Neat work from Waititi and his cast/crew! [+69%]

Rating: 7/10 (6 April 2020)

Irreverent humor (and/or satire) is a difficult genre to crack, but Waititi once again shows he can completely own his script and get the best out of his performers. To be honest, I didn't particularly find the first 30-40 minutes to be that amusing, but as the second act commenced, it started growing on me. The film beautifully portrays the warm, funny, and morose relationships between Jojo (a fantastic Roman Griffin Davis, who brings adorable 10-year-old-isms to the table with a dash of harmless, satirical fanaticism for Hitler) and a bunch of people around him - his bestie Yorki (Archie Yates, who has got great timing in humor), his mother Rosie (a wonderful-as-always Scarlett Johansson), and his new Jewish acquaintance Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie, who's wildly effective), to name a few.
There's also his imaginary best friend Adolf Hitler (played by Waititi himself, getting the funniest lines) and Captain Klenzendorf (a bubbly Sam Rockwell) playing important roles. As I said, once you've okayed yourself with the nature of the film's irreverence, you're in for a joy ride. The second half features a particularly hysterical scene with Stephen Merchant making a cameo. To add to that, I need to give kudos to Waititi for transitioning between hilarious and heartbreaking in a matter of seconds, in one specific scene (cannot spoil it!) so brilliantly. I cannot remember the last time a shot of a woman's feet was used to convey something so intense and powerful.
Jojo's transformation from a 'Heil Hitler'-ing fanatic to a boy fluttering with dreams, hopes, and humanity, has been written and performed in a very believable manner. In terms of wackiness, I'd give Rebel Wilson's character an extra point. Every time she showed up, hilarity ensued. Jojo Rabbit may be set in trying times, but it is a feel-good watch indeed, ably supported by its classy production design, pleasing soundtrack, and a lot of benevolence (a.k.a tying each other's shoelaces).