Pros:
1.) I love how this film depicts Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party as doofuses. For the Nazis, they are depicted as imbeciles who believe in so many ridiculous things (at least, in the eyes of the modern audience) like the Jews are devils, the Russians are dog-eaters, etc. It is funny how they are easily brainwashed into believing such nonsense to the point where they will die for them. Then, there is Jojo’s imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler played by Taika Waititi. The director/actor does such a fantastic job playing the lovable yet tyrannical and dumb dictator, you may end up wanting to see him appear onscreen more often. Hitler was hilarious to see, and Waititi did an excellent playing the character…
2.) …I should also give credit to the other actors as well. Scarlett Johansson as Rosie Betzler plays a lovable mother who has to take care of her Nazi loyalist son, Jojo despite seeing things differently to the point where she is hiding a Jew in their home and even has to pretend to be the father at times (makes you question her sanity, and where Jojo got his wild imaginary friend). Sam Rockwell as Captain Klensedorf acts like a Nazi Captain who desperately wants to fight in World War II, but is willing to be nice to the children he is teaching, especially Jojo. Thomasin McKenzie as Elsa Korr plays the Jewish girl who has to remain tough against the Nazis but softens when she gets to know Jojo for a period of time. Then, there is Roman Griffin Davis as Johannes “Jojo Rabbit” Betzler, who does a phenomenal job acting his heart out (especially on certain emotional scenes) that he can show that he is a huge Nazi loyalist and a fanboy for Hitler, but questions it when he encounters Elsa Korr. All these actors did a fantastic job and deserve all the credit.
3.) While it is simple, the story and plot are executed well enough to make people be engrossed in many plot points and laugh when comedic moments occur. So many of the jokes do well mocking the Nazis while making them interesting and likable. When the film does emotional moments, it does so in a believable way. The writing does what it needs to do, and it makes a great story as a result.
Cons:
1.) Nothing. Other than this type of plot has been done before making it a little predictable (except in a satirical matter), I have no big complaints about this film.
Overall:
Well, the year 2019 is coming to a close, so it is time for me to catch up on some films that I have missed. The first on the list is Jojo Rabbit, and I should have seen when it first came out. I love this film: the acting is fantastic, the cinematography is top-notch, and the depictions of the Nazis and Adolf Hilter are hilarious. My only complaint is that the story has been done before, but it was executed in a satirical way, making it slightly fresh. If you had your fill with Star Wars, superheroes, or Frozen movies, here is a film making fun of Nazis with a boy having Adolf Hitler as his imaginary friend…Enjoy.
9/10
benzeyeview 