Four balls out of five.

Rating: 8/10 (1 January 2020)

Waititi's secret weapon is, as it always has been, his uncanny ability to provoke genuine emotion even in the broadest of comedies. This is what makes 'Jojo Rabbit (2019)', which is brazenly bizarre on paper, work as well as it does. The characters are crafted to be much more than the humourous archetypes they initially threaten to be; they're actually rather nuanced and their relationships all feel palpable. They have arcs which are predictable yet satisfying, which are evocative of the entire affair. The flick may be a comedy, but it makes a point of having its tragedies hit home incredibly hard. There are more than a few emotionally resonant moments, each strong enough to provoke tears and bolster the underlying truth of the story's situation. The picture wisely depicts its central situation as properly bleak, showing exactly what its more outlandish elements actually cost. Its easy to poke fun at the Nazis, but it's necessary to make sure their deplorable acts never get the same treatment. Luckily, this handles the dilemma rather well. It walks the line but it's never distasteful, with its 'anti-hate' messages always feeling evident. The movie is broadly funny, with several (somewhat uncomfortable) laughs and a generally heightened world. It sometimes struggles to balance its satiric humour with its genuine heart, though. Basically, it's a bit odd, tonally. Plus, it isn't all that complex; it's message is (hopefully) obvious. Sadly, it's easy to imagine unknowing children 'heil'-ing Hitler in the street because they saw it here, the satire having gone over their ignorant little heads, but I suppose Waititi's responsibility only goes so far. I mean, the affair is clearly positioned against Nazism. It's entertaining, affecting, funny, heartbreaking and, generally, very well-made. It walks the line, and wobbles a bit while doing it, but it never falls off and it reaches a satisfying conclusion. 8/10