Taika Waititi saved the
Thor franchise with
Thor: Ragnarok and delivered one of the best episodes of
The Mandalorian on Disney+ (that stellar season finale). However, outside of big franchises, the filmmaker continues to make delightfully quirky movies like Jojo Rabbit. Admittedly, it's not quite up there with
Hunt for the Wilderpeople and
What We Do in the Shadows, but is still powerful, charming, and a film you can't afford to miss.
Humour is subjective, so it's hard to say whether you'll find this Nazi satire uproariously funny or not, but rest assured it's amusing from start to finish. Making light of this period in history still doesn't make for easy viewing, and there are some things the Nazis did which may now be easy to ridicule but aren't necessarily all that satisfying to chuckle at. Thankfully, most of the really uncomfortable stuff happens fairly early on and what follows is a surprisingly sweet tale of the young Jojo overcoming his prejudices to realise that what he's been led to believe about the Jews is, in fact, a complete fabrication on the part of the Nazis.
Griffin Davis excels as this young member of the Hitler Youth and watching his transformation as the film progresses makes for compelling viewing. His budding relationship with Thomasin McKenzie's Elsa (the young Jewish girl his mother has hidden in their walls) is lovely, and the way they overcome their differences as time passes proves to be every bit as satisfying as the dynamic between Sam Neill and Julian Dennison's characters in
Hunt for the Wilderpeople.
Scarlett Johansson is particularly excellent as Jojo's mother, and is a highlight in many respects with a layered performance which sees her playing both a struggling mother and a strong woman trapped in a war she hates doing all she can to make a difference. Sam Rockwell is also great (that shouldn't come as a surprise), but your mileage may vary with Rebel Wilson's irritating camp instructor. The young Archie Yates is a scene stealer, though, and while it's disappointing that Alfie Allen has pretty much nothing to do, the subtext between his and Rockwell's characters is particularly interesting and helps inform a number of decisions in the final act.
Oddly, the weak link here may be Waititi himself. While it's usually great to see the filmmaker step in front of the camera, Adolf Hitler's involvement in
Jojo Rabbit feels entirely superfluous and while he's good for some laughs, it's hard to imagine the movie suffering had Jojo not had the Fuhrer as his imaginery best friend.
Jojo Rabbit isn't perfect, but it boasts a strong story with some surprisingly shocking and upsetting moments that successfully drive home the horrors of war. While it may not always take itself seriously, the film doesn't shy away from delivering some gut punches and moments which will almost certainly bring a tear to your eye. There are also a fair few parallels here with what's happening in the world today, and seeing someone overcome hate the way Jojo does feels particularly poingant as a result. Throw in Waititi's trademark humour and style along with a killer soundtrack, and this, in many ways, might just be the director's most memorable effort if not his best (but even then, it's still better than the majority of movies out there).
A reminder that love can prevail in even the bleakest situations, Taika Waititi delivers another standout movie with Jojo Rabbit and keeps us going with this fun flick until he brings the thunder with the next Thor movie.