Post by Rob W. Case on Apr 1, 2020 21:10:59 GMT -6
The Story:
In Nazi-era Germany, amidst a cult of personality, and the influence of a media and education system that advances the agenda of Adolph Hitler, we meet a 10-year-old boy by the name of Johannes (nicknamed “JoJo”) Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis). Jojo idolizes his Chancellor and wants so bad to measure up to his standards and potential approval. That’s why his imaginary friend, who he talks to daily, is Hitler himself (Taika Waititi), and he adopts everything from a “what would Hitler do?” approach. Upon entering a Nazi youth camp, JoJo and his friend Yorki (Archie Yates) engage in activities, games, and challenges led by the camp’s main leader Captain Klezendorf (Sam Rockwell), as well as other leaders Fred Finkel (Alfie Allen), Christoph Fissler (Luke Brandon Field) and Fräulein Rahm (Rebel Wilson). In one instance, Finkel and Christoph take the kids into the woods where they teach the kids how to kill. Jojo is challenged to kill a rabbit, and he feels funny about doing it. Despite the peer pressure mounting up to kill the rabbit, He tries to let the rabbit go, but Finkel quickly picks it up, snaps its neck, and throws it in the woods. The leaders call JoJo a coward for not killing the rabbit, citing that he’s scared like a rabbit, and then nickname him “JoJo Rabbit.” After a pep talk from his imaginary friend, he gets up the nerve to go back and take on the next set of challenges.
The next lesson for the children, after shooting practice, involves throwing grenades. When JoJo throws his, it ricochets against a tree, lands in front of him, and blows up. Injured and hospitalized, Jojo is eventually sent back home to the care of his mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansen). When JoJo comes to, while his mother isn’t home, he finds a girl living in the attic, a Jewish girl by the name of Elsa (Thomasain McKenzie). With his mind so full of Nazi propaganda about Jews, Elsa decides to have a little fun with JoJo, and protect herself by keeping him afraid of her in some fashion. With people being hung all around them for acting humanely towards Jews, JoJo learns the depth and dimension of what his fanaticism is blinding him to. In the meantime, JoJo’s mother teaches him that life isn’t all politics. She teaches him about things like dancing, romance, having fun, and respect. He asks Elsa to teach him about Jews, which opens him up to a new understanding which is a stark alternative from the propaganda that was fed him. As things take a turn, however, JoJo’s loyalties and newfound realities are tested as things come to a head, and as the war intensifies before it ends.
My Take:
When I originally saw this movie in the theater, I expected it to be lighthearted and funny because that’s how it was advertised. When I left the movie, it far exceeded my expectations in the sense that it was very funny, yes, but it also had moments in it that were solemn and serious. And on top of it all, it carried a deep moral message. Normally comedies start out strong, and are funny up to a point, but then many of them run out of “gas” in some ways, and in their slow moments, become kind of boring. This movie wasn’t like that at all, which I found very refreshing and satisfied about. While the serious moments are indeed serious, the comedy elements return, and the story continues its pace without losing the interest of the viewer, and maintaining its sense of versatility. So, in that aspect, it is a very unique and clever comedy/war/drama that stands on its own, in its own right. What I also found interesting about this movie is that upon its initial release, it sort of hung around for a bit, and then it went away in theaters. Then, it was looked at and examined by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and then all of a sudden, the movie started receiving Academy Award nominations. At the Academy Awards in February of 2020, JoJo Rabbit received 6 nominations, but ended up winning an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. After that, the film returned to movie theaters and even stayed there beyond its home video release on February 4th of this year.
Out of 4 stars, I give JoJo Rabbit 4 stars.
The film is rated PG-13 and runs 1 hour and 48 minutes.
To view a trailer for the film, please click on the “Play” button below.
"JoJo Rabbit" is available to own on 4K-UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD, as well as available to own or rent through various streaming services. It is also available to rent at Redbox kiosk machines everywhere.
In Nazi-era Germany, amidst a cult of personality, and the influence of a media and education system that advances the agenda of Adolph Hitler, we meet a 10-year-old boy by the name of Johannes (nicknamed “JoJo”) Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis). Jojo idolizes his Chancellor and wants so bad to measure up to his standards and potential approval. That’s why his imaginary friend, who he talks to daily, is Hitler himself (Taika Waititi), and he adopts everything from a “what would Hitler do?” approach. Upon entering a Nazi youth camp, JoJo and his friend Yorki (Archie Yates) engage in activities, games, and challenges led by the camp’s main leader Captain Klezendorf (Sam Rockwell), as well as other leaders Fred Finkel (Alfie Allen), Christoph Fissler (Luke Brandon Field) and Fräulein Rahm (Rebel Wilson). In one instance, Finkel and Christoph take the kids into the woods where they teach the kids how to kill. Jojo is challenged to kill a rabbit, and he feels funny about doing it. Despite the peer pressure mounting up to kill the rabbit, He tries to let the rabbit go, but Finkel quickly picks it up, snaps its neck, and throws it in the woods. The leaders call JoJo a coward for not killing the rabbit, citing that he’s scared like a rabbit, and then nickname him “JoJo Rabbit.” After a pep talk from his imaginary friend, he gets up the nerve to go back and take on the next set of challenges.
The next lesson for the children, after shooting practice, involves throwing grenades. When JoJo throws his, it ricochets against a tree, lands in front of him, and blows up. Injured and hospitalized, Jojo is eventually sent back home to the care of his mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansen). When JoJo comes to, while his mother isn’t home, he finds a girl living in the attic, a Jewish girl by the name of Elsa (Thomasain McKenzie). With his mind so full of Nazi propaganda about Jews, Elsa decides to have a little fun with JoJo, and protect herself by keeping him afraid of her in some fashion. With people being hung all around them for acting humanely towards Jews, JoJo learns the depth and dimension of what his fanaticism is blinding him to. In the meantime, JoJo’s mother teaches him that life isn’t all politics. She teaches him about things like dancing, romance, having fun, and respect. He asks Elsa to teach him about Jews, which opens him up to a new understanding which is a stark alternative from the propaganda that was fed him. As things take a turn, however, JoJo’s loyalties and newfound realities are tested as things come to a head, and as the war intensifies before it ends.
My Take:
When I originally saw this movie in the theater, I expected it to be lighthearted and funny because that’s how it was advertised. When I left the movie, it far exceeded my expectations in the sense that it was very funny, yes, but it also had moments in it that were solemn and serious. And on top of it all, it carried a deep moral message. Normally comedies start out strong, and are funny up to a point, but then many of them run out of “gas” in some ways, and in their slow moments, become kind of boring. This movie wasn’t like that at all, which I found very refreshing and satisfied about. While the serious moments are indeed serious, the comedy elements return, and the story continues its pace without losing the interest of the viewer, and maintaining its sense of versatility. So, in that aspect, it is a very unique and clever comedy/war/drama that stands on its own, in its own right. What I also found interesting about this movie is that upon its initial release, it sort of hung around for a bit, and then it went away in theaters. Then, it was looked at and examined by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and then all of a sudden, the movie started receiving Academy Award nominations. At the Academy Awards in February of 2020, JoJo Rabbit received 6 nominations, but ended up winning an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. After that, the film returned to movie theaters and even stayed there beyond its home video release on February 4th of this year.
Out of 4 stars, I give JoJo Rabbit 4 stars.
The film is rated PG-13 and runs 1 hour and 48 minutes.
To view a trailer for the film, please click on the “Play” button below.
"JoJo Rabbit" is available to own on 4K-UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD, as well as available to own or rent through various streaming services. It is also available to rent at Redbox kiosk machines everywhere.