Review: Jojo Rabbit

Jojo Rabbit, directed by Taika Waititi, tells the tale of a little Nazi boy named Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) who wishes to make his country proud with the help of his imaginary friend Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi). But when little Jojo learns that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) has been harboring a young Jewish girl (Thomasin Mckenzie) in their very home, Jojo must decide for himself what is right vs what the Nazi Party think is right.

Taika Waititi is probably more well known for directing Thor: Ragnarok, but the director also made smaller films like Boy, What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, all of which were just as equally entertaining. Jojo Rabbit serves as another entertaining entry to Waititi’s filmography, though it’s not without its faults. The film may have won the top prize at Toronto, but it’s far from one of the best films of the year.

This film garnered a bit of controversy with its subject matter and it’s hard not to see why. Waititi takes on a tough task of making a film about Nazis wholesome, and unfortunately for this film he did not exactly nail the execution here. When it comes to the film’s tone it’s a complete mess. The transitions from comedic scenes to incredibly serious ones is kinda sloppy. The film sometimes combine the two different tones together with rather awkward results. Granted all the jokes land and all the emotional moments hit their marks but when the film flip flops back and forth between them it makes it hard to know how you should right now with certain scenes.

The film also lacks any memorable traits in my opinion. The cinematography is serviceable, the editing is fine, the music is fine, a lot of the technical aspects were just fine. Waititi demonstrated that he knows how to make a good film, but he doesn’t go the extra mile to make an exceptional one. The performances were all pretty solid in general, with the standouts being the young actors. Roman Griffin Davis gives a great performance as Jojo and Thomasin Mckenzie steals the show as the Jewish girl hiding in Jojo’s home. Scarlett Johannson also gives one of the better performances I’ve seen from her so far, Sam Rockwell was entertaining, Taika Waititi was a lot of fun to watch, even Rebel Wilson gives an incredibly entertaining performance. The writing was solid, the story was wholesome, and the message is very resonant contrary to popular belief.

Overall I had a lot of fun watching this film. It’s flawed for sure but you can’t help but appreciate what this film has to offer. As of this review the film’s only out on a select few theaters but is likely to expand within the coming weeks, so if this sounds like a film you would enjoy then I recommend you check it out and see for yourself.

Final Verdict: 7/10