Jojo Rabbit

I was nestled into the softness of comedy before the horrors of war tore me asunder. Fuck off, Hitler.

I was expecting more of a parody of Nazi-Germany and more of a comedy than a coming-of-age story. It's still some good storytelling though. Both of the young leads are quite good, and I loved Rockwell. It's surprisingly heartfelt and touches on topics like family and acceptance very well, which is probably what makes it so good. I laughed often enough at the Taika Waititi humor and felt for the characters too. All in all, this was very good.

Though it left me wanting slightly for more comedic teeth, Jojo Rabbit is an excellent comedy with some great anti-hate messaging.

You might think it's impossible to make a comedy out of Anne Frank. And you would be correct. Half hour in I thought to myself: "Oh no...I'm not going to like this." From an hour in, I thought "This is mind-bogglingly awful" I couldn't wait for it to end. It's like Wes Anderson's take on Nazi Germany. Ugh. Never laughed, not once. Never smiled, not once. Didn't enjoy a single frame.

As someone concerned about how extremism can sneak into a society, I should dig this. But from the outset, I found the picture to be too cloying & mawkish to make a strong case on the childish appeal of fascism. It's really hard to root for the lead: a small thug who emotionally tortures a girl. And the emotional wish fulfillment targeted to the audience is way too forced. The point is good, but I just wanted more. Namely Brad Pitt to show up and scalp that little brat. Marginal recommendation.