Jojo Rabbit (2020) Review

Jojo Rabbit (2020) Review

 The first film I have seen in 2020 is Jojo Rabbit, a film that has been predicted to do incredibly well at the Oscars this year so I was intrigued to watch this film and I must say that I really enjoyed this movie. The premise of the movie sees a young Nazi trying to find his place when he comes across a Jewish Girl. 

Main Character

Roman Griffith Davis is a young child actor and this is the first film I have seen him in but I don't think it will be the last in this film as he is truly fantastic in this film. His character Jojo goes through a really emotional journey throughout the film and you end up really caring about this character even though he is a Nazi. This is literally one of the best child performances in recent memory and I am curious how much recognition he will get and when we will see him next.

Supporting Characters

This film has a really impressive supporting cast and first to Taika Waititi who is also the Director of this movie, he plays Adolf Hitler in this film and is Davis's imaginery friend in the film. He is brilliant in this film and delivers a great over the top performance that provides some really funny moments in this film. He and Davis have really great chemistry in the film and really provide some stand out moments in the film. Scarlett Johansson plays Jojo's mother in the film and she also delivers a good performance, she plays the loving mother very well and you believe in her relationship with Jojo. Her character has a bit of mystery to it but that doesn't get enough time to fully invest you but she is a good character in this film. Thomasin Mckenzie plays the Jewish Girl in this film and her and Davis's chemistry is very good and their development is the emotional crux in the movie so in order for you to believe in this film you have to care about their story. Sam Rockwell, Alfie Allen & Rebel Wilson are also really funny in this film and give good performances. 

Story 

This film was pretty much marketed as a comedy so I was curious how the story was going to be but it was pretty good. As mentioned the relationship between Davis & Mckenzie's characters is the part that invested me and made me care about the these characters and the story that they go through in the film. However, I feel like the story wasn't as strong as it could have been, there are certain elements of the story involving other characters that don't get enough time for you to really care about them, and with the film being only around 1 Hour 40 Minutes there could have been time for this.

Script

This film does focus on the humourous side and does an excellent job. If you like darker humour this film is definitley for you. Waititi especially provides tons of laughs and after his performance as Korg in Thor Ragnarok, he truly is built for really funny supporting roles. The drama though is suprisngly very good, you really will care about these characters and the plight that they are in, especiallly as the film comes towards its conclusion.

Style

This film is a very funny film, it knows when to take itself seriously though and does a really good job of finding the balance between the two types of tone where it doesn't take away from each other. It deals with the subject matter in a really fun way and this film has a very unique feeling which gives it extra poimts in my opinion.

Overall

This in my opinion is a fantastic film that really made me laugh and gave me a real fun time in the cinema. If you like films with dark humour this is a film for you and even if you aren't this film could be for you and you should give it a chance.

Final Rating - 9/10