Jojo Rabbit Movie Review
A young boy in Hitler’s army finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.
Why did I come to this movie again?
I have a friend who wanted to see this show, so I watched the trailer. A kid who has Hitler as his imaginary friend? How could I resist? All I knew going in is that people really liked the show.
4 of 5
Characters
I thought the character of Jojo was amazing. He’s a ten year old boy who, instead of being obsessed with Minecraft, is completely obsessed with being a Nazi. Normally this wouldn’t be a trait I found endearing, but his blind fanaticism gave me the chance to see what it might have been like for people in Germany during Hitler’s reign. Why the kids were so involved.
His mother, played by Scarlett Johansson, didn’t have a whole lot of scenes in the movie, but her performance was stellar. When she pretends to be Jojo’s dad during dinner…wow. Just wow.
The Jewish girl hiding in the attic also goes through a character arc. She’s the one who points out that Jojo is just a little boy who wants to belong to a club. Something bigger than he is. Her changes are as big as his are.
5 of 5
Did I care what happened?
Yes. The whole time. Even when things went a bit ridiculous.
5 of 5
Plot Holes
This isn’t a plot hole, per se, but there were a few things that I found odd. I can’t give them away, because spoilers, but I had to remind myself that this is from a 10 year-olds point of view, which is why they skipped a few things. I think.
4 of 5
How many times did I yawn?
It’s not a fast-moving film, and I only got bored once or twice. And even then only for a minute or two.
4 of 5
Cool Factor
The fact that I had sympathy for almost every character in the film is pretty awesome. Getting the feel of Nazi Germany without going super dark was impressive. Not to say that the film isn’t dark. It is. However, Jojo keeps pulling it back into his 10 year-old head, which keeps the audience from getting too carried away into feelings of disgust and rage.
5 of 5
The End
I loved the end! I loved that he actually chickens out of something (he’s a bit of a coward through different sections of the film) then redeems himself. And learns that he is a good person. That he can be more.
5 of 5
Overall Enjoyment
This show was strangely funny and enjoyable. Still, they put in plenty of heart-wrenching moments to keep the heaviness of the topic pressing down on the audience. This might be my most surprising film of the year. Not exactly mainstream, but so, so good.
5 of 5
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That’s a Black Belt!
