“Jojo Rabbit” Review by Josh Davis
November 3, 2019 10:08 am |
That writer/director Taika Waititi even got “Jojo Rabbit” made is a miracle.
The film is loosely based on Christine Leunens’s novel “Caging Skies,” a critically acclaimed dramatic work about a Viennese member of the Hitler Youth during World War II who discovers his parents are hiding a young Jewish girl in their home. The movie, on the other hand, is a biting satire featuring Waititi, a New Zealand native of Māori and Jewish decent, who plays a young boy’s imaginary friend –– who happens to be Adolph Hitler.
Waititi is no stranger to outlandish comedies, having written and helmed 2017’s “Thor: Ragnarok,” as well as cult hits including “What We Do in the Shadows” in 2014 and “Hunt for the Wilderpeople” in 2016. He’s also an Oscar nominee, for the 2004 short film “Two Cars, One Night.”
In his latest feature, Roman Griffin Davis plays the titular Jojo and, like the source material, he’s a member of the Hitler Youth being brainwashed and trained as a soldier. Jojo is clumsy and something of a coward, and early on he refuses to prove his bloodthirst and devotion by snapping the neck of a fluffy brown bunny, earning ridicule and the nickname “Jojo Rabbit.” He’s a true believer in the Nazi cause and has a roomful of posters devoted to Hitler and the Third Reich to prove it, but he just doesn’t have the stomach for bloodshed.
One night, Jojo discovers his mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johansson), is hiding a young Jewish girl named Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie). He’s been taught that Jews possess powers of mind control and feast on human flesh, so he’s naturally frightened and consults his imaginary friend, Adolph, who seems equally perplexed.
If this seems absurd, it is. It’s also hilarious and, surprisingly, heartfelt as the narrative moves along. Davis and McKenzie are both well cast and handle the shift between comedy and drama well, while Johansson is wonderful in her role as Jojo’s mother, adding some much-needed weight and depth as a caring mother and conscientious objector.
While they’re busy grounding the story, Waititi and the rest of the cast get into it lampooning the Nazis. Waititi himself has shades of Charlie Chaplin, who similarly played Hitler in the 1940 farce “The Great Dictator.” Sam Rockwell is a blast as the down on his luck Captain Klenzendorf, Rebel Wilson chews scenery as the overzealous Fraulein Rahm, and Archie Yates is a comedic scene stealer as Jojo’s young friend, Yorki.
The end result is both deliriously funny and unexpectedly poignant, as the film hovers between outright satire and timely lesson on tolerance. At times, it’s Wes Anderson on acid, including the bonkers opening complete with, what else, a German-language version of The Beatles’ “I want to Hold Your Hand” that the group recorded as a single in 1964.
When it needs to, “Jojo Rabbit” can also deliver a gut-punch, including a certain scene involving Jojo and his mother on the Nazi-infested streets, and a nail-biting sequence when German officers search the family’s home for stowaways.
Again, it’s a miracle this movie even got made. Convincing a studio to spend money on a comedy about Nazis in 2019 is one hell of a good trick. It also made for one hell of a good movie.
PCL Rating: Tupperware
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: FRESH 🍅
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