Review of Jojo Rabbit (2019) by Obi_ — 26 Jan 2020

First, let's get the whole "it's somehting not to joke about" out of the way. This movie is'nt just trying to get some laughs out of tragic events, but as well make fun of how stupid humanity can be sometimes. Some critics giving this movie implications like "What is the point?" Reminding even the same kind of critics Roberto Benigni's La vita è bella got for getting some humor out of this dark period of human history, hence completely missing the core of that movie which was positivity of hope for the future. And talking about Jojo Rabbit, though it really doesn't have anything too philosophical to say, it delivers what you sign up for: Having a good time and hope for the future!

But of course it's not flawless by any means, there are some insinuations for romances here and there that do not get really to some point in the end. Some character motivationes, that may seem merely plain or somehow unexplained, can get the overall perception that secondary characters have in fact little care, with one very specific exception in the very end of the movie. Sometimes the plot can feel a tiny bit dragged or feeling like you have to wait a little bit for that important thing to happen.

Now let's get the great parts on the table. The performances from the younger actors are really on point, and across the board the perfomances of the main characters are great, highlighting Waititis funny performance as Hitler and the realtion between each character with Jojo in a natural and realistic way. Scarlet Johansson can get from really funny to really compelling quite smoothelly, but on one very specific moment that was meant to be really sad and shocking, can actually get a little off putting or with misunderstood feelings that you may forget after 5 minutes; and that can be a problem, ther are very emotional events here and there that can get you on the edge of heartbreaking so to get back to the general feeling of comedy they appeal to use, although very comical, out of nowhere jokes which can be annoying for some people.

And the best part of this movie, the feeling of hope and opportunity for the future that it reamins on one's mind for very long. It really pays off in the end as a movie which has something to say in a very heart warming way, something that can go around the sentiment of keep going 'cause it gets better.