ANTI-HATE HUMOR

Rating: 10/10 (9 March 2020)

There is very little in the world that you can't turn into something humorous. Don't get me wrong, there are a few items I won't mention. But back in 1967 director/writer Mel Brooks showed that even Hitler and the Nazis could be funny with "Springtime for Hitler" in his film THE PRODUCERS. Now director writer Taika Waititi uses the same setting, Nazi Germany, for a darkly humorous and troubling film called JOJO RABBIT.
Johannes "Jojo" Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis) is a ten year old boy living in Nazi Germany during the final years of the war. Like all good young German children, Jojo is part of the Hitler youth and excited about his trip to camp with the group where they will learn things like killing, bombing and hand to hand combat. He and his best friend Yorki (Archie Yates) can't wait to get there.
Things aren't quite what he expected once there. Certainly all the items promised are delivered by camp commandant Captain Klenzendorf (Sam Rockwell), a German officer who's been assigned here after a mishap during his last command. He goes about his day half interested with his flash nearby and with the aid of the more destructive Fraulein Rahm (Rebel Wilson) providing help.
But things change when Jojo refuses to kill a rabbit just to show he is willing to kill. From this he gets the nickname Jojo Rabbit. Talking to his best invisible friend, the leader himself Adolph Hitler (Waititi) he convinces himself to show his bravery, runs up taking a grenade from Klenzendorf's hand during training and throws it only to have it bounce off a tree and land next to him. This results in injury and scarring and Jojo is sent home.
This is all fine with his mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansson). Rosie dotes on her son and allows him his daydreams of fighting for the Reich alongside his long gone father. One day while she's out Jojo hears a noise upstairs. Investigating he finds a young girl named Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) hidden in a secret room off of his deceased sister's bedroom. Frightened at first it doesn't take long for him to realize that this girl is a Jew and has been hidden her by his mother.
Being a loyal Nazi what does he do? Does he turn her in? Or does he allow his love for his mother to override his duty? To decide what to do he converses with his imaginary best friend who suggests that he use her to gain information. He sets out to write a book about Jews that he can then present to the Fuhrer himself.
From here we are transported into both the worlds of Jojo's imagination in his discussions with his imaginary friend and the harsh reality of the world that surrounds him. The moments with Hitler are the funniest parts of the film, with him acting un-Hitler like and offering more comedy than inducing fear. But there are scenes of Jojo walking with his mother through town where a make shift scaffold has been set up in the town square with Jews hung there in public for all to see. It is this back and forth of the sadness and terror of war set beside things like the humor in Jojo's beliefs of Jews as being horned devils that makes the film strange while at the same time making it work.
To bring a film like this to life takes the efforts of all involved. Waititi has done a fantastic job with the handling of the story, earning an Oscar for best adapted screenplay. His direction here shows why he's an up and coming force to be reckoned with, able to handle things like his previous dark comedy WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS to the super powered Marvel film THOR: RAGNAROK. His performance as Hitler here strikes all the right notes making him the funniest character in the film.
The movie would have fallen on its face had they not found the perfect young actor for the lead role. Davis is just that actor, making Jojo the most sympathetic character here rather than the monster he could have been as a Hitler youth. McKenzie brings to her character a subtle touch of fear while at the same time being a strong character at the same time. And Johansson shows why she's a much better actress than folks give her credit for. She's more than a spandex wearing superhero which is what most associate her with. She carries her own here with a character that you care for as much as Jojo does.
It's a difficult mix to combine the horrors of war with comedy and not easily done. Waititi has done so here with moments that are hilarious but frightening at the same time. It tackles a subject from a viewpoint no one has before and while doing so provides a strong stance against violence. War isn't something to be taken lightly and the fact that children were propagandized like this should be a scary thought to consider. But perhaps, as with Jojo, they can come to realize not everything they're told is true.