983 Mel Brooks remake) so probably it's just me.
Delete"friends of have", that should be "friends who have". That's what happens when you hit send without proof reading!
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