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Jojo Rabbit follows one of Adolf Hitler’s biggest fans, Jojo. Jojo’s social awkwardness and general isolation (save for his second-best friend, Yorki, played by Archie Yates) lead to him adopting Hitler himself as his imaginary friend. However, Jojo’s blind nationalism finds itself challenged when he discovers a Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) hiding away in his attic, who his mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) invited.

For such a bleak and dire setup, Waititi manages to make the comedy work. Often times political satire can get a little too on the nose to work, but all of the jokes hit the mark in Jojo Rabbit and none stand out as significant duds. Stephen Merchant shines as Captain Deertz, a member of the Gestapo. His pivotal scene was one of the funniest in the movie and included a hysterical deconstruction of formal Nazi introductions (à la “Heil Hitler”).

Scarlett Johansson received less screen time than one may expect based upon her Oscar nomination for the role, but she gave a heartwarming and endearing performance nonetheless. Archie Yates as Yorki was the obvious scene-stealer and got some of the biggest laughs out of the theater. His failing-upwards style and charming naivety played excellently alongside Jojo’s much more serious and focused innocence. At the emotional turning point of Jojo Rabbit, Roman Griffin Davis delivers the knockout punch of the film. Juxtaposed against the jauntiness of the preceding scenes, watching Jojo come to terms with the revelation about his core identity and worldview is incredibly powerful.

Jojo’s revelation leads to the core message of Jojo Rabbit: that the young and emotionally vulnerable are easily susceptible to indoctrination when looking for a place of belonging. Extremists can lead these groups down morally reprehensible paths without them questioning or realizing it. They do not see the bars of their own cage. Although, this can all change when forced to confront the object of their manufactured hatred. When Jojo meets Elsa, the years of propaganda slowly but surely lose their hold on him until the human connection prevails. Jojo Rabbit also acknowledges this approach may not work for the most ardent Nazi supporters and promptly showcases an alternative method.

Jojo Rabbit has heart and delivers a powerful message wrapped in a witty and humorous coating. Taika Waititi fuses an abhorrent tragedy with political satire (that has an admittedly modern bent), to great success. Jojo Rabbit may not make the most unique or crushing observations, but it makes them in a wholly unique way. Plus, with the growing polarization of contemporary politics, these messages bear repeating.

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The slow buildup of Daniel Lopatin’s score sets the scene for a film that refuses to slow down. Adam Sandler plays Howard Ratner, a jeweler always in search of the next great bet. Time after time, Howard goes in search of the hit only to fall flat on his face. His constant failures rip apart the remnants of his once cohesive family. Despite all of this, you cannot help but root for him; a testament to Sandler’s tremendous work.

Throughout the 2hr 14min runtime, Howard continuously falls down the pit of despair. You keep waiting for him to hit the bottom, only it never comes. Every time the film appears to be reaching its low point, ready to set up his triumphant return, the hole grows deeper. The Safdie Brothers expertly craft a sense of expanding anxiety, developing at an exponential rate. By the end of Howard’s journey you are angry, scared, excited, and ready to go one more time.

The sheer amount of chaos on screen in any instance might be Uncut Gem’s crowning achievement. NBA star Kevin Garnett screaming, a doctor on speakerphone delivering cancer screening results, a livid girlfriend, and the looting of a safe all live in the same moments. And only one of those threads may matter at a time. And some of them “do not matter” at all.

Again, the Safdie Brothers never let the audience rest. The film revels in its own mayhem. What does and does not matter never troubles Uncut Gems. It only aims to depict the true disorder of Howard’s life, and by extension the true entropy of the world. After all, as Howard points out, you can see the whole goddamn crazy universe in the stone.

As more and more time passes since first viewing Uncut Gems, the more the film shines. The Safdie Brothers give Adam Sandler the platform to deliver a career defining performance, and one of the best of 2019. By the end of Uncut Gems your first instinct is to finally breathe a sigh of relief, but after a few seconds pass… you cannot help but crave just one more bet.

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Unlike his most recent and commercially successful films, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood meanders through the majority of its run time. Tarantino leisurely delves into his characters’ lives, mostly disregarding the expectation for any sort of exhilarating or captivating moments. Instead, the first two and a half hours (of a two hour and 45 minute total) are some of the most content film watching I’ve experienced in years. I never found myself on the edge of my seat (save for a scene or two with the Manson Family), but I delighted in watching the pure ambition in every frame. Tarantino made several entirely original movies and television shows to sprinkle in throughout the feature. I thoroughly enjoyed the slice of life style glimpse into 60’s Hollywood.

Within that glimpse everything you have come to expect from Quentin Tarantino shines. Dialogue, while not as snappy, remains captivating. Flawless cinematography and soundtrack selections make every scene a genuine pleasure. DiCaprio and Pitt deliver brilliant performances, and Robbie perfectly encapsulates the idea and spirit of Hollywood. Trudi, played by 12 year old Julia Butters, steals the spotlight. Her scene with DiCaprio may come and go quickly, but she makes quite the impression. As far as child actors go, Butters easily stands out.

With all of this said, the first chunk of the film could not stand on its own. The spectacular ending brings all three major threads of the movie together. Here, Tarantino puts his passion for “what could have been” on display. You acutely feel his frustration over the Manson Family’s grotesque violence cutting Hollywood’s naive and optimistic chapter short. Tarantino shows no mercy.

Whether or not you enjoy this ninth outing largely depends on if the conclusion works for you. It expertly tied together all of the thematic and narrative elements for me, and made the previous two and a half hours extremely worth it. However, some will inevitably lean towards wanting to trim the fat off of earlier scenes. While that may make for a more concise film, it would ruin the setup for an ingenious finale. What makes Once Upon a Time in Hollywood work is the love letter Tarantino writes, all of his ramblings included.

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Taika Waititi’s latest film, Jojo Rabbit, looks absurd in the best of ways. According to the official synopsis,

“Set during World War Two, an awkward young German boy whose only ally is his imaginary friend Hitler has his naïve patriotism tested when he meets a young girl who upends his world views.”

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If that doesn’t sound like a wonderfully wacky (and assuredly controversial) recipe for adventure then what does? Watching the trailer there are strong Wes Anderson vibes, reminiscent of Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel. The sets have the same pristine/uncanny feeling too. Taika Waititi assuming the role of Adolf Hitler himself was a surprise, but he seems to play him with the aloofness of an imaginary friend and with a dark sense of self-deprecating humor. Getting to watch Waititi’s silly and satirical portrayal of one of history’s most infamous men definitely is reason enough to circle October 18, 2019 on your calendars.

While the trailer didn’t give too much of anything away, it certainly caught the eye. With a cast including Taika Waititi, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Alfie Allen, and Rebel Wilson (huh?), you should be confident that at the very least some good performances will come of this.

We also got our first look at the official poster. The unique direction they took with the design is commendable, but the tagline in the upper left could be removed. “An Anti-Hate Satire,” comes across as trying just a little too hard. Not exactly subtle. Including it causes the whole poster to feel cramped, especially since it does not stand out enough among all of the names.

Tell us what you think of the debut trailer and poster for Jojo Rabbit down below!

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