Something Special

Rating: Null/10 (8 February 2020)

So-hot-right-now comedy wunderkind Taikia waititi jumps straight in the deep end with "JoJo Rabbit", about a young boy who wants to join the German army at the tail end of World War 2. Terrible timing aside, after an accident at his Hitler youth summer camp, JoJo discovers his mother is secretly harbouring a young Jewish girl, as the allies advance. What will Jojo do? And would you react if your imaginary best friend was Adolf Hitler?
A comedy like this requires a delicate balance - sympathy for young German soldiers, nazi tropes about Jews played for laughs, a few emotional deaths to remind us of the horrors of the situation.. there's a reason there's very few successful war comedies told from the losing side. Thankfully Taikia is skillful enough to keep it all moving, emotional where required and above all, keep it all funny.
Sam Rockwell and Alfie Allen stand out as the debauched youth camp leaders who can see the writing on the wall, as does Archie Yates, the best example of a 10 year old boy playing a 50 year old British man playing a 10 year old boy, ever. Newcomer Roman Griffin Davis is fine as JoJo, and Scarlett Johansson is above her average performance as JoJo's mother.
JoJo doesn't always blend comedy and emotion as smoothly as it could, but that's nitpicking really - this is a brilliant concept that's right up Taikias alley. While a plot description might give some pause, don't think twice, this is really something special - a funny, original movie that may even get us to see things in a different light.

Ben

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