Hilarious, Heartwarming, and Devastating

Rating: 9/10 (26 October 2019)

It's Mel Brooks meets Wes Anderson with dashes of Amelie. Hard to believe I could laugh so much and stifle tears to the point where I think I might start blubbering in a theatre over a movie about Nazis and Hitler. They don't seem to go together. Well, humor and adorableness don't seem to go in the same sentence as Nazis and Hitler. There truly were no flaws in this movie. The directing, acting, writing was seamless. It had depth and was never one-note, and really left you thinking afterwards. I imagine it will be up for numerous Oscars, and I'll be surprised if it doesn't win multiple.
The kids who played Jojo and Elsa were a delight. It's hard to believe there's that much talent in kids that age. They could be both humorous and endearing, and had wonderful chemistry with each other. I was surprised at how good Scarlett Johannsen was, as she usually plays the "hot girl," or she's kicking someone in the face. She really gave a wonderful, heartfelt performance, and you really grew to care about her relationship with her son and her role in trying to free Germany from oppression and do her part.
The film maintained the perfect balance and never went too far with it's humor, and never spoon-fed the audience with the obvious message of Nazis, propaganda, oppression, and war are bad. There were a few uncomfortable moments with Jojo's trained beliefs, but I felt they were important to break from the humor to the reality that this kid was brainwashed with some really nasty stuff. It sold the evolution of the relationship between Jojo and Elsa so that it wasn't patronizing or predictable.
Just a delight, and wonderful film making on the part of Taika Waititi. I could see how some may see the trailer, not see the film, and think the subject matter is being trivialized in some way by some insensitive WASP director. When, in fact, it was the exact opposite, and the director is Jewish. That shouldn't have to be mentioned, but in todays current climate where extremist think there are Nazis under every rock, and who need to project their offense at everything to somehow make someone else's struggle about them, I think it's worth mentioning. And, in all likely, those types would hate this film anyway since their solution to everything is punching someone in the face or screaming someone down, where the message of this film is that change comes from talking, learning, understanding, and growth, that leads to compassion and love.