Money is tight, so I probably won't get a new one for some time. Until then, I'll just have to make do with watching stuff downstairs after my mom goes to bed. Her cable blows, but that's to be expected. Most of the stuff I watch is online, anyway. But obviously, it could be a lot worse, so I'm not really complaining. I can always watch stuff on my computer, so it's not a total loss.
I'm still getting settled, so I'm not going back to my normal format just yet, but I'll get there soon. Until then, here's a look at two comedies I saw recently on Blu-Ray before the 💩 hit the fan in earnest...
Jojo Rabbit
This one would absolutely been a shoe-in for my 2019 list of the movies of the year, if I had seen it sooner. It's sort of like Life is Beautiful with more mainstream sensibilities. It was written and directed by New Zealander Taika Waititi, of What We Do in the Shadows fame. Jojo Rabbit tells the twisted tale of a member of the Hitler Youth, the titular Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis, in a remarkable turn), and what happens when he discovers his mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) is harboring a young Jewish girl, Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie, of Leave No Trace fame, which was #2 on my fave movies of 2018 list), in her attic.
Oh, and did I mention his imaginary friend is none other than Adolf Hitler, played by the writer-director himself? I guess he figured no one would want to touch the role, and he may be right in this particular political climate. I certainly didn't envy either him or the cast having to come up with a way to pitch this thing to audiences, to say nothing of Waititi pitching it to the studio in the first place. Kudos then, to all concerned, including the studio Fox Searchlight, for taking on such controversial material in the first place, especially knowing it would likely be a tough sell.
But you kind of have to see it to get it. While I can see where some might find the idea of a comedic take on Hitler being problematic- see also the recently-wrapped TV series Preacher, which is arguably even more out there- the truth is, it's actually more about tolerance and love and how the simple act of getting to know someone instead of pre-judging them could change opinions from the jump: a lesson a lot of people could stand to learn right about now. Maybe they will, in light of what's going on lately. Nothing like a pandemic to bring people together by driving them apart.
One of the most impressive elements of the film is its tone. Just one thing out of place and the comedic element could fall to pieces, and, as you can see in the deleted scenes, most of which were rightfully taken out, it was truly a tightrope walk. Even more impressive is the hard right the film takes into drama at one point- it's beautifully handled and genuinely took me by surprise, serving as a gut punch to the viewer at just the right time, when you have to wonder if this thing is eventually going to go off the rails.
It does not, and that's a testament to the talents of Waititi and all of the others concerned. It's not easy to make Nazis funny, and even less so Hitler himself, but damned if this movie doesn't pull it off. Part of it is in making the characters likably amusing, without forgetting to point out their faults- the film wisely opts to make their beliefs so over the top that you can't help but laugh at them, thus inherently defusing the ugliness of them in the process. At the same time, it doesn't forget to drive home the seriousness of what's going on, either.
In one of the best scenes, a Gestapo team, led by Deetz (Stephen Merchant, of UK The Office fame), infiltrates Jojo's home when his mother isn't there, and is forced to choose whether or not to rat out his mother's undeclared visitor, Elsa. The tense scene is carefully and beautifully balanced between slapstick comedy and serious drama, particularly when Deetz gets his hands on a scrapbook of sorts written by Jojo, in which he attempts to deconstruct the origin of Jews and what makes them "bad," complete with offensive descriptions and scribbled drawings.
What was played for laughs before is suddenly exposed as the racist tract it actually is, and the ridiculousness of harboring racist beliefs is shown to be built on the rockiest of foundations. It is then that Jojo realizes the power of words and even pictures to hurt people, especially as he sees that Elsa is hearing everything and it must be hurtful to her. And yet, Elsa nonetheless does something astonishingly heroic to save the day that serves as a turning point for Jojo and what he really believes. It's a fantastic scene and one of many in the film to both make one laugh and think.
As great as Davis and McKenzie are, I have to give credit where it's due to Johansson, in what is easily one of her best performances ever. On top of doing a credible German accent, her comedic timing here is flawless and endlessly hilarious, as she deftly pokes holes in her son's belief system, knowing that deep down he's not a bad kid, he's just been indoctrinated with false beliefs. Lest we forget, racism isn't a natural state in anyone- it's taught to us by others, and we can either buy into it or ignore it. But what happens if we're too young to know better?
The movie gets that, and it frequently points out the childishness of Jojo's beliefs, and of those surrounding him, like his pal Yorki, who after a certain point, is basically done with the whole Hitler Youth thing. Needless to say, things do eventually get real for Jojo, and it becomes harder and harder not to take sides and choose what he wants to stand for- the forces of good, or of evil. By the end of the film, he's made that choice, and I do think he made the right one, perhaps needless to say. But then, who'd have thought there would still be Nazis in the world after all this time? It just goes to show, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
I also dug the supporting cast, which includes Sam Rockwell as a closeted gay Nazi, Captain Klenzendorf, and Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones), as Finkel, his right-hand man, who suspect they've chosen the wrong side and want to go out on their own terms, amusingly shown by their designing the most flamboyant uniform ever, which they proudly wear into the final battle. There's also Rebel Wilson (the Pitch Perfect movies) as Fräulein Rahm, a nutty instructor at the Hitler Youth camp- she actually reigns her usual antics in to give a pretty credible performance, without forgetting to pepper in some laughs when needed.
The end result is nothing short of a modern-day classic well worth seeing, even if you're a little dubious of the overall premise. I assure you, it's well-handled, and doesn't forget to show by example how ridiculous the Nazi characters are, as well as their belief system, which is built on a foundation of lies and mistruths, while at the same time not forgetting the seriousness of what's going on when it counts. It's almost hard to describe without just seeing it for yourself, which is exactly what I suggest people do.
Jay & Silent Bob Reboot
I've been a fan of Kevin Smith's since I was a kid, and it's certainly had its fair share of ups and downs, especially since his peak period of the 90's. After the one-two-three punch of the career highs of Chasing Amy, Dogma and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, Smith tried to go mainstream with the much-maligned Jersey Girl (including by Smith himself, often his own worst critic), which landed with a resounding thud at the box office.
Honestly, though, the film isn't that bad- it was just the unfortunate victim of circumstance, coming as it did on the heels of the whole "Bennifer" debacle, aka the relationship between Smith's former go-to leading man Ben Affleck and multi-hyphenate Jennifer Lopez, which actually met its nadir via the truly bad Gigli. The film's bombing and Affleck's subsequent relationship with another Jennifer, Garner, ultimately led to a falling out between the two, and Smith struggled to recover.
He went back to the well for the solid Clerks 2, which hits closer to home the older I get, and tried to cash in on the success of all those he'd inspired since his heyday (i.e. Judd Apatow, the Farrelly Brothers, the American Pie series), with the enjoyable-if-slight Zack & Miri Make a Porno, which underperformed at the box office. This led to Smith taking on the rare director-for-hire flick, the aptly-named Cop Out, the only film in his canon he didn't write himself, making it an outlier for fans and critics alike, who both trashed the film, though it was moderately successful at the box office.
Chastened, Smith took a decidedly hard left into horror, with the surprisingly effective Red State, inspired in part by his run-ins with the Westboro church during his promotion of the religious satire Dogma, as well as the subsequent events in Waco, Texas. Though some critics and fans, including this one, appreciated the new direction Smith was taking in his career, the film was not a success at the box office. Interestingly, though, Smith didn't seem to care, and leaned into the weirdness, resulting in the even more out-there cult flicks Tusk and Yoga Hosers, which likewise divided fans, with some wondering if he'd been hitting the weed a little too hard for his own good.
Personally, I enjoyed all those films, and I don't even smoke weed. I just appreciate the willingness on Smith's part to take risks this late into his career, whatever the inspiration might be. Things took yet another turn when Smith suffered a near-fatal heart attack, in which, ironically, his doctors said, his chronic use of the chronic may have actually saved his life by keeping him calm during what is typically a decidedly traumatic event for most.
The outpouring of love for Smith got him back into Hollywood's good graces, and though proposed projects for a continuation of both Clerks and Mallrats have yet to materialize, he did manage to get this film made, which reunites him with many of his old compadres, even the long-lost Affleck, who he generously gives the key scene of the film to, near the end of the festivities. It's a tearjerker.
TBH, I was a little concerned at first, as many of the jokes weren't landing for me, leaving me wondering if I hadn't final outgrown my more juvenile sense of humor once and for all. But once the titular duo reunite with Justice (Shannon Elizabeth, of American Pie fame, who should have been a contender) and Jay is introduced to the child he never knew he had, Milly (amusingly played by Smith's own daughter, Harley Quinn), it's then that things finally start to click into place and the film becomes less of a retread than a continuation of Smith's past efforts.
Of course, the big joke here has always been, by Smith's own admission, that the film is meant to be the same film as Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, only filtered through a more modern sensibility- hence the whole "reboot" gambit. As before, the duo seek to stop the film being made from the characters based on them, Bluntman & Chronic, after getting duped by a sleazy lawyer (Justin Long, reprising his role from Zack & Miri) out of the rights in court- and even the right to use their own names!
Mad, but not out of the game, they travel to "Chronic-Con," a fan event surrounding the characters in question, where a key scene is being shot for the forthcoming movie, intending to stop it. This extended bit, some of which was actually shot at the San Diego Comic-Con, is the undeniable comedic highlight of the film, as Smith both pokes fun at himself, playing himself as a shameless self-promoter- which he sort of is IRL, but in a good way, not the way seen here- and brings back past characters in rapid succession, as well as people playing themselves, i.e. the cast of Clerks.
There's also a small army of celebrity cameos, including Val Kilmer, Melissa Benoist (Supergirl, which Smith has directed many episodes of), Jason Biggs & James Van Der Beek (basically reprising their roles as themselves in Strike Back), Tommy Chong and Chris Hemsworth, as well as what will likely be the last big-screen appearance of the late, great Stan Lee, who was originally supposed to be the focal point of the final act, in a nod to his role in Mallrats, before his untimely passing. The film had to be rewritten accordingly, but Lee still appears via footage also shot at Comic-Con.
Basically, you're either in or out with this one. You either still love Smith's stuff or you don't. Even if you've had mixed feelings about his non-View Askew stuff, it's still a kick to see his most beloved characters back in action, even if the film takes a hot minute to get going and seems a bit self-serving at times. I mean, this film is basically the dictionary definition of fan service, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I had fun with it, enjoyed the bonus features- which are surprisingly thin, given Smith's notorious habit of overshooting things- and thought the film had real heart in a way his efforts since Zack & Miri haven't really.
I mean, don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed Red State, Tusk and Yoga Hosers for what they were, but it's still nice to see Smith firmly back within his wheelhouse, even if, by his own admission, he's basically just repeating himself at this point. My hope is that, moving forward, he'll do a little of both, which is to say, movies within the View Askewniverse, and oddball stuff outside of it. From the looks of things, that's exactly what he plans to do, and I'm very much down with it.
Perhaps needless to say, you're either going to be with this one or against it. But even if you are a longtime fan, just know that it takes a little while to find its groove- but hang in there, as it gets there eventually. I had fun with it, and it's worth mentioning that it brought back a welcome outpouring of past memories of watching Smith's previous films with friends and having the time of our lives, laughing ourselves silly.
We could use more of that right about now, given how dire things are, so how can I help but not recommend this, even if it's basically just an extended exercise in nostalgia? Hey, there are worse things in the world- and we're all experiencing them right now, so why not check your brain at the door and have a little harmless fun with many people's fave stoners? You could do a lot worse, that's for sure. I say check it out. 😉
I'll be back in business in earnest on Monday, so check me out then for some monster madness! 👹
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